Amid a current photo voltaic eclipse and blood moon, this week’s Tech Tuesday appears to be like on the technological developments reshaping the mining sector, together with the roll out of Australia’s first moon rover, ‘Roo-ver’ making ready for its maiden lunar launch.
This is one expertise that has not been caught on the proverbial hop!
The Australian Space Agency highlighted Roo-ver can be carried to the lunar floor on CT-4 across the finish of this decade, which can be delivered by means of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA’s) Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.
NASA has entrusted the Australian lunar rover with key analysis aims, together with amassing new information in regards to the floor of the moon to assist worldwide house science and exploration objectives.
Roo-ver may also be supercharged with an built-in NASA payload – an evaluation instrument deliberate to indicate expertise for scientific and exploration functions.
The Australian Government is investing $42 million into creating, designing, constructing, and working the semi-autonomous rover throughout the lifetime of the challenge.
Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science Tim Ayres says Roo-ver will increase and encourage the science, expertise, engineering and arithmetic (STEM) workforce wanted for the longer term.
“This is one of the most specialised robotics and advanced manufacturing projects in the country,” Ayres says.
“Roo-ver is a prime example of how space can be a driver of the Albanese Labor Government’s Future Made in Australia agenda to grow national industrial capability, boost productivity, and build economic resilience.”
Martian dust metals
Continuing the assets and expertise sectors contributions to house science, the Commonwealth of Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Swinburne researchers are investigating the manufacturing of native metals utilizing supplies discovered on Mars.
According to the CSIRO, Mars has all of the elements wanted to make native metals – which is named in-situ useful resource utilisation (ISRU). These elements embody iron-rich oxides in regolith and carbon from its skinny ambiance.
ISRU is the harnessing of native pure assets at mission locations, as a substitute of taking wanted provides from Earth, to reinforce the capabilities of human exploration.
Swinburne University of Technology astrometallurgist Professor Akbar Rhamdhani is working with CSIRO Postdoctoral Fellow Debby Nababan to check this course of with regolith simulant – a man-made recreation of elements discovered on Mars.
“We picked a simulant with very similar properties to that found at Gale Crater on Mars and processed them on Earth with simulated Mars conditions,” Rhamdhani says.
The simulant is positioned inside a chamber at Mars floor stress and heated at rising temperatures. Pure iron metallic formation is round 1,000℃, with liquid silicon-iron alloys produced round 1,400℃.
For reference the air inside a scorching air balloon reaches between 100 and 120℃, so this temperature is vastly hotter than a scorching air balloon system.
Rhamdhani says at excessive sufficient temperatures, all the metals coalesced into one massive droplet.
“This could then be separated from liquid slay the same way it is on Earth,” he says.
This information follows the concept of constructing settlements on Mars, which is a well-liked purpose of billionaires, house businesses, and interplanetary lovers.
However, CSIRO notes that building calls for supplies and it will value US$243 million ($368.41 million) to ship NASA’s one tonne Perseverance Rover to Mars.
Perseverance evaluation
NASA can be internet hosting a media teleconference on Wednesday 10 September 11am EDT (1am AEST) to debate the evaluation of a rock sampled by the house company’s Perseverance Mars rover final 12 months.
The pattern – Sapphire Canyon – was collected in July 2024 from a set of rocky outcrops on the sides of Neretva Vallis, which is a river valley carved by water dashing into Jezero Crater way back.
To date, Perseverance has collected 30 samples and nonetheless has six empty pattern tubes to fill. It is constant to gather detailed details about geologic targets that it has not sampled by utilizing its abrasion software.
Among the rover’s science devices is a climate station that gives environmental data for future human missions, alongside swatches of spacesuit materials in order that NASA can research the way it fares on Mars.
Enhancing visibility
Artificial intelligence-based firm DroneShield (ASX:DRO) has joined the S&P/ASX 200 Index, which marks a milestone for the corporate’s continued rise as a worldwide defence expertise firm.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index represents 89% of the Australian fairness market by market capitalisation and serves as the first benchmark for home and international institutional buyers.
CEO Oleg Vornik says this achievement displays the energy of DroneShield and the worldwide demand for its counter-drone expertise.
“We believe this milestone will further enhance our visibility with institutional domestic and overseas investors and strengthen our platform for continued growth,” Vornik says.
This information comes after DroneShield entered into different indices alongside international defence primes, together with the Mirae Asset Global X Defence Tech Index, the Global X Defence Tech ETF, and the S&P/ASX 300 Index.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Australian Space Agency, CSIRO, & DroneShield