Epsilon series Business Sensor Sensor4Xi Hardware:
[001]~ Droppable
[002]~ Ecological research and environmental monitoring
[003]~ NASA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[001] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ Droppable
Droppable:
~ Sensor4Xi hardware has been designed and packed so that Xi can drop it
catch: ~[content] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[002] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ Ecological research and environmental monitoring
Sensor technology in ecological research and environmental monitoring is being explored.
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[environment_sensoring] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[003] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ NASA
NASA and it's sensor activities have been followed:
Mars Mole
Mission:
~ NASA scientists are modifying a sensor so it could look for signs of martian life by reading data from a soil-burrowing 'mole' capsule.
~ researchers at NASA Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley are adapting the Earth observation instrument
~ for potential use during future Mars missions in a search for water, ice, organics and minerals in the soil.
~ instrument previously flew over Hawaii in 1997 aboard a remotely piloted, solar-powered airplane, scanning vegetation and land.
~ they are developing an instrument package to observe and analyze martian soil properties down to five meters depth
~ called Mars Underground Mole, the entire system, including sensors, would burrow underground like a mole.
~ Mole is shaped like an artillery shell
~ An internal sliding weight will drive Mole into soil
~ once dug in, Mole will connect by a tether to an apparatus on the surface
Tether:
~ tether will include power wires and a fiber optic cable that will transport
~ light collected underground to a spectrometer on the surface above
~ Mole concept is derived from a device the European Space Agency designed to collect subsurface samples on Mars
~ to enable the Mole to analyze subsurface soils,
~ NASA team is adding a sensor to Mole that has been used for more than a decade
~ to obtain spectral imagery of locations on Earth from aircraft
~ instrument, called a Digital Array Scanning Interferometer (DASI),
~ was part of the payload on remotely piloted, solar-powered Pathfinder aircraft
~ that flew over the Hawaiian islands scanning reefs off Napali coast, vegetation on Makaha Ridge, Alakai swamp and agricultural fields
~ for Mars mission, instrument will be stationed on the planet's surface,
~ connected to Mole by a fiber optic cable in the tether.
Light Pipe:
~ fiber optic cable is a 'light pipe' that will transport light to interferometer
~ ,which is at heart of the instrument," according to William Hayden Smith at Washington University, St. Louis,
~ who is leading instrument development.
~ an interferometer measures light interference to precisely determine its spectral properties
~ spectral images produced by DASI are composed of many different colors ranging from visible to infrared light
~ Each point of the image has spectra, rainbow-like arrays representing energy and light wavelengths that scientists can analyze
~ like a fingerprint or a DNA profile, this 'spectral data' from the light reflected from a substance enables scientists to identify it
~ researchers say they must be ready to identify possible water, ice, organics and minerals beneath the surface of Mars
Laser:
~ A lamp or laser source will illuminate soil samples through a window in the Mole.
~ system for collecting light underground and transmitting it to surface is primary new development used in the instrument
~ one advantage of adapting DASI for a Mars mission is that this instrument can be built very compactly
~ because DASI operates with fixed optics and no moving parts, it also is very stable under severe conditions
Mole:
~ ntire Mole will weigh only about 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) and be about 20 inches (50 centimeters) long
~ laboratory chamber tests designed to simulate potential conditions on Mars take place at NASA Ames,
~ followed by field tests in Mars analog environments in the California desert on dry lakebeds.
~ later, tests may take place in permafrost conditions at Haughton Crater on Devon Island, Canada
Animation:
~ animation starts by looking down at an artist's rendition of Mars,
~ with a purple hexagon representing a very simplified representation of the "Mars Mole" surface apparatus/rover and lander.
~ camera zooms down to a side view of the simplified Mars lander
~ subsurface is also displayed as a cross section below lander
~ a 'drilling' mechanism protrudes from the left side of the lander at a 45-degree angle
~ driller mechanism pulls up, and at an elbow in the middle, it bends to form a 90-degree angle,
~ allowing the tip to begin boring into the surface of Mars.
~ camera zooms out to reveal more of the cross section of the subsurface including various strata.
~ drilling stops. The camera cuts to the same Mars mole apparatus on the rocky surface of Mars.
~ hexagon shape of the lander morphs to a rectangular shape and then to a triangular-shaped lander.
~ (This morphing shows that the boring mechanism could be used on a number of different kinds of Mars missions.)
~ drilling mechanism again drills from the triangular-shaped lander into the subsurface of Mars, seen in cross section.
~ camera zooms into the boring apparatus as it descends into the subsurface and goes through layers of rock and soil.
~ camera cuts to a close-up of subsurface material in the strata.
~ drill enters the top of the image, and the camera zooms in closer on the Mars mole,
~ which includes a mirror-like surface mounted at a 45-degree angle to the borehole.
~ A laser beam is shown traveling down a 'light pipe,
~ 'reflecting off of mirror to illuminate soil sample below Mars' surface.
~ The light pipe also carries resulting spectral data back to instruments on the surface.
~ camera follows the information flow, up the pipe to the surface apparatus.
catch: ~[content] ~[previous]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[004] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[005] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[006] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[007] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[008] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[009] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[010] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[011] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[012] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[013] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[014] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[015] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[016] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[017] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[018] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[019] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[020] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous] ~[next]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[021] Sensor4Xi Hardware ~ Business Sensor: ~ FREE
:
catch: ~[content] ~[previous]!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Small & Smart Inc reserves rights to change this specification
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~