Evan Hilgemann, Mechanical Engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California
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The surface of Venus is one of the most inhospitable places in the solar system. It features sulfuric acid clouds, temperatures over 450°C, and a pressure 92 times that of the surface of Earth. Only a handful of probes have successfully reached the surface, and even then only survived for about two hours before their electronics failed in the hostile environment. At the December 9, 2019, meeting of the Horological Society of New York, Evan Hilgemann will discuss a potential solution for exploring Venus. The solution comes from 16th century automatons, which were mechanical devices capable of performing a series of complex actions to achieve a specific result. The Automaton Rover for Extreme Environments (AREE), would replace vulnerable electronic systems with a mechanical design, including a mechanical timekeeper. By utilizing high temperature alloys the rover would survive for months, allowing it to collect and return valuable long-term science data from the surface of Venus. This science data would be critical for informing and improving models of dynamic planetary systems. To implement AREE, “steampunk” science fiction meets spacecraft technology in a unique rover that must be robust and able to operate during its entire mission without human intervention.
About Evan Hilgemann
Evan Hilgemann is a mechanical engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In his current position he splits time between operating the Mars rover Curiosity and developing novel robotic methods to explore some of the hottest and coldest places in the solar system. Previously, he contributed to various spacecraft deployable systems and co-led a explorative study to place a long duration rover on the surface of Venus. Evan is drawn to this field by the inherent sense of exploration and adventure, and he enjoys sharing the thrill of space exploration with others. In addition to his day job, Evan moonlights as a telescope operator and science educator at the Griffith Observatory. Evan earned an M.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan and a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.