Latest news with #IPEx
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
How NASA plans to mine the Moon
By Dean Murray The United States has shown off how it plans to mine the Moon. Incredible scenes show NASA testing a vehicle designed to extract vital resources that could help humans live in the lunar environment or even on Mars. Engineers at Kennedy Space Center in Florida are experimenting with the RASSOR (Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot) on a simulated lunar surface. RASSOR's counter-rotating drums dig up simulated moon dust to extract regolith, the loose, fragmental material found on the Moon's surface. The opposing motion of the drums helps RASSOR grip the surface in low-gravity environments like the Moon or Mars. On Tuesday (June 3), NASA said: "With this unique capability, RASSOR can traverse the rough surface to dig, load, haul, and dump regolith that could later be broken down into hydrogen, oxygen, or water-resources critical for sustaining human presence." The space agency is using the foundation of RASSOR's development to inform IPEx (In-Situ Resource Utilisation Pilot Excavator), a newer vehicle being prepared for a potential technology demonstration mission on the Moon. IPEx is still in the advanced development and testing phase and will improve on RASSOR with refinements in scale, modularity, and mission capability to support future lunar resource extraction missions. The post How NASA plans to mine the Moon appeared first on Talker. Copyright Talker News. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA next-gen control room experiment at KSC aims to make sure humans work at their best
Imagine monitoring a robot working more than 200,000 miles away on the lunar surface — a stressful job, and one that requires operators to be on the ball at all times while in small control room for hours on end. For a future robotic moon mission known as IPEx, the goal is to get the design of this small control room right, and enable operators to be alert and at their best. Right at Kennedy Space Center, a Florida Tech professor and her team are exploring what is called the next generation control room. Debbie Carstens is the director of Human Factors: Aeronautics, Safety, Sociability, Interfaces, Stress & Training (HF ASSIST) Lab at Florida Tech, and after having worked at Kennedy Space Center years ago, she's back on familiar grounds. For these mock up tests of the control room, operators will be watching and controlling the rover, which is located in a dust bin — a sandbox like mockup of the lunar surface — inside Kennedy Space Center. Meanwhile, a simulation operator can see what the rover is doing and what is going on in the control room. The simulation operator monitors how the team handles difficult situations and if there are factors which impede performance. The mission may be an experiment now, but it will not be for long. The purpose of this investigation is looking into what factors will be most impactful for what's called the Next Generation In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) Pilot Excavator (IPEx) Control Room final design. Simply put, the control room will be for used for the NASA IPEx mission, which is a robotic mission that will dig and carry regolith on the lunar surface, searching for resources for future human and robotic missions. IPEx is expected to travel to the moon by the end of the decade. Therefore, there is a need to get the control room design right before the mission flies to the moon. Operator performance is critical to mission success, and the right environment can make or break the mission. "Of course humans work best when they're most engaged," said Carstens. She explained the need to keep everyone vigilant in downtime because even when everything is going well, a situation could arise. For example, out of nowhere the rover could easily get stuck and the team would have to problem solve to free it. When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral So what factors go into making the control room more effective for human performance? The control room itself is 588 sq ft., which is approximately the size of a studio apartment. The simulated mission studies last five days, but will be much longer once the mission is flying. And the employees will be working demanding 13-hour shifts, five days a week. The team will rotate on breaks every two hours, to keep their minds sharp. "They rotate every two hours. It's all for safety," said Carstens. "We want to optimize human performance, human safety, and efficiency." Carstens knows the need to get the design right, even down to where the employees can take a break. The rest area has something known as balance zones, where the team can get in quick exercise to relieve workday stress. There is also a food area, with a vending machine which offers healthy options, and a water dispenser. The IPEx control room at NASA Kennedy Space Center. When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral As for mission monitoring, it's the little things, such as font size, menu navigation, color usage, and even where someone sits, which factor into optimizing productivity. Carstens explained that color usage can optimize focus. And the computer screens aim for the the cleanest layout possible, meaning no useless files or icons. What does a next generation NASA control room look like? As for room layout, there are four 75-inch main screens in the front of the room. However, everyone in the room has a different task, making it tricky. What is projected on these main screens might be critical to someone but not others. "What is one person's clutter, may be one person's information — but at the same time we don't want it like a garage sale," said Carstens. To solve this, displays are able to send alerts before information is pulled up on the screen. Each operator has their own desk and monitor, with the room consisting of two rows of desks. Each desk has its own lighting, which is great for adaptability in a primarily dark room. Carstens compared it to an air traffic control room. Little natural light comes in as blinds cover the windows. Carstens explained that desks are close to each other, and while one would think that would be distracting, it actually proved to be good for problem