[P-PS07] Planetary Sciences

[PPS07-01] Development and current status of Penetrator.

*Yasuhiro Nishikawa¹, Satoshi Tanaka², Kodai Yamamoto³, Masa-yuki Yamamoto¹, Takamasa Hiratsuka⁴ (1.Kochi University of Technology, School of Systems Engineering., 2.Department of Solid Planetary Sciences Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, 3.Kochi university of Technology, Aerospace Engineering, 4.Kochi University of Technology, Fundamental Engineering.)

Keywords:Penetrator, Seismometer, Infrasound, Antarctica, Hard landing

Landing on a solid planet can be roughly classified into two types: soft landing, in which the landing vehicle descends gently while decelerating, and hard landing, in which the landing vehicle hits the surface of the planet without decelerating. A penetrator (a part of hard landing) is a pencil-shaped, drop-type observation device that is released from the sky and can install instruments without human intervention. The development of the penetrator continued after the cancllation of the LUNAR-A mission, and its Earth-based targets includes volcanoes and the Antarctic region. Penetrators are compatible with seismometers, as they can anchor instruments underground over a wide area. While initially developed for forming a lunar seismic network, they were designed to be highly multipurpose instruments. As a result, they are not only operated with seismometers but also with GPS, gas sensors, and infrasound sensors. The observation plan for glaciers near Syowa Station, titled "Development of Antarctic Observation Penetrators and Intensive Observation in the Shirase Glacier and Surrounding Area," was selected as a part of the Antarctic research and observation program by the 64th, 65th and 66th Japan Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE 64,65 and 66). Successful drop penetration tests of penetrators with seismometers, infrasound sensor icequake observations, and implemented data transmission systems have been achieved. This presentation will show the development and current status of penetrators for planetary exploration, along with the seismometer and infrasound sensor observation results and capabilities that can be equipped on the penetratos.