NORCAT vying to be NASA's driller of choice.A Sudbury technology development institute is angling to be NASA's supplier of choice for deep-space drilling should the U.S. space agency opt for below surface sampling for its next major lander mission. NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. plans to send its largest lander to Mars as part of the Mars Science Laboratory This article or section documents a scheduled or expected spaceflight. Details may change as the launch date approaches or more information becomes available. (MSL See multiple single-level. ) mission in 2009, and Sudbury's expertise in hard-rock mining could contribute some innovative technology that could play a leading role in searching for signs of life. Dale Boucher, manager of prototype development at NORCAT NORCAT Northern Centre for Advanced Technology Inc. (mineral mining R&D organization) , says 2009 stands to be the "first mission of opportunity" for their CanaDrill. He believes they have a "very good chance" of placing a Canadian drill aboard a lander, despite a lack of long-term government commitment to contribute Canadian technology for future Mars missions. For more than two years, Northern Centre for Advanced Technology Inc. (NORCAT), along with partners Dimatec of Winnipeg and Electric Vehicle Controllers Ltd. of Sudbury, have been developing two drill prototypes for space. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jim Richard, vice-president of Electric Vehicle Controllers, views the CanaDrill as a future opportunity to diversify his company's interests. His company specializes in electric drives and motors for underground mining locomotives, and he has been a project joint-venture partner with NORCAT since the beginning. One drill version, a 150-kg unit, is capable of being mounted on a Mars lander and drilling 10 metres down, while a smaller 4.8-kg lightweight mini-version, known as the CanaDrill, designed for a rover vehicle, is capable of drilling two metres. Their progress has been observed by officials from NASA and the Jet Propulsion jet propulsion, propulsion of a body by a force developed in reaction to the ejection of a high-speed jet of gas. Jet Propulsion Engines The four basic parts of a jet engine are the compressor, turbine, combustion chamber, and propelling nozzles. Lab in California. Unlike conventional, hydraulic-driven mining equipment, NORCAT developed a fully-autonomous, all-electric unit designed to work in the vacuum of space. On a scale of nine levels of space readiness, Boucher and his technical staff have taken the CanaDrill to level four - meaning proof of concept stage - and have tested the unit outside their Sudbury labs on the hardest and oldest rock in the world. The next step is to make the CanaDrill space-ready, a process they will collaborate on with MD Robotics robotics, science and technology of general purpose, programmable machine systems. Contrary to the popular fiction image of robots as ambulatory machines of human appearance capable of performing almost any task, most robotic systems are anchored to fixed positions , the makers of the Canadarm. But they are not alone in developing this technology, says Boucher. Five teams from Italy, Finland and three U.S. firms are competing to also develop a space drill for 2009. To date, NORCAT and the Canadian Space Agency The Canadian Space Agency (CSA or, in French, l'Agence spatiale canadienne, ASC) is the Canadian government space agency responsible for Canada's space program. It was established in March 1989 by the Canadian Space Agency Act and sanctioned in December 1990. have spent close to $2 million on the CanaDrill and have been working closely with the agency to secure additional government funding to buy into the 2009 mission and continue the project. However, a top Canadian space agency official does not hold out much hope that will happen. Alain Berinstain, the Canadian Space Agency's acting director of planetary plan·e·tar·y adj. 1. Of, relating to, or resembling the physical or orbital characteristics of a planet or the planets. 2. a. exploration and space astronomy astronomy, branch of science that studies the motions and natures of celestial bodies, such as planets, stars, and galaxies; more generally, the study of matter and energy in the universe at large. , does not see Ottawa willing to make a long-term financial commitment towards contributing technology to future missions. "At this point we have no commitment to make that happen," says Berinstain. With a previous invitation in hand from NASA to participate in 2009, the CSA's $200-million budget request last February to provide a whole robotics sampling acquisition, processing and handling system was turned down by the Chretien government But Boucher says the CanaDrill project is not dead. Mars and a possible moon shot is one of a suite of five possible missions where NORCAT drilling technology could be used. Should the Canadian government elect not to buy a place on the mission, one option available for NORCAT is entering an open worldwide request by NASA for technology. NASA intends to release a Mars Exploration Program Announcement of Opportunity in mid-March to solicit proposals for instruments on a rover platform. "We would become another bidder on the list," says Boucher. www.norcat.org By IAN ROSS Ian Ross is the name of:
Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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