On Wednesday, 28th of June 2017 the ROBEX-Alliance conference started in Catania, Sicily. Scientists of the Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics and their DLR-colleagues worked on Mount Etna on a series of experiments as part the analogue moon mission ROBEX since 12th of June. They are presenting their results live at the conference.
The main focus of ROBEX — Robotic Explorations under Extreme Circumstances — is the special requirements on the research exploration of the Deep Sea and the moon. Both environments have a lot in common and pose a scientific challenge, as they are so hard to reach. In addition, scientists must guarantee the autonomy of both systems, and consider questions regarding the energy supply in such special environments.
As part of the moon mission a test field was constructed at Mount Etna in Sicily, since conditions are ideal to simulate a moon landscape.
Similar international analogue missions as well as real space missions will be presented at the conference. In addition, representatives of the sixteen project partners will introduce their research problems regarding the moon mission and the Deep Sea mission.