Peter Coppin

Life in the Atacama: Searching for life with rovers (science overview)

[1] The Life in the Atacama project investigated the regional distribution of life and habitats in the Atacama Desert of Chile. We sought to create biogeologic maps through survey traverses across the desert using a rover carrying biologic and geologic instruments. Elements of our science approach were to: Perform ecological transects from the relatively wet coastal range to the arid core of the desert; use converging evidence from science instruments to reach conclusions about microbial abundance; and develop and test exploration strategies adapted to the search of scattered surface and shallow subsurface microbial oases. Understanding the ability of science teams to detect and characterize microbial life signatures remotely using a rover became central to the project. Traverses were accomplished using an autonomous rover in a method that is technologically relevant to Mars exploration. We present an overview of the results of the 2003, 2004, and 2005 field investigations. They include: The confirmed identification of microbial habitats in daylight by detecting fluorescence signals from chlorophyll and dye probes; the characterization of geology by imaging and spectral measurement; the mapping of life along transects; the characterization of environmental conditions; the development of mapping techniques including homogeneous biological scoring and predictive models of habitat location; the development of exploration strategies adapted to the search for life with an autonomous rover capable of up to 10 km of daily traverse; and the autonomous detection of life by the rover as it interprets observations on-the-fly and decides which targets to pursue with further analysis.

Robotic ecological mapping: Habitats and the search for life in the Atacama Desert

[1] As part of the three-year ‘Life in the Atacama’ (LITA) project, plant and microbial abundance were mapped within three sites in the Atacama Desert, Chile, using an automated robotic rover. On-board fluorescence imaging of six biological signatures (e.g., chlorophyll, DNA, proteins) was used to assess abundance, based on a percent positive sample rating system and standardized robotic ecological transects. The percent positive rating system scored each sample based on the measured signal strength (0 for no signal to 2 for strong signal) for each biological signature relative to the total rating possible. The 2005 field experiment results show that percent positive ratings varied significantly across Site D (coastal site with fog), with patchy zones of high abundance correlated with orbital and microscale habitat types (heaved surface crust and gravel bars); alluvial fan habitats generally had lower abundance. Non-random multi-scale biological patchiness also characterized interior desert Sites E and F, with relatively high abundance associated with (paleo)aqueous habitats such as playas. Localized variables, including topography, played an important, albeit complex, role in microbial spatial distribution. Site D biosignature trends correlated with culturable soil bacteria, with MPN ranging from 10-1000 CFU/g-soil, and chlorophyll ratings accurately mapped lichen/moss abundance (Site D) and higher plant (Site F) distributions. Climate also affected biological patchiness, with significant correlation shown between abundance and (rover) air relative humidity, while lichen patterns were linked to the presence of fog. Rover biological mapping results across sites parallel longitudinal W-E wet/dry/wet Atacama climate trends. Overall, the study highlights the success of targeting of aqueousassociated habitats identifiable from orbital geology and mineralogy. The LITA experience also suggests the terrestrial study of life and its distribution, particularly the fields of landscape ecology and ecohydrology, hold critical lessons for the search for life on other planets. Their applications to robotic sampling strategies on Mars should be further exploited.

Application of pulsed‐excitation fluorescence imager for daylight detection of sparse life in tests in the Atacama Desert

A daylight fluorescence imager was deployed on an autonomous rover, Zoe, to detect life on the surface and shallow subsurface in regions of the Atacama Desert in Chile during field tests between 2003 and 2005. In situ fluorescent measurements were acquired from naturally fluorescing biomolecules such as chlorophyll and from specific fluorescent probes sprayed on the samples, targeting each of the four biological macromolecule classes: DNA, protein, lipid, and carbohydrate. RGB context images were also acquired. Preparatory reagents were applied to enhance the dye probe penetration and fluorescence intensity of chlorophyll. Fluorescence imager data sets from 257 samples were returned to the Life in the Atacama science team. A variety of visible life forms, such as lichens, were detected, and several of the dye probes produced signals from nonphotosynthetic microorganisms.

Optimizing Information Value: Improving Rover Sensor Data Collection

Robotic exploration is an excellent method for obtaining information about sites too dangerous for people to explore. The operators understanding of the environment depends on the rover returning useful information. Robotic mission bandwidth is frequently constrained, limiting the amount of information the rover can return. This paper explores the tradeoff between information and bandwidth based on two years of observations during a robotic astrobiology field study. The developed theory begins by analyzing the search task conducted by robot operators. This analysis leads to an information optimization model. Important parameters in the model include the value associated with detecting a target, the probability of locating a target, and the bandwidth required to collect the information from the environment. Optimizing the information return between regions creates an image and provides the necessary information while reducing bandwidth. Application of the model to the analyzed field study results in an optimized image that requires 48.3% less bandwidth to collect. The model also predicts several data collection patterns that could serve as the basis of data collection templates for improving mission effectiveness. The developed optimization model reduces the bandwidth necessary to collect information, thus aiding missions in collecting more information from the environment.

