Dallas BEST Robotics Competition:
Three Winning Essays

The following three essays were the winning essays for the Dallas BEST competition which several LSC members judged and Susie Fox congratulated the winners with a small monetary gift for their start into the technical communication profession. Space limitations preclude us from publishing the entire notebooks. – Editor

Essay #1: A Story of Robot Research

by Thomas Jefferson High School, BEST Robotics team

A robot lands on Mars and unloads its cargo onto the surface. It slowly moves around, exploring its surroundings. WAIT! A ROBOT? Why not human? The reason: Mars has a surface temperature of –80 degrees and that’s at its hottest. Any human that sets foot on it can automatically freeze! The robot is sent as a substitute for the human because it can withstand the cold temperatures. Also, the cost of sending humans on a trip to Mars would me many times the cost of sending a robot.

Spirit is a Mars exploration rover that was sent to Mars to research about surface temperature, dust storms, and other interesting facts. This rover uses solar power to recharge its batteries and radio waves to transfer all its information to and from Earth. Spirit also takes various instruments that help it collect data. Not only do robots substitute for human on mars, they do the same on Earth.

Robots are being built to do research in Antarctica. The “Cool Robot” was built to check the surface for bacteria. This robot provides its own power form solar power, so humans can let it run under its own power. The Cool Robot also checks the surface temperature to see if it’s safe enough for humans. If the thermometer reads –70 degrees, then the human skin starts freezing after five minutes of exposure to this temperature! Now, NASA has a big project for this robot. If the robot endures the obstacles in Antarctica and withstands the harsh temperatures, NASA will also send the Cool Robot to Mars! On Mars the robot will explore the surface, checking temperatures and gaining other scientific knowledge with the Mars Exploration Rover.

So we’re on Mars, now what? The robot sets the platform for the humans to land on. It starts to unload the cargo cases filled with food, fuel, medical supplies, and equipment. The robot places the cargo in specific places to organize them so that humans can find everything. Without the robot, humans would have to unload everything on their own, not to mention they may have limited oxygen supply. It would be a great timesaver for a robot that could help humans on Mars, especially with difficult or dangerous tasks.

With the supplies neatly stacked and organized, humans can begin building and setting up their station. With everything organized and ready to build, the humans can have more comfortable settings. The robot can transfer all its temperature readings to the stations database, thus making it easier for humans to calculate outside temperatures. The robot can retrieve specific materials needed for Mar’s surface, such as rocks and bacteria samples. These samples can be added into the system for humans to discover more about Mars.

Without robots many obstacles exist that will block human advancement and slow our achievements. They make exploration possible in difficult or even deadly environments. Who knows, maybe one day robots might make our everyday life not only easier, but safer.

Essay #2: Robots in Space

by Sarah Sassaman (7th Grade), Ovilla Christian School

Where does the future of space exploration lie? In the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey,” producer and director Stanley Kubrick causes us to ask this question. The movie released in 1968 around the same time as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Apollo Project and one year before orbiting and landing on the moon. The launch of this program caused us to contemplate the role of man and machine in space exploration.

In 2007, we contemplate the questions that viewers in 1968 were asking themselves: What is the role of man and machine in space exploration? Also, can man and machine work together towards a common goal? In this year’s BEST robotics competition, our assignment was to find the answer to these questions.

Sojourner was the first intelligent robot sent by humans to operate on another planet. However, Sojourner is certainly not the last intelligent robot that NASA will deploy. It has been alleged that robotics “will respond well to the challenges of space construction, assembly, and communications.” (1)

In early June 2007, NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), which is a robotic long-term effort of Mars exploration, completed its critical design review (CDR). Being less than one year from the assembly, test, and launch operations phase, MSL is scheduled to launch in fall 2009. This rover will determine whether Mars is or ever was able to support microbial life. It will carry the largest amount of instruments for scientific studies ever sent to Mars. While roving the Martian soil, this rover will analyze its composition for clues to its past and possible forms of life. Doug McCustion (2) stated, “The MSL project, Mars Program, JPL, and NASA Headquarters worked together to … keep MSL on schedule for launch in 2009, and we all feel we succeeded.

On June 19, 2007, at JPL, NASA unveiled a new Mars Yard to test the mobility and autonomy of future Mars rovers. The Mars Yard is a 21,000-square-foot facility which includes a new building that will house rover operations. NASA will use this facility to test new capabilities, as well as test and validate flight rover capabilities developed under the Mars Technology Program.

