Related Sections: Buildings Robots Space
NASA looks toward robotic rovers to build its planned lunar base in 2020
NASA wants to build a polar outpost on the Moon starting in 2020, and one of the most promising ways to get that done is by using robo-Tonka trucks (pictured above in an artist's rendering). The space agency is partnering up with Astrobotic Technology and researchers from Carnegie Mellon University to design the rovers, which would be charged with fleshing out a landing pad and launch site for rockets and other spacecraft.
Right now, there are two proposals on the table. The first is to construct an 8.5-foot-tall, semi-circular berm 160 feet in diameter so that lunar dust won't scatter when a rocket lifts off. The second involves building a hard-surface pad for craft to launch from.
The rovers themselves are still being fleshed out. It's thought that two 330-pound 'bots working together would be able to get the berm done in as little as six months. As for the landing pad, the researchers concluded that the task could be completed by smaller robots combing the moon's surface for rocks to construct the hard surface of the deck. After that, NASA could start landing materials on the moon and begin constructing a base from there.
Astrobotic Technology, via CMU, via Robots.net
By BoxerFanatic at 10:26 AM ON 02/27/09
And we are going to do this with what money? Now is not the time for this sort of thing.
Especially when the shuttle fleet is on the verge of being de-commissioned, with no inkling of a replacement program for that. The shuttle program is almost thirty years old itself, and we haven't been to the moon since well before that.
And our country is in such an economic hole that this is the last thing that taxpayer dollars should be going to right now.
By Tom Black at 10:43 AM ON 02/27/09
Yeah, BOXERFANATIC, you tell 'em! We'll NEVER have money again! This recession will last forever so we shouldn't plan ANYTHING for the future! Yeah! That's the way toward progress!
You are more than a little short sighted.
By Anonymous at 11:27 AM ON 02/27/09
The economic gain by colonizing space and extracting space based resources is unimaginable.
Only shortsighted fools would deny investing in those.
By anonymous at 11:28 AM ON 02/27/09
The economic gain by colonizing space and extracting space based resources is unimaginable.
Only shortsighted fools would deny investing in those.
By Screen Sleuth at 11:55 AM ON 02/27/09
TOM: There are some in the sector (smart people who've been right before) who believe the economy may never recover to the point it was at. Ever again. They believe the fabric of the US economy has been damaged deeply, probably on some type of permanent level. It'll recover some, sure...but to where it was. I have my doubts.
Is this the time for building forts on the moon and other such billion dollar chemistry experiments? Not even close.
By noah at 12:35 PM ON 02/27/09
Well, this recession will bottom out this year, and probably get better in 2010, more likely in 2011. By 2016 or 2017, we should be in much better position to send these bots out to prepare for a 2019-20 manned landing
This is the future, in The Year 2000!
Anyway, this is exciting. We've never really had autonomous (or semi) construction bots. And designing them should be a challenge, as there will be no one there to repair them should something break. ooh, autonomous repairman bot!
By aminpro at 1:00 PM ON 02/27/09
wow! i would like to be transferred to moon!
By BoxerFanatic at 3:58 PM ON 02/27/09
I didn't say EVER AGAIN, I said NOT RIGHT NOW. Priorities, Priorities.
There are much more pressing issues than playing with toys on the moon, and spending ethereal dollars that are being printed out of thin air to do it.
If you are losing your job or your business, are you going to be investing a lot of money into wild hypotheticals? Why should the US space program be doing that?
Government spending is never based on economic gain, market feasibility, or anything besides political gain. Even NASA and other scientific endeavors are plagued by politics, or at least the effects of political control.
By Thrishmal at 4:32 PM ON 02/27/09
Well, if we could launch such a program now, it would create jobs in this country and would help further the nations manufacturing ability for space based hardware.
By ensuring space dominance today, we ensure the security of assets both in space and on the ground.
By Asakari at 2:56 AM ON 02/28/09
You folks realize the value of space mining, hundreds of megatons of platinum and uranium in the asteroid belt. As well as an abundant amount of H3 on the moon that could be used for fusion generation, they want the moon base to be cost effective and not a giant money hole.
Space mining has allot of economic potential, with enough materials to sustain the world for eons you think we'll give up a bail-card that easy?
By Letsil at 4:53 PM ON 02/28/09
I have to agree wth Asakaril. The value of materials that could potentially be harvested from space could very well open up and create new jobs and a new export to other countries, which is what this country really needs.
By bintoss at 7:46 PM ON 02/28/09
Umm Thrishmal... space dominance?!! What are you Space Stalin? Or maybe Space Bush.
Gods, are we going to go through another round of colonialism for resources in space?? Ever hear of sharing?
By Aminpro at 2:33 AM ON 03/01/09
Everybody! Look forward... Look into the future . Other than economy we get to study other things that maybe will make our earth better. We an use the resources in space to feed the unfortunate and later the whole planet will make explorations in space and make a better world.... Maybe golbal warming can be prevented by migrating some humans to other planet but colonizeing the moon is the very great step towards making earth a better planet, look forward , open your minds!
By Dangit64 at 6:34 PM ON 03/01/09
THe Lunar surface is bombarded daily by cosmic rays, infusing in the lunar dust Helium 3, which when extracted is perfect for clean cheap fusion.
By anon at 10:50 AM ON 03/31/09
Foam metal, perfect crystals, and nanotechnology are just some of the high tech industries we could build on the moon. Plus-wasting money is what puts the economy back on track. The only way capitalism works is when you are greedy and spend money on non-essentials- you have to MAKE a new market.
on your cellphone!
Text DVICE to 72434
editor@dvice.com
anon:
Foam metal, perfect crystals, and nanotechnology are just some of the high tech industries we could build on the mo...More »