solving when the rover is not behaving as planned. "They really liked it, because they were able to so easily brainstorm," she said. There are also white boards where operators can walk over and jot down their ideas. One issue still in the works is room temperature, as it is very difficult to meet everyone's exact temperature preference. Carstens explains that its similar with any household or even riding in a car with others. It's hard to make everyone feel comfortable all the time. As for keeping everyone up to speed, shifts overlap twice: one hour in the beginning and one hour at the end so information can be shared. "They are making sure that critical information gets passed on to the next team member. So that way they can, by overlapping, get the next person up to speed," said Carstens. Until the mission flies, the room will see continuous improvement based on what's learned. And others are learning from the mock mission already, even visiting to get ideas and make suggestions. "We want everything to go as smooth as possible," said Carstens. Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@ or on X: @brookeofstars. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NASA, Florida Tech experiment with moon mission next-gen control room
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ORVANA PROVIDES EXPLORATION UPDATE ATTENDING PDAC 2025 CONVENTION IN TORONTO, MARCH 2-5 EXHIBITING AT BOOTH #2243
TSX:ORV #04-2025 TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Orvana Minerals Corp. (TSX: ORV) (the "Company" or "Orvana") is pleased to report exploration updates from Taguas, Argentina, and announces that it will be exhibiting at the 2025 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) International Conference being held in Toronto at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from March 2 to 5, 2025. PDAC 2025 Orvana cordially invites shareholders, investors, brokers, analysts, and interested parties, to learn more about its operations and growth perspectives via brownfield and greenfield exploration programs, by visiting booth #2243 in the Investors Exchange area of PDAC. The PDAC International Convention, Trade Show & Investors Exchange is the world's leading convention for people, companies and organizations in, or connected with, mineral exploration. For more information about the conference, visit: The Corporate Presentation, providing an overview of our operations and properties, is available at: TAGUAS PROJECT – DEEP GEOPHYSICS SURVEY Orvana's strategy in its Taguas project had been focused on the oxides portion of the property. In light of the global developments, the Company is currently reconsidering the strategy, now potentially including sulphides resources, plus deep copper-gold porphyry opportunities. In order to identify potential targets at depth, Orvana is preparing plans to conduct a deep geophysical survey capable of detecting targets of up to a depth of 1,500 m. The survey is expected to take place during the following weeks, with the goal of having results available by the third quarter of fiscal 2025. The Company is currently updating its geological modeling, with key objectives focused on enhancing the understanding of the oxide-sulfide transition zone, analyzing alteration zoning using infrared spectroscopy, and interpreting current drilling data to support the interpretation of the geophysical survey. The following outlines technical specifications planned for the survey: 7 lines of 4.0 km in the area between Cerro Campamento and Cerros Taguas, defined by alteration footprint and current drilling data. IPEx method: Designed by Geophysical Resources and Services (GRS) Derived from the full MIMDAS RES/IP/MT. The MIMDAS system is ideal for its capability to measure very low signals, due to the enhanced telluric correction. The IPEx method consists in removing most of the transmitter (Tx) sites from the normal MIMDAS array, while maintaining all receiver (Rx) sites collecting the RES/IP and MT data. This has an immediate advantage on the time. Proven deep penetrating method used by major companies in Chile / Argentina for epithermal to porphyry exploration. Quality Control The exploration update was prepared under the supervision of Raúl Álvarez Cifuentes, a qualified person for the purposes of NI 43-101 and an employee of Orovalle Minerals S.L., a subsidiary of Orvana. ABOUT ORVANA – Orvana is a multi-mine gold-copper-silver company. Orvana's assets consist of the producing El Valle and Carlés gold-copper-silver mines in northern Spain, the Don Mario gold-silver property in Bolivia, currently in care and maintenance, and the Taguas property located in Argentina. Additional information is available at Orvana's website ( Cautionary Statements – Forward-Looking Information Certain statements in this presentation constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, potentials, future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "believes", "expects", "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will", "are projected to" or "confident of" be taken or achieved) are not statements of historical fact, but are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements herein relate to, among other things, Orvana's ability to achieve improvement in free cash flow; the ability to maintain expected mining rates and expected throughput rates at El Valle Plant; the potential to extend the mine life of El Valle and Don Mario beyond their current life-of-mine estimates including specifically, but not limited to, Orvana's ability to optimize its assets to deliver shareholder value; estimates of future production (including without limitation, production guidance), operating costs and capital expenditures; mineral resource and reserve estimates; statements and information regarding future feasibility studies and their results; future transactions; future metal prices; the ability to achieve additional growth and geographic diversification; and future financial performance, including the ability to increase cash flow and profits; future financing requirements; mine development plans; the possibility of the conversion of inferred mineral resources to mineral reserves. