We're designing and building the U of A's first Mars rover. We also facilitate academic outreach. Email spearua@ualberta.ca for sponsorship information.
Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in an exciting multidisciplinary project Space Exploration Alberta Robotics. We build mars rover prototypes, participate in design competitions, and aim to promote space exploration technology and robotics through educational outreach!
👀 Sneak a peek at the deepest & sharpest infrared image of the early universe ever taken — all in a day’s work for the Webb telescope. (Literally, capturing it took less than a day!) This is Webb’s first image released as we begin to #UnfoldTheUniverse: nasa.gov/webbfirstimages/
ALT The background of space is black. Thousands of galaxies appear all across the view. Their shapes and colors vary. Some are various shades of orange, others are white. Most stars appear blue, and are sometimes as large as more distant galaxies that appear next to them. A very bright star is just above and left of center. It has eight bright blue, long diffraction spikes. Between 4 o’clock and 6 o’clock in its spikes are several very bright galaxies. A group of three are in the middle, and two are closer to 4 o’clock. These galaxies are part of the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, and they are warping the appearances of galaxies seen around them. Long orange arcs appear at left and right toward the center.
At 4:15am ET this morning, our 322-foot tall, 3.5-million-pound #Artemis I rocket arrived at the launchpad.
Soon, teams will begin the final prelaunch test for the @NASA_SLS rocket, which will practice the launch countdown and the loading of fuel. go.nasa.gov/3CSzAIq
ALT The mobile launcher with NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft aboard is traveling to the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center. The reflection of the Artemis I vehicle can be seen in the water.
The Canadian International Rover Challenge took place in Drumheller in August. The badlands make a great landscape to test space technology in extraterrestrial environments! Here’s the @USherbrooke rover, Zeus, being tested in Midland Provincial Park.
A late countdown, but we are so excited to be returning to CIRC which kicks off THIS Friday! After a long drought of in person work, we are excited to finally see CASE again and even more excited to see what it can do!
#space#robotics#marsrover#CIRC2021#engineering#science
Meet Jarrett Yu, SPEAR’s controls lead, and the member of the week! Jarrett is working on encoders for the robot arm, as well as establishing this year’s goals while working around Covid. He is planning the controls team’s return to work on campus in a Covid safe manner! #space
This week's member of the week is Ryan Shukla (right). He is a co-lead of the autonomy team and has been a member of SPEAR since 2018! Ryan is currently working on improving the user interface used to monitor sensor readings and other important data from the rover. #engineering
This week’s member of the week is David Lenfesty, a member of the controls team! He has been improving the communications interface inside the rover. This will allow new pieces to be added smoothly and helps to make existing components more reliable! #technology#rover
Welcome back from winter break! This week’s member of the week is Kaitlyn Chin. She is a member of the marketing team assisting in running the social media pages. Kaitlyn’s main focus is highlighting various teammates in SPEAR through member of the week posts! #space#engineering
Meet Navodhi Ranatunga, our member of the week! She is working on implementing cameras to assist with RAMAN analysis and geological observations. This includes ensuring the rover is able to discern grain sizes and can provide a good view of the environment! #science#technology
Introducing Harlene Gill, our member of the week! As a member of the science team, Harlene is currently generating a list of optical components to be used in a Raman Spectrometer. This includes finding mirrors that can accept wavelengths of 520 nm! #science#space#technology