A little additional thought would be to enshroud the data fibers with a metallic outer wrap, then energize that for heat for repositioning and distressing in the event of ice movement. Another potential advantage of a light cable spooled out from the probe is it would give the probe purchase upon which to climb in the event of the need to choose another path due to massive planar inclusions or other significant obstacles.
The notion of harnessing the radiation fields present to generate electrical energy is very intriguing. If that were possible, the tether AND the probe could be energized from a surface mechanism, thereby allowing the tether to be spooled out from the surface, freeing the probe of this burden. Jack -----Original Message----- From: Robert J. Bradbury [mailto:bradbury@;aeiveos.com] Sent: Monday 28 October 2002 13:49 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Radio control v. Wire... and 1 part or 2? On Mon, 28 Oct 2002, Reeve, Jack W. wrote: > A few miles of light-transmitting fiber spooled out behind the cryobot > shouldn't weigh any more than the proposed transmission "pucks". Also, if a > metallic filament were adjacent the optical line(s), it could be > periodically heated to reposition and de-stress itself in the event of ice > movement. That appears to be what NASA did with its Antarctic missions, but they didn't attempt to heat the wire. They used heated water drilling to drill a big hole then lowered the probe down the hole attached to fiber optics as best I can tell. Review the slides from the URL I posted earlier. Robert == You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/ == You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/
