Spindle (vehicle)

For part of a vehicle's suspension system, see Spindle (automobile).
Artist's impression of a cryobot deploying a robotic submersible

SPINDLE (Sub-glacial Polar Ice Navigation, Descent, and Lake Exploration) is a 2-stage autonomous vehicle system consisting of a robotic ice-penetrating carrier vehicle (cryobot) and an autonomous submersible HAUV (hovering autonomous underwater vehicle).[1] The cryobot is designed to descend through an ice body into a sub-surface ocean and deploy the HAUV submersible to conduct long range reconnaissance, life search, and sample collection.[2] The HAUV submersible will return to, and auto-dock with, the cryobot at the conclusion of the mission for subsequent data uplink and sample return to the surface.

The SPINDLE designed is targeted at sub-glacial lakes such as Lake Vostok and South Pole Lake in Antarctica. SPINDLE would develop the technologies for a Flagship-class mission to either the shallow lakes of Jupiter's moon Europa, the sub-surface ocean of Ganymede, or the geyser sources on both Europa and Enceladus.[1][3] The project is funded by NASA and is being designed at Stone Aerospace under the supervision of Principal Investigator Bill Stone.[4]

  1. ^ a b SPINDLE: A 2-Stage Nuclear-Powered Cryobot for Ocean World Exploration. W Stone, B Hogan, VL Siegel, et al. AGU Fall Meeting, 2016.
  2. ^ Searching for Ice-bound Life on Earth. Carolyn Collins Petersen, Thought Co. 27 November 2017.
  3. ^ Stone Aerospace. 2018.
  4. ^ Researchers Secure NASA Funding for Robotic Search for Life Beneath Antarctica. Alison Satake, Louisiana State University Media Center. 4 March 2016.