At the same ceremony, NASA unveiled Scarecrow, a prototype rover. Scarecrow, so named because it is still without a brain, will carry large science payloads and travel over much rockier ground than the Mars Exploration Rover (MER). It is already being tested in the Mars Yard and is scheduled for a 2009 launch date. This vehicle will “follow the evidence of water that has already been found on the surface of Mars.” It has also been equipped with a “laser that can pulverize rock from 20 feet away.” (3)

To assemble, inspect, and maintain permanent facilities in space, Scarecrow is required that robots be designed with relatively flexible mass and volume. This design will require robots to be agile and have the ability to process and sense. These robots must also be easy to reconfigure.

Limbed Excursion Mechanical Utility Robots (LEMURs) are six-limbed robots which, due to their small 26–pound frame, can be easily placed aboard the space shuttle or NASA’s planned crew exploration vehicle. Outfitted with attachable tools on each of the LEMUR’s six limbs, these robots are capable of performing a variety of functions. The LEMUR can even work upside down, as long as one limb is anchored, which is beneficial because gravity does not exist in space. The LEMUR is also equipped with eyes that are mounted on circular tracks on top of its head. This lets the robot “see” without rotating the base, which saves time because the camera eyes can be turned in any desired direction that the robots want to move and then go without rotating the robot. These features let the LEMUR fix a spacecraft, either inside or outside, eliminating the need for a human spacewalk. Further, because of the LEMUR’s ability to fit into nooks and crannies, it can perform tasks otherwise too small for astronauts to do.

The LEMUR IIb is a four-limbed robot that is being designed to investigate several aspects of climbing-system design. The technologies designed for the LEMUR IIb will include advanced systems that will enable it to climb various slopes, including vertical faces and overhangs, “while reacting to forces to maintain stability and do useful work.” (4) One of the most advanced of these technologies is a new class of Ultrasonic/Sonic Driller/Corer end-effectors which will let the robot travel across rock and soil as well as sample substrates.

In the future, robots traveling in space, and specifically to Mars, will need to make decisions and avoid dangers and obstacles on their own. They will also have to be tough enough to manage severe conditions on other planets, such as Mars. Further, these robots will be able to collect and return rock, soil, and atmospheric samples from these planets back to Earth for further laboratory research. They can also be used to clean and sterilize aboard the spacecrafts.

Both man and machine must be able to work together to accomplish the space exploration goals in the 21st century. Each will have their own unique roles to play in accomplishing these goals. In 1969, when Neil Armstrong (5) landed on the moon, he said, “That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” Will the year 2021 be defined by the statement (6), “One small advance for a robot; one giant advancement for robotics?”

References

1. Huse, Brian. “How Robots Will Affect Future Generations.” Available on Internet: http://www.roboticsonline.com/public/articles/details.cfm?id=600
   
2. Mars Science Laboratory. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. “Rover Update.” Available on Internet: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/Rover_Update.html
   
3. "NASA’s Scarecrow rover to scour Mars in 2009." Available on Internet: http://swik.net/scarecrow
   
4. “The LEMUR Robots.” NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. “Rover Update.” Available on Internet:
   http://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/systems/system.cfm?System=5
   
5. Wikipedia. "List of misquotations." Available on Internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famous_misquotations
   
6. Sassaman, Sarah. Personal quote.

Essay #3: Mars: A Pathway to Discovery

by Hockaday School’s BEST Robotics Team

The shroud of mystery that has historically cloaked Mars—the fiery planet that neighbors our own—is slowly being lifted. Recently, scientists have created more efficient, complex robots to examine Mars’ diverse terrain, including the well-known Mars Rovers, specialized space robots. With valleys, craters, mountains, volcanoes, deserts, and ice-caps, Mars’ landscape resembles a battlefield. The Romans, though they knew very little about the planets, named this planet fittingly after their god of war.

With land the color of blood, Mars’ distinctive hue comes from the iron(III) oxide that forms on its surface. Mars has a gravitational attraction 0.375 times that of Earth, while its diameter of 4,220 miles is only slightly larger than half of Earth’s diameter (7,926 miles). However despite its small size, Mars shines radiantly as the fourth brightest celestial object in our night sky, trailing behind the moon, Venus, and the sun.

