One of Cornell's newest clubs tackles tough NASA challenges

Cornell Micro-g is a project team of students who are passionate about pushing the boundaries of space technology. Working in coordination with NASA, the team designs and develops tools to aid in space exploration. Each year, the team starts from scratch, choosing a new challenge and designing an instrument to achieve the desired purpose. For the third consecutive year, Cornell Micro-g will travel to the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to test the device with trained astronaut divers. The Micro-g team takes on a large variety of tasks including CADing, machining, electrical engineering, human factors, rapid prototyping, sourcing funds, technical writing, and outreach coordination. 

The Cornell Micro-g team is currently prototyping the  Ice Core Integrated Calescent Linear Extractor, (ICICLE), a device which is designed to retrieve subsurface cylindrical ice core samples from underneath icy planetary surfaces using a thermal drill.  ICICLE was built to interface with the Mars Buoyant Rover, a JPL robot designed for exploring Europa and other Ocean Worlds.  The thermal drill allows for optimal under-ice sample retrieval with a minimal administered buoyant force due to the efficiency of the thermal collection method.  This tool could be crucial for discovering extraterrestrial life.