Patent ID: 8159357
Filing Date: 2012-04-17
Classification: G01V,Y02A

Abstract:
1. Water ice detection apparatus for prospecting for water ice and accomplishing water ice detection in the vicinity of a surface of a heavenly body, the apparatus comprising: a lander spacecraft, a rover spacecraft or an instrument positioned by an astronaut, the lander spacecraft and the rover spacecraft being like the Mars Phoenix lander and the Mars Spirit and Mars Opportunity rovers, respectively; the latter with their six bogie-wheel support system and navigation system, the apparatus equipped with a robotic arm or with a moveable carriage, the apparatus including a water ice detection system and test site preparation tools which are used at a prospective measurement site for measurement site preparation and are attached to the robotic arm, moveable carriage or directly to the apparatus, the site preparation tools being a motor driven scraper, a motor driven brush and a motor driven cutter, the test site preparation tools and a water ice detection sensor with water ice detection electrodes and temperature and thermal conductivity probes are parts of the water ice detection system, the test site preparation tools, water ice detection sensor and temperature and thermal conductivity probes attached to the apparatus at the robotic arm's free end in the form of a water ice detection cross structure or suspended from the moveable carriage on extensible arms, the remainder of the water ice detection system being a water ice detection unit fixed in position on the apparatus, the test site preparation tools used to remove overlying material on the surface of the heavenly body to expose a prospective water ice test sample at a test site measurement point for a water ice detection measurement, water ice detection achieved thru measurements of a prospective water ice test sample's temperature, thermal conductivity and variation of total impedance with electrical excitation frequency followed by transformation of total impedance data into complex dielectric values using an algorithm, confirmation that a prospective water ice test sample is water ice when a semi-circular shaped trace is found in complex dielectric space with size in agreement with on-board stored data in an on-board special purpose computer, total impedance data measured by an electronic chip embodied in one form as a Analog Device Model AD5933 Network Analyzer chip and: said water ice detection system mounted on a lander spacecraft, rover spacecraft or in an instrument positioned by an astronaut on the surface of the heavenly body, said water ice detection physically separated into two parts: said water ice detection unit and second part: site preparation tools, water ice detection sensor and temperature and thermal conductivity probes; the first part and second part electrically connected to each other, said water ice detection unit containing a special purpose computer with dedicated algorithims, a controller, data storage, and a communication transceiver, said water ice detection unit mounted in a controlled temperature environment on said lander spacecraft, rover spacecraft or astronaut positioned instrument, said test site preparation tools comprising first, a motor driven scraper, second, a motor driven brush and third, a motor driven cutter wherein: said water ice detection sensor equipped with electrodes that are placed into or upon said cleansed surface of said heavenly body along with the temperature and thermal conductivity measuring probes to make prospective water ice test sample measurements by: said test site preparation tools and said water ice detection sensor mounted at the tip of a robotic arm of said lander spacecraft or rover spacecraft or astronaut positioned instrument if equipped with said robotic arms, or attached to a moveable carriage integral to said lander spacecraft, rover spacecraft or said astronaut positioned instrument if it is without said robotic arm.