Over the years, many institutions have conducted various researches and searches about aliens. A new one is participating in these researches carried out on planets with different instruments. NASA aims to find different clues with its alien studies. Samples collected through research will be brought to Earth by spacecraft. Scientists will examine examples here.
Mini robots are coming for alien research
NASA wants to create a mini swarm of robots that cross oceans on other planets for alien studies. An expert for the space agency has come up with the idea for an ice-melting probe that can send a bunch of phone-sized bots deep in the waters.
With its alien plan, NASA will help find signs of life under the icy crust of Jupiter’s moon Europa or Saturn’s moon Enceladus. NASA engineer Ethan Schaler made a statement about the plan.
My idea is where we can take miniature robots from and apply them in interesting new ways to explore our solar system. With lots of small floating robots, we can explore much larger volumes of ocean water and improve our measurements by having multiple robots collect data in the same area.
The project is called SWIM or Sensing With Independent Microswimmers. A team will begin building prototypes within the next two years after funding is secured. It features wedge-shaped robot planning with a length of about 5 inches and a volume of 3 to 5 cubic inches.
Ethan Schaler, the robotic mechanical engineer who developed the project, received a $600,000 grant from NASA to examine design and feasibility options. In the next two years, they aim to create a 3D-printed prototype.
About 50 robots will be packed in a cryobutton for clues. The mothership will carry kits to collect data during the long voyage, mostly on thick ice. The information received will then be in a surface-based all-terrain vehicle for review by experts on Earth.
So, what do you think about the NASA alien project? Do not forget to share your views with us in the comments section.
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