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, which includes, without limitation, as particularly set out in the notes accompanying the Company's most recently filed financial statements. The estimates and assumptions of the Company contained or incorporated by reference in this news release, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to the various assumptions set forth herein and in Orvana's most recently filed Management's Discussion & Analysis and Annual Information Form in respect of the Company's most recently completed fiscal year (the "Company Disclosures") or as otherwise expressly incorporated herein by reference as well as: there being no significant disruptions affecting operations, whether due to labour disruptions, supply disruptions, power disruptions, damage to equipment or otherwise; permitting, development, operations, expansion and acquisitions at El Valle, Don Mario and Taguas being consistent with the Company's current expectations; political developments in any jurisdiction in which the Company operates being consistent with its current expectations; certain price assumptions for gold, copper and silver; prices for key supplies being approximately consistent with current levels; production and cost of sales forecasts meeting expectations; the accuracy of the Company's current mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates; labour and materials costs increasing on a basis consistent with Orvana's current expectations; and the availability of necessary funds to execute the Company's plan. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this news release also contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including, without limitation, references to the results of the Company's exploration activities, including but not limited to, drilling results and analyses, mineral resource estimation, conceptual mine plan and operations, internal rate of return, sensitivities, taxes, net present value, potential recoveries, design parameters, operating costs, capital costs, production data and economic potential; the timing and costs for production decisions; permitting timelines and requirements; exploration and planned exploration programs; and the Company's general objectives and strategies. A variety of inherent risks, uncertainties and factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, affect the operations, performance and results of the Company and its business, and could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results expressed or implied by forward looking statements. Some of these risks, uncertainties and factors include: the potential impact of global health and global economic conditions on the Company's business and operations, including: our ability to continue operations; and our ability to manage challenges presented by such conditions; the general economic, political and social impacts of the continuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, our ability to support the sustainability of our business including through the development of crisis management plans, increasing stock levels for key supplies, monitoring of guidance from the medical community, and engagement with local communities and authorities; fluctuations in the price of gold, silver and copper; the need to recalculate estimates of resources based on actual production experience; the failure to achieve production estimates; variations in the grade of ore mined; variations in the cost of operations; the availability of qualified personnel; the Company's ability to obtain and maintain all necessary regulatory approvals and licenses; Orovalle's ability to complete the permitting process of the El Valle Tailings Storage Facility increasing the storage capacity; Orovalle's ability to complete the stabilization project of the legacy open pit wall; the Company's ability to use cyanide in its mining operations; risks generally associated with mineral exploration and development, including the Company's ability to continue to operate the El Valle and/or ability to resume operations at the Carlés Mine; the Company's ability to successfully implement an acid leaching circuit and ancillary facilities to process the current oxides stockpiles at Don Mario; the Company's ability to successfully carry out exploration and development plans at Taguas; sufficient funding to carry out exploration and development plans at Taguas and to process the oxides stockpiles at Don Mario; EMIPA's ability to finalize the OSP financial model and subsequently complete the required funding for the OSP; the Company's ability to acquire and develop mineral properties and to successfully integrate such acquisitions; the Company's ability to execute on its strategy; the Company's ability to obtain financing when required on terms that are acceptable to the Company; challenges to the Company's interests in its property and mineral rights; current, pending and proposed legislative or regulatory developments or changes in political, social or economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates; general economic conditions worldwide; the challenges presented by global health conditions; fluctuating operational costs such as, but not limited to, power supply costs; current and future environmental matters; and the risks identified in the Company's disclosures. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements and reference should also be made to the Company's Disclosures for a description of additional risk factors. Any forward-looking statements made herein with respect to the anticipated development and exploration of the Company's mineral projects are intended to provide an overview of management's expectations with respect to certain future activities of the Company and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions and, except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements should assumptions related to these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions change. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made in this information are intended to provide an overview of management's expectations with respect to certain future operating activities of the Company and may not be appropriate for other purposes. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Orvana Minerals Corp. Sign in to access your portfolio
