Hunveyor Husar planetary analog field trips

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Field trip of Hunveyor-4 in 2005 at Fulophaza sand dunes, Great Hungarian Plane, Hungary.

The Hunveyor (Hungarian UNiversity SURVEYOR) and Husar-rover (Hungarian University Surface Analyser Rover) acronyms mark the educational planetary robot system of the Hungarian universities, colleges, high schools. Such systems are built by students and their teachers. Int he last 10 years several Hunveyor-Husar robot assemblages has been built.

The Hunveyor and Husar Groups decided to visit planetary analog site sin order to study geology and petrography of the natural terrestrial vicinity as if it were a planetary surface. The selection of the sites was ont he basis of some planetary analog characteristics of the landscape, the morphology, the rock sor processes which formed them.

[edit] Simulations and experiments with Hunveyor and Husar on the testtable

The testtable of the Hunveyor-1 educational space probe model at ELTE University, Budapest, in 1999.

Earlier we carried out simulation experiments with the Hunveyor and Husar models in the laboratory, on the testtable. Such testtable had the benefit of internet connection with outer participants. Clients could follow and interact with the Hunveyor system. When they logged in they could direct the motion of the Husar-1 rover (to and fro, left and right) and the activity of the arm (up, down, out, back) on the Hunveyor. The camera of Husar-1 transmitted images in every 5 seconds and could „see”, how the arm works on the testtable. The testfield was covered by sand in which various planetary rock types were placed: basalt (of Nógrád-Gömör), and gabbro (of Szarvaskő, Bükk Mountains), komatiite (of Australia) and andesite (of Börzsöny Mountains), impact melt breccia (of Mien-Ramsö Island, Sweden) and sediemntary rock (of Bakony Mountains), peridotite (of Szentbékkálla) and wehrlite (of Szarvaskő). Several of these rocks were collected in the country, so they were representatives of the later organized real field trips and field test of the space probe models.

[edit] Field trips at sand dune, Mars analog site, and Venusian rock mine

We visited planetary analog sites in Hungary. In such places there are some planetary analogs which specially help planetary simulations: rock type, morphology, geological process. First such field trip was held at Fülöpháza, Kecskemét vicinity, in the Great Hungarian Plane, Hungary in 2005. (August, 31). Here sand dunes can be found, remnants of older dry periods in the Great Hungarian Plane. On the image we can see the Hunveyor-4 probe.

The Hunveyor-4 in the old mining pit of Gant.

The next field trip was organized at Gánt, in an old left openpit mine. There the red rocks and soil imitated Mars analog landscape. Rocks and small creekbeds made the landscape very attractive.

Another field trip was at Hosszúhetény, where Venus analog rock type, phonolite can be found. This trip was carried out by the Pécs Hunveyor Group.

There was a great meeting during the filed trip at Szentbékkálla, North-Balaton Highlands, Hungary, where the Hunveyor-Husar groups met. Here basaltic rocks can be found together with peridotite inclusions. Such „interpalnetary rock types” were found ont he Moon, on Mars and asteroids, too.