Research & Documentation

Technical Overview

METSAnauts — NASA HUNCH, FDR 2026

The METSAnauts project delivers a fleet of four small rovers and a companion terrain simulation for use inside NASA's HERA analog habitat at Johnson Space Center. The system is designed for non-technical astronaut crew: a web-based control interface — including an AI-powered natural language mode — lets crew operate rovers without robotics experience.

HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog) simulates long-duration deep-space missions. Our rovers give crew a hands-on tool for surface exploration tasks and terrain assessment during those simulations.

MOBILITY

Rover platform

  • Six-wheel drive with rocker-bogie suspension for passive obstacle navigation
  • Half-tread wheels for grip on loose and uneven terrain
  • Raspberry Pi 4B as the onboard compute unit
  • Modular design — components are easy to replace or swap in the field
  • Robotic sample-collection claw for object manipulation tasks
COMMUNICATIONS

Multi-mode communication

  • Primary long-range link via LoRa (SX1276), chosen for range and reliability in enclosed environments
  • WiFi and Bluetooth as secondary channels for close-range and real-time control
  • RP2040 coprocessor handles the LoRa radio stack separately from the main Pi
  • USB hot-swap allows the comms module to be replaced without disassembly
POWER

Solar power & tracking

  • Onboard solar panels provide supplemental and emergency power
  • Dual light-dependent resistors (LDRs) compare illumination across faces
  • Rover body can rotate to maximize panel exposure at low sun angles
  • Design is reversible — functions correctly whether rover is upright or flipped
  • Researched electrostatic dust-removal methods inspired by MIT lunar regolith work
CONTROL INTERFACE

Astronaut control app

  • Web application built for non-technical crew aboard HERA
  • Standard command mode: discrete controls for movement, claw, and camera
  • AI-powered mode: crew types plain-language instructions, system generates rover commands
  • Secondary camera on the claw provides tool-perspective view during sample collection
  • Designed to work reliably under the communication constraints of the HERA habitat
TERRAIN

BothScape simulation

  • 8′ × 8′ dual-surface terrain representing lunar south pole and ancient Martian terrain
  • Constructed from foamboard base, foam gap filler for surface features, diatomaceous earth as lunar regolith
  • Split-surface design lets crew run side-by-side planetary comparison scenarios
  • Sized to fit within the HERA habitat footprint