NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has unveiled an updated version of its robotic snake, tailored for exploring the icy terrain of Enceladus, Saturn’s sixth-largest moon. Collaborating with roboticists from Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotic Institute, the team has detailed enhancements in a recent publication, aiming to create a “risk-aware autonomous robot” capable of navigating extreme icy environments.
Acknowledging the unforgiving conditions of extraterrestrial bodies, the team emphasizes the necessity for high levels of autonomy, adaptability, and resilience in exploration robots, especially when human supervision may be limited or non-existent.
Dubbed the Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS), the robot is equipped with an array of sensors and cameras in its head to observe and analyze its surroundings. Its segmented body mimics a corkscrew motion over icy terrain, collecting material along its path for analysis, searching for potential signs of life.
The recent updates concentrate on crucial capabilities essential for a potential mission to explore vents on Enceladus, such as autonomous navigation, situational awareness, and risk management. The team has showcased the robot’s progress through various tests in lab settings, on ice rinks, and even at the Athabasca Glacier in Alberta, Canada.
Initially announced last May, JPL’s endeavor aims to map and explore previously inaccessible areas of other planets. Ultimately, the team’s aspiration is to dispatch the robot to Enceladus to probe for signs of life.
This project gained traction following the observation of plumes of water vapor during NASA’s Cassini mission, suggesting the existence of a subsurface ocean beneath Enceladus’ icy crust—a potential habitat for living organisms.
