Projects >> B-211
PI: Dr. Peter Doran
Project Lead: Bill Stone
Funding Source: NASA NNH08ZDA001N-ASTEP
Location: Lake Bonney, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Dates: 2009-12-02 to 2013-05-01
B-211 - ENDURANCE Under-Ice Robot
PI: Dr. Peter Doran
Project Lead: Bill Stone
Funding Source: NASA NNH08ZDA001N-ASTEP
Location: Lake Bonney, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Dates: 2009-12-02 to 2013-05-01
Project Summary
ENDURANCE (Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic ANtarctiC Explorer) is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that was designed to map and sample the ice-covered lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. In 2008 and 2009, ENDURANCE explored the waters of Lake Bonney, an ice-covered lake in Taylor Valley, taking biogeochemical measurements along well-defined transects and using sonar to create a bathymetry map of the West Lake Bonney. Lidar data of the Taylor Glacier toe and Bonney Riegl feature were scanned to provide surface 3D maps of the area. The scans were then tied to the sonar maps developed by ENDURANCE.The project received funding from the NASA ASTEP program as well as by the NSF USAP.