reyn@trsvax.UUCP (03/10/89)
There is an article in the March 5th EE Times about a radio astronomy observatory on the moon that will be erected and maintained by a robot vehicle. According to the article: A concept designed by Battelle calls for a six wheeled, 3100 pound vehicle with two arms mounted near the front and a payload bay to carry 600 very low frequency antennae that it would set up as the pbservatory in a crater on the far side of the moon. The vehicle would be powered by four radio-isotope thermoelectric generators with secondary lithium batteries for peak loading. It would navigate over a 5,000 km range with an inertial navigation system with laser triangulation calibration. The vehicle will map the entire area before building the observatory. On- board sensors will help it avoid dangerous objects, and it will be designed to stop and await commands from earth if it encounters objects it does not recognize. The concept calls for speeds of up to 3 km/hour and a capability to negotiate slopes of up to 30 degrees, climb over foot-high obstacles and cross crevasses up to 1-m wide. The vehicle would be expected to operate on the lunar surface for 7 to 10 years. Does anyone out there have any idea on the likelyhood of this coming to pass?
henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (03/14/89)
In article <191700020@trsvax> reyn@trsvax.UUCP writes: >There is an article in the March 5th EE Times about a radio astronomy >observatory on the moon that will be erected and maintained by a robot >vehicle... >Does anyone out there have any idea on the likelyhood of this coming to pass? It's just another design study. Probability near zero in the current climate. -- Welcome to Mars! Your | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology passport and visa, comrade? | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu