Dynamic Anchoring in Soft Regolith for Celestial Exploration

Recent science missions to celestial bodies have shown an increasing demand for surface based landers and robots to perform experiments on locations. The hazardous and difficult to traverse terrain found at many scientifically interesting locations drives the need for new methods of locomotion. A method for simulating and evaluating the performance of dynamic anchors that can engage and disengage repeatedly is developed. Dynamic anchors allow a mobile robot to claw into the surface of a low gravity body, or into the slope of a crater of a higher gravity body while traversing the terrain. Discrete element method (DEM) software is used to simulate a lunar-like regolith medium and the interaction of simplified anchors with this medium. Engagement, holding, and disengagement forces are recorded and compared to physical test data obtained to evaluate the model’s accuracy.