1. Project and Workshop Objectives
Life in the Atacama Workshop July 28, 2003 at 8:45
Nathalie Cabrol/David Wettergreen The Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

2. Atacama Desert Northern Chile between the Pacific and the Andes
Driest desert on Earth
No measurable rain for centuries in some regions but
Fog from the Pacific
Runoff from the Andes
Analogous to Mars
Arid, High UV, Soil Oxidants
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

3. Coastal Range Parallels the Pacific coastkm
Parallels the Pacific coast
Camanchacas, coastal fog, penetrate inland
Desiccation-tolerant organisms detected [Chong]
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

4. Interior Desert
Altiplano rises from Coastal Range (700m) to the Andes (4000m)
Moisture blocked by Pacific high pressure and Andes
No rain
Dew possible in toward coast
Most lifeless area on Earth?
Possible absolute desert evidenced by the absence of biogenic organic molecules?
Hubble
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

5. Scientific Investigation
The biodiversity and distribution of habitats in Atacama subregions are not yet measured. Where does life survive and where does it not?
Coastal Range
Interior Desert
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

6. Science Objectives Seek Life Detect life unambiguously
Characterize biota surviving in the Atacama
Measure spatial variability of biodiversity
Detect environmental boundary conditions of microorganic life
Search for structural fossils
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

7. Science Objectives Seek Life Understand Habitat
Characterize the physical environment
Examine current biological oases and microorganic communities
Determine physical/environmental conditions of identified past and current habitats
Measure spatial diversity and types of habitats for microorganic life
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

8. Science Objectives Seek Life Understand Habitat
Make Relevant Measurements
Integrate and field-test instruments that form an appropriate science payload
Make measurements that motivate the exploration of analogous environments for life on Mars
Develop procedure for conducting instrument-guided robotic surveys
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

9. Technology Objectives
Navigate Over the Horizon
Navigate beyond the robot field-of-view (>1km)
Model the environment and detect obstacles at necessary scales
Localize based on odometry, sun position, and local feature/global landmark tracking (but not artificial satellites)
Register observations to orbital datasets and limit position error to 5% of distance traveled
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

10. Technology Objectives
Navigate Over the Horizon
Use Resources Efficiently
Enable onboard, resource-limited traverse planning and sequence execution to address:
Power: Solar and battery power and overnight hibernation
Communication: Cycles, delay, and data volume
Science: Instrument use and sampling requests
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

11. Technology Objectives
Navigate Over the Horizon
Use Resources Efficiently
Advance Autonomy and Self-Awareness
Establish variable rover autonomy and effective remote investigation (telescience) over low-bandwidth, long-latency communication links
Develop rover self-awareness, monitoring hardware and software elements, for fault detection and recovery
Achieve multi-day unattended operation and greater than 1 km traverse per command cycle
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

12. Technology Objectives
Navigate Over the Horizon
Use Resources Efficiently
Advance Autonomy and Self-Awareness
Create Robotic Astrobiologist
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

13. Robotic Astrobiologist
Our concept of operations is that planetary astrobiology requires extensive mobility
Tens of kilometers to measure biodiversity
Long-distance mobility is the design driver for rover and software
Autonomy is an implicit requirement in a resource- poor situation
Factors motivating autonomy:
Mission duration
Operations costs
Instrument placement and operation
Command complexity
Comm. bandwidth and data volume
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

14. Robotic Geologist Great rover for a different mission
Fine resolution investigation with precise deployment of multiple instruments
Not broad survey and reconnaissance
Autonomy minimized
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

15. Expected Significance
Objective
Expected Significance
Seek life
Establish if the hyper arid region of the Atacama represents an absolute limit to life and understand the gradient of biodiversity and environments
Understand Habitat
Understand the strategies used by life to survive in arid environment following climate changes
Relevant Science
Design a payload capable of identifying environments for life and test science exploration strategies enabling the positive identification of life (extinct/extant).
Navigate Over-the- Horizon
Exhibit productivity of traverse (1km per command cycle) representing order of magnitude increase
Use Resources Efficiently
Enable planetary rovers to reason about resources and make on-the-fly decisions to optimize performance
Autonomy and Self-awareness
Engage planetary rovers in telescience, managing with minimal communication, while fully aware of themselves and their surroundings
First robotic discovery of life?
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

16. Workshop Objectives Meet the entire project team
Review the current state of our research
Analyze the first field investigation
Plan the work of the coming year
Formulate the second field investigation
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

17. Workshop Philosophy Expect more questions than answers
Make conclusions whenever possible
Look for implications in available information
Identify direction and priorities
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon

18. Workshop Agenda
Life in the Atacama
Carnegie Mellon