Reactor Recovery

Description

The recent rapid expansion of the Martian colony has created an increased need for electrical power to run the ever-growing array of scientific equipment, automated demolition machines, ore dispensers, seismographs, and the newly established Rover Jail. A team of Earth-based researchers at the Centre for Spacebound Turbine-Assisted Generators was tasked with shipping an additional power source to augment the existing solar arrays. Unfortunately, the only solution they could procure on such short notice was an experimental nuclear power source named the Cheap Improvised Reactor Contraption.

Shortly after the installation of the reactor, an entirely unforeseeable disaster struck: an issue with the alignment of the control rods caused an explosion, destroying the reactor and leaving radioactive pieces scattered across the Martian regolith.

While all astronauts were able to safely escape the vicinity before the explosion occurred, one astronaut is currently trapped in a valley where the only traversable exit route passes through the wreckage area, making escape impossible due to the radiation risks. You have been tasked with using a rover to clean up the site and transport this astronaut to safety.

Dust is easily picked up by the strong winds in the Martian atmosphere, so radioactive fallout is an important consideration in the cleanup of the site. Thankfully, your team has a report from some of the best planetary meteorologists that predicts the timing and paths taken by dust storms. Your rover will need to collect the damaged equipment to prevent further radiation exposure, but cannot risk entering areas with high winds lest you send radioactive fallout towards the settlement.

Once the radioactive debris is sufficiently cleared, your rover needs to recover the stranded astronaut. While they have been kept alive by their EVA suit, they lack the strength to return on their own and they will need to be transported to safety by the rover.

Requirements

  1. Read the Mission Briefing provided to you at the start of your task time. This briefing will contain the following information:
    1. A map of the mission site divided into Sectors, marked with GNSS coordinates. Some Sector boundaries may additionally be identified by landmarks.
    2. A chart showing when each Sector is predicted to have an active dust storm, indicating whether each storm is a Mild Dust Storm or a Severe Dust Storm.
    3. A catalog of each Debris Object that your team must recover from the site, including the following:
      1. A sketch showing the approximate shape of the object
      2. The recommended method for locating the object
      3. Any special handling requirements for the object
      4. The containment zone that the object must be transported to
    4. The GNSS coordinates of the Astronaut to be rescued. (All GNSS coordinates provided will be in the WGS84 datum, in degree-decimal form.)
  2. Stay clear of Dust Storms. Your rover may not enter or remain within a Sector of the mission site when a Dust Storm is active within that Sector.
    1. No points will be awarded for retrieving Debris Objects or the Astronaut within a Sector while a Dust Storm is active. Points will also be deducted if a rover remains within a Sector while a Dust Storm is occurring, or if a rover enters a Sector containing an active Dust Storm.
    2. Due to the unique risks posed by a Severe Dust Storm, entering a Sector containing a Severe Dust Storm will cause your rover to be emergency-stopped by the task judges, and your team must take a Modification Intervention to transport it back to the starting line.
    3. The starting area, Containment Zones, and Medical Bay will not be impacted by Dust Storms during the mission.
  3. Recover the radioactive Debris Objects from the mission site, and transport them to the containment zones near the start line.
    1. The debris will be irregular in shape, size, and mass.
      1. Any objects with every dimension greater than 80 mm will have at least one grippable feature (such as a handle) with a diameter of at most 80 mm.
      2. Debris Objects have a mass of up to 5 kg; most are under 1 kg.
    2. Due to the chaotic nature of the explosion, there is no record of where each piece of debris is located. Your rover will need to locate each Debris Object using the methods described in the Mission Briefing:
      1. Some debris may be identified by a GNSS location included in the Mission Briefing based on previously captured drone footage of the site.
      2. Some debris may have a visible warning light on it. This light will rotate or flash in some way, and its color will be provided to you at the start of the mission.
      3. Some debris may include a tracking beacon. Your rover will be provided with a receiver for this beacon. You may choose how to mount this receiver to your rover, but it includes an antenna that must have visibility of the sky for proper functioning. Mechanical drawings will be provided at a later date. The receiver will provide readings showing the approximate distance to the target using a UART protocol over a 1/4” (6.35 mm) TRS plug (pinout and line protocol to be released).
      4. Some debris may only be identified by a text description written by the crew that was onsite during the explosion. You will need to interpret this description relative to landmarks in the field to understand the location of the debris.
    3. Not all items at the mission site need to be removed. Your rover may encounter some remnants of the explosion that are not described in the Mission Briefing. These are not dangerous, and returning them to the start line will not earn points.
    4. Your rover will need to transport each Debris Object to the Containment Zones near the starting position.
      1. Some debris will require more careful handling, as contact with the ground will further contaminate the area.
      2. You may attempt to carry multiple objects at a time, but it is not required.
    5. Debris Objects should be placed in the correct Containment Zone based on the level of contamination, as described in the Mission Briefing.
      1. Each Containment Zone may be a flat area on the ground, an elevated flat surface such as a table (no more than 1 meter above ground level), or a container with four sides which may require opening a lid.
      2. Transporting a Debris Object to the incorrect Containment Zone will earn partial points.
  4. Rescue the Astronaut from the valley based on the location provided in the Mission Briefing.
    1. The Astronaut must be handled gently for full points (carried above the ground instead of dragged along the ground).
    2. Terrain in this area will be very difficult for rovers to traverse.
    3. The Astronaut must be brought to the Medical Bay near the starting line. This area will be marked by an indicator on the ground.
    4. For full points, all debris must be cleared before the Astronaut can be rescued.