At an air show in the US, Knut Øxnevad watches as two gliders emerge from the clouds and perform effortless loops before landing gracefully.
He realises these are highly advanced gliders and an idea begins to form: Could similar, but smaller and autonomous, gliders be used to explore Mars and the Earth in a completely new way
The albatross effect
He walks over and talks to the pilots. Now this idea is on its way to becoming a funded NASA research project.
The concept is to use lift generated by winds in the so-called Polar Vortex and polar jet streams, combined with thermal uplift, to fly for months – perhaps even years – on Mars or the Earth.
These winds are constant, caused by the temperature difference between the equator and the poles, and by the Coriolis force from planets and moons spinning on their axes.
Additionally, a phenomenon known as dynamic soaring would allow gliders to gain speed by flying over mountains, volcanoes and other elevated terrain.
“This is a phenomenon and mathematics that we are only just beginning to understand,” Øxnevad says enthusiastically.
The master of dynamic soaring is the albatross. With a wingspan of 2.5 metres, it can glide over wave tops for days without flapping its wings. This allows it to travel from north of the Equator to Antarctica.
A 400-million-kroner shopping list
After nearly 30 years leading space projects at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Øxnevad is bringing his albatross knowledge and other experiences across the Atlantic.
At NTNU and SINTEF Ocean, he will lead the procurement of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), gliders, sensors, radars, vessels, etc., to build the infrastructure for Fjordlab.
NOK 400 million has been allocated for this purpose.
“This is a chance to contribute with expertise to support NTNU and Norway in building a unique ocean-based research and testing infrastructure. Fjordlab will be one-of-a-kind globally.”
More than anything, he is excited about the national and international research this new infrastructure could enable – and the collaboration it could foster between NASA and Norwegian research communities.
He believes the Ocean Technology Centre, with Fjordlab, has the potential to become a catalyst for extended cooperation between NTNU, NASA JPL, and other NASA centres.
“Before I left JPL, I had meetings with over 30 key people, including the directors of science and technology. There was a lot of enthusiasm.”
Space adventures
His career has been about seeing systems from both the big picture and the smallest detail – in order to improve them. From large systems to small ones. He believes this approach will be valuable in Fjordlab.
What’s the coolest thing he’s done at NASA?
“I think I’m the only Norwegian to have sent a command to the Europa Clipper, a space probe headed for Jupiter’s moon Europa.”
The mission is to collect data to determine the thickness of the ice covering an ocean that NASA researchers believe contains more than twice as much water as all of Earth’s oceans combined. This will prepare for possible future landings on Europa.
“Europa Clipper is scheduled to arrive at Jupiter in 2030.”
Øxnevad has also been involved in developing robots that may one day travel through the ice and reach the ocean below.
“That ocean is estimated to be between 60 and 150 km deep. The plan is to use a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) as the energy and heat source for these robots.”
Øxnevad is fairly confident that multicellular life exists there.
But now it’s time to bring his wings back to Norway and help make the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre’s Fjordlab one of the world’s most exciting and innovative research infrastructures.