MIE.33 – NASA Psyche Mission –Arizona State University Robotic Explorer

• Connor Creed
• Matthew Kramer
• Dan Spathies

NASA is conducting a mission to send a satellite to observe the Psyche asteroid in August of 2022. This mission is unique compared to many other space exploration missions because NASA would like to land a rover on an asteroid that is theorized to be the early foundations of a planet. The asteroid appears to be composed of nickel and iron like the center of many other planets and NASA wants to collect samples to confirm that early planet theory and learn more about how planets like Earth form. Our team has been tasked with designing a rover to explore the surface of Psyche and relay these samples. We are relying on hypothesized characteristics of the asteroid since there is insufficient factual data on hand. The research conducted shows that the temperature on Psyche can reach as low as about 60° K, the surface is made up of a fine regolith, and the gravity is only 1.5% of the earth’s gravity. There are no restrictions on the design other than being able withstand the harsh environment and complete the mission. We have created metrics to test its speed, maximum capable angle of approach, and its overall payload. We have reviewed previous rover missions and other transportation robotic designs to analyze their suspension systems and observe which aspects of each design worked or failed. We have analyzed all the compiled ANSYS testing and other data to determine how effective our rocker suspension and wheel system rover is on the hypothesized psyche surface.