Extended Length Marsupial Rover Sensing Tether

Luna proposes to continue development of its marsupial rover sensing tether (MaRS Tether) technology by extending the length of the sensing technology out to nearly a kilometer. Luna's revolutionary technology monitors the distributed tension and curvature of a tether that connects a marsupial rover to its base station by turning a passive cable for power and communication into a powerful tool that provides information about the health and state of both the rover and the tether. The MaRS Tether can alert the base station to possible pinch points, snagged cables, or high tension due to poor traction or steep slope. Luna recently completed a Phase II SBIR with NASA JPL that introduced the first MaRS tether, identifying a snag location on a 50m tether with JPL's Axel rover and showing operation on a 100m tether. A related Phase I SBIR developed a road map for miniaturizing the tether's acquisition system. In this Phase I effort, Luna will prove the feasibility of extending the length of the sensing capabilities of the MaRS Tether through a focus on the tension measurement. This will greatly increase the operating range of lightweight, highly mobile rovers enabling more complex missions.