Northwest Passage Drive Expedition Fact Sheet
The purpose is to study climate change and advance human exploration of the Moon and Mars by studying long-range rover traverses.
Will be the first time:
- the Northwest Passage (NWP) is driven in a road vehicle
- a unique data set on the thickness of sea-ice along the length of the NWP is gathered
- a long-range planetary rover exploration study is conducted on sea-ice
- Will involve travelling more than 2,000 kilometres on sea-ice.
- Will travel in the unique, state-of-the-art, all-terrain exploration vehicle, the Moon-1 Humvee Rover
- Begins in Kugluktuk, Western Nunavut, ends at the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) Research Station on Devon Island, Eastern Nunavut.
- Expected to last just over 2 weeks in April 2009, although the team is prepared for up to 4 weeks
- Research at Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) is supported by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Canadian Space Agency (CSA)
Scientific Study Highlights Include:
- Climate Change – Technology mounted behind the Moon-1 Humvee will gather a continuous log of the thickness of sea-ice along the entire length of the NWP.
- Astrobiology – The interior and exterior of the Humvee, as well as surrounding ice/snow, will be sampled periodically to test for any human associated microbe contamination.
- Planetary Sciences – Ice hummocks, ridges, free-thaw features, snow dunes, etc, will be inventoried, documented and quantitatively assessed because they may have counterparts on other planets.
- Space Radiation – Technology installed inside the Humvee will record doses of radiation received throughout the expedition to establish a baseline for future traverses in the Arctic.
- Exploration – Procedures and strategies for planning, implementing, and assessing the productivity of long-range pressurized rover traverses on the Moon or Mars will be evaluated.
Moon-1 Humvee
- A modified ambulance version of the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV)
- Built by US manufacturer AM General LLC of Mishawaka, IN
- In comparison to the Mars-1 Humvee Rover already deployed at the HMP site on Devon Island, the Moon-1 has a number of improvements and new capabilities:
- Rear winch in addition to front winch.
- State-of-the-art navigation equipment and vehicle systems.
- Thermal infrared imager.
- Interior refinements.
- Reinforced steering components to accommodate tracks.
- Rear windows made of new polymer.
