Lunar bulldozer robots may perform site
preparation for moonbases.
A NASA-sponsored study, prepared by Astrobotic Technology Inc. with technical
assistance from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, was presented
last Friday at a NASA Lunar Surface Systems conference.
"NASA faces a challenge in planning the layout for its
outpost, which is expected to begin operations in 2020," said Dr. William "Red"
Whittaker, chairman and chief technical officer of Astrobotic and a Carnegie
Mellon professor of robotics. "For efficient cargo transfer, the landing site
needs to be close to the outpost's crew quarters and laboratories. Each rocket
landing and takeoff, however, will accelerate lunar grit outwards from the pad.
With no atmosphere to slow it down, the dry soil would sandblast the outpost."
Two potential solutions to the problem were examined: 1)
creation of a berm around the landing site and 2) creation of a hard-surface
landing pad using lunar materials.
The research team determined that 2 MoonDiggers
weighing about 330 pounds apiece could work together in building a suitable
berm in just six months. A berm 8.5 feet tall in a 160-foot semi-circle would
require moving 2.6 million pounds of lunar
'dirt.'
Utilizing the second of the two alternatives mentioned
above requires that the small robots comb the lunar surface for rocks,
gathering them for a durable grit-free landing space.
The robotic lunar bulldozers would not be operated by
astronauts; instead, the robotic 'dozers would be directed by a combination of
direct teleoperation and supervised autonomy by workers on Earth.
This idea is old hat for fans of science fiction writers
Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven. In their 1981 novel Oath of Fealty,
they describe a telepresence bulldozer for just this kind of work:
"'Meet Rachel Lief,' Lunan said. 'Ms. Lief is a
bulldozer driver.' Lunan paused for effect. 'As you see, Ms. Lief doesn't look
like your typical tractor driver...'
'But then,' Lunan said, 'not every bulldozer operator
works on the Moon.' The cameras followed the trim woman into another room,
where there was a replica of a large tractor. It was surrounded by TV screens.
One screen showed an astronaut sitting in the driver's seat, staring
impatiently into the screen. A bleak, nearly colorless pit showed over his left
shoulder.
'About time you got here,' the astronaut said.
'We were busy,' Rachel sat down in the driver's seat and
took hold of the controls. 'I relieve you...'
The bulldozer moved through the lunar strip mine..."
(Read more about Pournelle and Niven's telepresence bulldozer)
See also this video of the bulldozer
attachment to the Lunar Chariot; this is a multi-purpose vehicle intended
for use by astronauts on the Moon. Read the previous article for more
information about it - NASA's
Chariot Is Not Your Father's Moon Rover.
From Carnegie Mellon University; see also this excellent Astrobiotic MoonDigger report (pdf) and this earlier report
on Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization (pdf).
(This Science Fiction in the News story used with
permission of Technovelgy.com)
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