S. Hanagud

Papers

Total Citations

101

H-Index

About

S. Hanagud is a researcher whose work sits at the compelling intersection of robotics, automation, and planetary exploration. Best known for contributions to the Drilling Automation for Mars Exploration (DAME) project, Hanagud has helped advance the science and engineering of autonomous subsurface drilling systems designed for extraterrestrial environments. Recognizing that terrestrial drilling remains more art than engineering discipline, Hanagud's research tackled the extraordinary challenge of replicating and automating that expertise under the severe constraints of planetary missions — limited mass, energy, and zero human presence. Hanagud's most impactful publication, a 2008 account of the DAME project garnering 64 citations, details the integration of diagnostic and executive software with Honeybee Robotics' Advanced Deep Drill hardware, validated through rigorous Arctic analog site testing in 2006. This work directly supports future lunar and Martian resource utilization and the scientific search for life in subsurface environments. Complementary papers from 2005 and 2006, accumulating an additional 34 citations, further establish Hanagud's foundational role in framing automated planetary drilling as a solvable engineering problem. Collectively, this body of work represents an essential contribution to humanity's expanding ambitions for deep space exploration.