NASA brought high-tech sensors into volcanoes

These high-tech sensors have recently been put into a volcano's mouth to control the hot spots and provide early warning if volcanoes start erupting.

These sensors are part of a NASA project to study volcanoes from within. On July 14, scientists brought sensors into the crater of St. Helens in Washington, one of the most active volcanoes in the United States.

The project aims to improve the predictability of imminent eruptions, both on Earth and on other planets.

'Harsh environments such as St. Volcano. Helens is the foundation for other space missions in the future, for example to Mars, where we may one day have the same sensor network to track meteorite and storm collisions. dust or earthquake on Mars, "said Steve Chien, principal investigator of the automated system at NASA's Jet Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. Researchers at JPL have collaborated with researchers at the US Geological Survey (USGS) in this project.

Sensors like this are placed inside and around St. Crater. Helens. One day, it could be used to react quickly to an imminent eruption. (Photo: NASA / JPL)

15 spider-like devices were brought into a cable crater from a helicopter above 100 feet (30 meters). These devices contain seismographs to identify earthquakes, GPS devices to indicate the exact location and measure very small ground distortions, infrared generators to identify volcanic explosions, and a Lightning meter to seek the formation of ash clouds.

'With these high-tech devices, we can quickly react during the active volcanic phase to supplement the control network or quickly replace damaged stations,' says Rick LaHusen, engineer measured at the USGS Volcanic Observatory in Washington, said.

The robot spiders stand by 3 feet, and can operate in extreme temperature conditions and complex terrain. They send data to each other and scientists via Earth Observing-1 (EO-1). These robots have a battery life of about 1 year.

St. VolcanoHelens is one of the most active mountains in the United States.(Photo: USGS)

WenZhan Song, a project researcher and Washington State University in Vancouver, said: 'This project is a testament to how low-cost sensor network systems can support real-time control in Particularly harsh environments'.

St. Volcano Helens has a rather terrible past. In 1980 a volcanic eruption killed 57 people and caused great damage to houses, roads, bridges and railroads. In 2004, another eruption occurred with 26 million gallons of lava, along with tons of rocks and ash.

The research was funded by NASA's Earth Science Technology Department through the advanced information system technology program, and the USGS Volcanic Program.