NASA JPL's PRAXIS Develops AI Explorer to Sample mm- to cm-Scale Ring Particles
Updated
Updated · NASA · Jul 21
NASA JPL's PRAXIS Develops AI Explorer to Sample mm- to cm-Scale Ring Particles
1 articles · Updated · NASA · Jul 21
Summary
PRAXIS is building and testing an AI-driven, bio-inspired robotic explorer designed to collect planetary ring particles in situ—something no mission has yet attempted.
The system targets mm- to cm-scale particles that Cassini could not directly observe, aiming to answer unresolved questions about ring formation, dynamics and evolution at Saturn and beyond.
A long, soft deployable boom would let a spacecraft stay clear of fast-moving ring material, then perform touch-and-go sampling after imaging and selecting a target particle.
NASA JPL said Phase I will use simulations and system design to prove feasibility before a Phase II prototype, with the technology positioned for possible use in a future Uranus Probe mission.