Dissertation Title: Sensing Beyond the Cradle - Miniature Wireless Sensor Systems for Future Space Exploration

Abstract:

Space exploration requires new wireless sensor systems capable of operating efficiently and reliably in harsh, remote, and hazardous environments. Current approaches face significant limitations: on-orbit spacecraft inspection relies on large robotic manipulators or astronaut extravehicular activities that are slow, risky, and unable to access confined spaces, while planetary surface exploration is constrained by the limited mobility of landers and the slow traversal speed of rovers, preventing rapid or simultaneous measurements over large areas. This thesis addresses these challenges through the development of miniature, low-cost wireless robotic and sensor systems for space exploration. First, I present AstroAnt, a family of miniature wheeled robots designed for on-orbit inspection of spacecraft, landers, and rovers from the exterior surface. AstroAnt enables rapid inspection in confined areas and was selected for the Intuitive Machines IM-2 lunar mission, becoming the smallest wheeled robot sent to the Moon. Second, I present HexSense, a ballistically deployable wireless sensor node that extends planetary exploration beyond the reach of traditional rovers and landers by enabling distributed sensing in distant, hazardous, or otherwise inaccessible regions. The thesis further addresses key challenges for long-duration miniature sensor systems, including localization, orientation estimation, energy harvesting, and mobility, and demonstrates a deployable 360◦ imaging payload capable of centimeter-scale in-situ panoramic imaging for terrain characterization and mission planning. Extensive laboratory, field, and micro-gravity experiments validate the proposed systems, including deployments in the Arctic, volcanic lava tubes, and parabolic flights. Together, these contributions establish miniature robots and wireless sensor nodes as a scalable and cost-effective paradigm for future on-orbit spacecraft inspection and planetary surface exploration, with the potential to enable more flexible, resilient, and accessible scientific missions on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Joe Paradiso
Alexander W Dreyfoos (1954) Professor
MIT Media Lab

Ariel Ekblaw
Founder and CEO
Aurelia Institute

Kerri Cahoy
Sheila Evans Widnall (1960) Professor
MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics

Darlene Lim
Research Scientist
NASA Ames Research Center, Planetary Science