NASA’s Robot Dante to Descend Into Hellish Volcano

A 12-member exploration team has arrived at the base of a live Antarctic volcano along with Dante, a NASA robot that will be used in an attempt to descend into the volcano’s crater.

Exploration down the steep inner rim of Mt. Erebus could begin as early as Wednesday, although weather and other difficulties could delay that, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said.

The eight-legged robot will have to dodge plumes of 1,100-degree gas, corrosive acids and near-vertical cliffs to maneuver down the throat of the active volcano.

Most of Dante’s movements will be controlled by the crew at the base of the volcano, but portions of it will be directed from the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

NASA officials said Monday that the team had established telecommunications with Goddard in preparation for the robot’s descent.

The space agency said it will be the longest distance ever for live robotic control and simulates what may be in store for NASA’s further exploration activities with humans and robots on Mars.

The exploration to the lava lake inside the Antarctic volcano is a technology demonstration and science expedition backed by NASA and the National Science Foundation. Carnegie Mellon University and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology are also partners.

The robot’s exploration is to take at least three days. Live video feeds are planned from cameras mounted on the robot and at the rim of the volcano, the space agency said Monday.

It took 35 helicopter trips to get all of the necessary equipment to the base of the 11,000-foot mountain, NASA said.