EventScope: a telescience interface for Internet-based education

The goal of Earth and planetary exploration through telescience/telerobotics/telepresence is to broaden our understanding of the universe. Because education is a proven avenue for disseminating information, the goal of the EventScope project at Carnegie Mellon University is to merge educational software and a telescience/telerobotics/telepresence mission interface for use within classroom settings in order to provide more direct connections to new information. Answering individual scientific questions requires the ability to interact with a mission on a first-person level - for instance, a student can glean a wealth of information by remotely exploring the contours of a particular rock formation. A limitation on scientific inquiry using robotics is that physical machines can be in only one place at one time. EventScope addresses these scalability issues by enabling dynamic interaction with mission information through tools that allow users to navigate independently of the spatio-temporal nature of a robotic expedition. Further, interface communication tools allow science educators and scientists to mark representations of remote sites to convey their own experiences to students on a mass scale.

Learning from the information workspace of an information professional with dyslexia and ADHD

Dyslexia is one of the least understood so-called “learning disabilities” (LD), characterizing problems with text, organization, working memory, attention, and mental sequencing. Perhaps surprisingly, other research shows that dyslexia and LD may include strengths. For example, astronomers identified with dyslexia were able to spot patterns in imagery that were less visible to their non-dyslexic counterparts. The purpose of this investigation was to describe the information practices and spaces used by an information professional identified as dyslexic, focusing on their successful strategies within an office workspace context. The participant 1) made extensive use of non-traditional workspaces that contained or had access to specific kinds of “noise” that served as “intentional distractions” to paradoxically increase focus, 2) made extensive use of ad doc organizational “clutter” on horizontal surfaces, and 3) extended their ad hoc organization into their computer workspace by relying more on search queries rather than hierarchical file systems. The paper concludes with recommendations for new kinds of information systems that may assist office workers who share this particular cognitive phenotype.

Searching for a quantitative proxy for rover science effectiveness

During two weeks of study in September and October of 2004, a science team directed a rover and explored the arid Atacama Desert in Chile. The objective of the mission was to search for life. Over the course of the mission the team gained experience with the rover and the rover became more reliable and autonomous. As a result, the rover/operator system became more effective. Several factors likely contributed to the improvement in science effectiveness including increased experience, more effective search strategies, different science team composition, different science site locations, changes in rover operational capabilities, and changes in the operation interface. However, it is difficult to quantify this effectiveness because science is a largely creative and unstructured task. This study considers techniques that quantify science team performance leading to an understanding of which features of the human-rover system are most effective and which features need further development. Continuous observation of the scientists throughout the mission led to coded transcripts enumerating each scientific statement. This study considers whether six variables correlate with scientific effectiveness. Several of these variables are metrics and ratios related to the daily rover plan, the time spent programming the rover, the number of scientific statements made and the data returned. The results indicate that the scientists created more complex rover plans without increasing the time to create the plans. The total number of scientific statements was approximately equal (2187 versus 2415) for each week. There was a 50% reduction in bytes of returned data between the two weeks resulting in an increase in scientific statements per byte of returned data ratio. Of the original six, the most successful proxies for science effectiveness were the time to program each rover task and the number of scientific statements related to data delivered by the rover. Although both these measures have face validity and were consistent with the results of this experiment, their ultimate empirical utility must be measured further.

Developing drawing and visual thinking strategies to enhance computer programming for people with dyslexia

Text based programming languages are difficult for dyslexics and many so-called learning disabled (LD) people to use (D. Wilson, 2004). However, weaknesses in mentally processing text-based prose associated with dyslexia and certain forms of LD often coincide with strong visual-spatial abilities ((T.G. West, 1997), (J. Turner and K. Wooden, 1997)) . An informal participatory design inspired study revealed that a self-identified LD introductory programmer used hand-drawn spatial thinking techniques as a cognitive interface to a text-based programming interface. Using this and other clues as a starting point, my project seeks to continue this research through a more formal study by using experiences from a visually oriented LD student designer to develop a visual thinking and translation process that might enable the student and others to ldquodraw their wayrdquo between their own (possibly spatial) runnable mental models and text-based programming environments.

EventScope: discovering Mars with internet-based virtual environments

Telepresence is experiencing a place without physically being there. Telepresence interfaces receive information from robots or sensors in distant, hard to reach places. Scientists use telepresence to explore places that are inaccessible to human beings, such as Mars. However, the technology used on such missions is so complex that the missions themselves are as inaccessible to the public as the extreme environments being studied. Subsequently, design and engineering barriers have kept this vast resource off-limits to Americas classrooms despite the Internets widespread proliferation. Existing public telepresence interfaces either do not scale well to worldwide dissemination or do not fully engage school students.

Reality browsing: Using information interaction and robotic autonomy for planetary exploration

Reality browsing is a framework that enables distributed control of a team of planetary robots. In it, prioritized user queries are serviced in a hierarchical data structure consisting of an Internet-accessible world model, data archives on the remote robots and finally a multiple-robot planner that coordinates query-directed searches. This paper introduces the reality browser concept and outlines important research issues required for implementation.