Daniel Ricardo

Swinburne University

Daniel is final-year PhD student investigating the relationship between differences in the form and morphology of ice in lunar regolith, and its implications on mechanical excavation and mobility systems. He has worked for several years in the design and development of Lunar and Mars rovers as part of the Monash University Nova Rover Team, and has since started the Australian Rover Challenge hosted by the University of Adelaide which has resulted in the creation of more than 8 new Australian rover teams and participation of overseas teams in Australia for the first time. Daniel also has experience in the development of biological payloads for 10,000ft rocketry as part of Monash High Powered Rocketry Team.

Daniel worked on the NASA Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies (ARADS) mission as a 2019 Summer Intern where he supported concept of operations (ConOps) by developing a communications template between the field and base team, isntrument schedule and also designed and built a small environmenal monitoring payload.

Daniel is interested in supporting the Australian industry and space resoucres acquisition by applying his expertise specifically with regolith-wheel or regolith-cutter interaction, terramechanics, regolith simulant, ice nucleation and ice formation under lunar/cometary conditions, rover design, integration and testing, project management and leadership.