Mars, with its low atmospheric pressure, bars the formation of liquid H2O. However, immense ice caps have formed at Mars’ poles due to their extreme location. Such a lack of liquid water makes Mars’ dry landscape prone to dust storms that engulf the planet for months at a time. Amazingly, scientists have determined that in the distant past, liquid water, in the formation of lakes and rivers, eroded the planet’s surface and carved valleys, mountains, and hilltops.

The variety of landscapes found on Mars is simply astonishing. The southern hemisphere of Mars appears similar to the moon, with many craters that resemble the holes in Swiss cheese. On the other hand, the northern hemisphere is characterized by highlands and plains. Even though Mars’s thin atmosphere protects it from smaller meteors, a whopping 43,000 craters roughen the planet’s surface. The planet’s largest crater, the Hellas impact basin, is even visible from Earth. The largest mountain on Mars is named Mount Olympus: the volcano, which is three times the height of Mount Everest, stands as the largest mountain in the solar system. Besides these craters and mountains, Mars has canyons and caves, just like Earth. Its largest canyon is Valles Marineris, which is 7 km deep and 4000 km long. Its length spans the entire continent of Europe!

Human fascination with the Red Planet can be traced back to early Babylon. The Babylonians named the planet after the god of war and fire, possibly due to the planet’s fiery color. Later in history, the Greeks named the planet after their god of war, Ares, yet over time the title was translated to Martis in Latin, which was eventually shortened to Mars. Observations of Mars itself date back to Aristotle. With the telescope, further information was gathered by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli. Eventually, observatories allowed scientists to identify the polar caps, but the greatest discoveries followed the launch of the Vikings, Mars space probes, which captured color pictures of Mars.

Various countries ranging from the United States to Russia have made numerous advances in exploring Mars. Specifically, these countries have launched various instruments into space, including orbiters and landers which have been able to collect valuable information. Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to reach Mars which photographed the planet’s surface in 1965. The Mariner 3 was scheduled to arrive at Mars a year earlier, but was delayed due to a malfunction in its solar panels. However, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Mars Exploration Rovers were the most impressive. Spirit and Opportunity, which the US launched in 2003, featured a freon-powered cooling system that kept the electronics from overheating throughout the long journey to Mars. Sophisticated computer equipment, such as the star scanner and sun sensor, let the rovers to navigate efficiently. With cleats that enabled their wheels to scale sand and rocks, the rovers traversed the planet with ease upon landing. In addition, the front wheel, which was controlled by its own motor, could stabilize the robot by digging into the terrain in circles. The rover’s maximum speed was 5 cm/s, yet because it often stopped to examine its surroundings, the rover traveled at an average speed of
1 cm/s.

The rovers’ solar panels generated electricity, but the robot used two lithium batteries when solar power was unavailable. Each rover gathered data on craters and other landscape features through eighteen cameras and two antennas. The rovers have also recently found evidence suggesting the existence of water on the planet. NASA was concerned in 2007 that a massive dust storm would destroy the rovers, but both survived and are continuing to collect priceless data.

As we discover more about Mars, that titillating enigma which has puzzled humanity for hundreds of years, we come to a closer understanding of our solar system. Advances in technology have let scientists make discoveries that Aristotle could never have imagined when he first observed the planet glittering a peculiar red in the night sky. The Mars Rovers represent a monumental leap in our struggle to understand our universe that can only lead to further knowledge. From here on, the possibilities of scientific findings are endless and may one day lead to a new colony for humanity. One day, we may very well watch our own children frolicking on the Martian surface as their space shoes kick up clouds of red dust.

Bibliography

1. Arnett, Bill (2005, January 18). “Planetary Science Spacecraft.” Retrieved October 14, 2007, from Nineplanets.org Web site: http://www.nineplanets.org/spacecraft.html#marin4
   
2. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2006, March 22). “Mars: Extreme Planet.” Retrieved October 13, 2007, from National Aeronautics and Space Administration Web site: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/facts/
   
3. “Mars Exploration Rover.” Retrieved October 13, 2007, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Exploration_Rover
   
4. “Mars.” Retrieved October 14, 2007, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars
   
5. “Giovanni Schiaparelli.” Retrieved October 13, 2007, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Schiaparelli