Hunveyor

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The Hunveyor-1.
The Hunveyor-1.

The Hunveyor is an experimental space probe model constructed in the Hungarian universities. Its name is coming from the following words: HUNVEYOR = Hungarian UNiversity surVEYOR. Recently 9 university or college space research groups and high school groups build Hunveyor (or the Husar-rover) developed later to work around Hunveyor in Hungary.

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[edit] Design and construction of Hunveyor

The clear construction and the well recognizable instrumentation of the NASA Surveyors (which were built in the Surveyor program and which landed on the Moon between 1966 and 1968) have given the possibility to construct an educational version of the space probe. In 1997, the teachers and students of the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Department of General Technology examined the literature published on Surveyor missions and a group leaded by Szaniszlo Berczi constructed the Hunveyor-1 with robotic arm and TV camera (similar to Surveyor 3) with some other simple measurements on board.

Construction of a Surveyor type planetary lander is one of the space science education programs on Eotvos University, Budapest, Hungary. It focuses on both planetary science and technologies. The new initiative of experimental space probe model construction uses interactions between measuring instruments and environmentsal streams. Similar is the case between artificially planned technologies and environmental currents (water, wind flows, other transport mechanisms). All these activities are involved in the construction and continuous development of a training and experimental space probe model.

Students played important role in the construction of this Hunveyor probe. The first training space probe lander, Hunveyor-1 was initiated at the Eotvos University, Department of General Technology, in October, 1997. It had two previous ideas helping to start the Hunveyor program. First: the space science education program by activities (i.e. by construction) was the essential program in NASA International Space Camp, Huntsville, Alabama, USA. There, every year, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center organizes an International Space Camp where all participant countries delegate two students (high-school age) and their accompanying teacher. The strength and value of the in situ experiments in space science education were experienced by several Hungarian teachers and students during the last 10 years. Second: the program had been helped by Eugene Shoemaker who sent to Szaniszlo Berczi scientific materials about the Surveyor program in the late 60-ies.

In 1998 the program was continued on other universities and colleges in Hungary: in Pecs University, Dept. of Informatics and General Technology (Sandor Hegyi, head) where the Hunveyor-2 has been built, then in 2000 on the Berzsenyi College, Dept. of Technology (Zsolt Kovacs, head) and in 2001 in the Kandó Kálmán College in Szekesfehervar (Gyorgy Hudoba, head) where the Hunveyor-3 and Hunveyor-4 has been built, respectively. In 2003 this program of Hunveyor construction has been extended in the High Schools, too. In Pannonhalma, at the Saint Benedict Pannonhalma Archabbey's Gymnasium (Ambrus Pinter, head) the Hunveyor-7 is in construction. Three other high schools in Hungary also participate in the project of building the space probe model. We should like to find partnership in foreign countries, too. Hunveyor constructing colleges and universities should cooperate in building experimental university space probes, in order to develop new experiments, new instruments and cooperate in many kind of activities around such a "state of borning" space probe structure, like the Hunveyor is.

The Hunveyor program is: construction of a planetary lander model, the experimental part, from the very beginning of the work. Important goal is: measuring the interactions between instruments (technologies) and environmental currents (water, wind flows, other transport mechanisms). Planning, construction, carrying out testing activities, and also the continuous development of the training space probe model are also important parts of the program with the Surveyor type Hunveyor.

Students played important role in the construction of this Hunveyor probe which shows that our training space probe lander model Hunveyor, is an intensive experimental tool for education. It concentrates and focuses efforts

  • how to teach technologies and
  • how to teach planetary science,
  • how to connect disciplinary knowledge.

It involves theoretical education and practice in construction and technologies.

First level of our work was a minimal space probe model for experiments. Tetrahedral skeleton (Surveyor-like) as a holding frame was the first unit we built. For a minimal probe the personal minimal environmental observations and activities in a new environment were copied: visuality, touch, temperature experience. Television camera with mirror to "see around", telescopic arm to dig small graben, and a bimetallic temperature measuring instruments can be corresponded to them. Passive magnets were also fixed on the legs.

[edit] Electronics of the Hunveyor System

Also the first level contains the electronics of the Hunveyor System. Essentially, two computers are talking with each other. One is the "Terrestrial Direction and Control" computer, the other is the "Computer on Board of the Space Probe Model". Their connection can be gradually "liberated". First by cables later separated radio electronic connection was built. This Surveyor-like minimal probe gave us many pleasure during building. The sceleton was made from copper tunels with 15 mm diameter. The robotics are constructed by microcontrollers. They can operate both motors and measuring units. Solar panels, the webcameras and other units were purchased in the shops. Computers are PC-s. Husar-rovers gave new impetus to the program later.

Basic points of the Hunveyor constructing works are as follows:

  1. Hierarchy levels in the operating mechatronic system
  2. Modul principle (modularity) in the robotic system
  3. Compatible subsystems in construction
  4. PC based electronics
  5. Group-works by students, teachers.

[edit] Educational books, field tests, supports from HSO, reports in LPSC

We summarized our works on Hunveyor in various lecture note series booklets published first in Hungarian language. The Surveyor-Hunveyor concise atlas has been published in English and it is available for all Colleges and Universities in the world. Later the Hunveyor-Husar developments concise atlas has been published in Hungarian language, too.

Field tests and various Hunveyor Husar planetary analog field trips and simulations are the next steps in using Hunveyor in planetary science education. Mathematica demonstrations (a computer program of the Wolfram Research) help planning and studying motions, extensions, and other operations with the new instruments (See the second outer reference.).

The Hunveyor experimental and training space probe model construction works were helped by the Hungarian Space Office (HSO), too. UN Space education delegation expressed appretiation when they visited our university laboratories. We reported the developments in the NASA Lunar and Planetary Science Conferences.

[edit] Hunveyor Teams

The work is continuously tutored by the Materials Physics, Institute of Physics, Eotvos University and the Hungarian Space Office also supports the Hunveyor groups. Recent works are at: Hunveyor-1, ELTE, Budapest; Hunveyor-2, PTE, Pécs; Hunveyor-3, BDTF, Szombathely; Hunveyor-4, BMF, Székesfehérvár; Hunveyor-5, NYME, Sopron; Hunveyor-6, High School, Dorog; Hunveyor-7, High School, Pannonhalma; Hunveyor-8, High School, Pécs; Hunveyor-9, High School, Tata.

The Hunveyor-4.
The Hunveyor-4.


[edit] External references

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