NASA's Newest Concept Vehicle Takes Off-Roading Out of This World
- From: baalke@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 23:14:40 -0800 (PST)
Feb. 27, 2008
Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4997/2087
stephanie.schierholz@xxxxxxxx
Brandi Dean
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-244-1403
brandi.k.dean@xxxxxxxx
RELEASE: 08-068
NASA'S NEWEST CONCEPT VEHICLE TAKES OFF-ROADING OUT OF THIS WORLD
HOUSTON - In a car commercial, it would sound odd: active suspension,
six-wheel drive with independent steering for each wheel, no doors,
no windows, no seats and the only color available is gold.
But NASA's latest concept vehicle is meant to go way off-road, as in
240,000 miles from the nearest pavement, and drive on the moon. NASA
is working to send astronauts to the moon by 2020 to set up a lunar
outpost, where they will do scientific research and prepare for
journeys to more distant destinations.
Built at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, the new design is one
concept for a future lunar truck. The vehicle provides an idea of
what the transportation possibilities may be when astronauts start
exploring the moon. Other than a few basic requirements, the primary
instruction given to the designers was to throw away assumptions made
on NASA's previous rovers and come up with new ideas.
"To be honest with you, it was scary when we started," said Lucien
Junkin, a Johnson robotics engineer and the design lead for the
prototype rover. "They tasked us last October to build the next
generation rover and challenge the conventional wisdom. The idea is
that, in the future, NASA can put this side-by-side with alternate
designs and start to pick their features."
One of the first standards to go was the traditional expectation that
a vehicle should have four wheels. Mars rovers Spirit and
Opportunity, still cruising around the Red Planet, have already
proved the value of a couple of extra wheels. When one of the six
wheels became inoperable, the rovers had no problem rolling on using
the remaining five.
With the number of wheels decided, the next question was how those
wheels should turn. On a car, the front wheels turn a few inches in
either direction, and both wheels point in the same direction. On
this rover, all six wheels can pivot individually in any direction,
regardless of where any other wheel points. To parallel park, a
driver could pull up next to the parking place, turn all the wheels
to the right and slide right in.
Of course, astronauts will not have trouble finding a parking space
on
the moon. But the feature, called crab steering, has advantages for a
vehicle designed to drive into the craters of the moon. If a slope is
too steep to drive down safely, the vehicle could drive sideways
instead - no backing up or three-point turns required. The
all-wheels, all-ways steering also could come in handy when unloading
and docking payloads or plugging into a habitat for recharging.
Introducing crab steering drove the concept in several other ways. If
the rover's wheels turn to drive in a different direction, the driver
needs to be able to do the same. The driver stands at the steering
mechanism because sitting in a spacesuit is not comfortable or
practical. The astronaut's perch - steering mechanism, driver and all
- can pivot 360 degrees.
"The Apollo astronauts couldn't back up at all because they couldn't
see where they were going in reverse," said Rob Ambrose, assistant
chief of the Automation, Robotics and Simulation Division at Johnson.
"If you have a payload on the back or are plugging into something, it
could be really important to keep your eyes directly on it."
The vehicle also can be the ultimate low-rider. It can lower its
belly
to the ground, making it easier for astronauts in spacesuits to climb
on and off. Individual wheels or sections can be raised and lowered
to keep the vehicle level when driving on uneven ground.
Some, all or none of these features may be selected for the design of
a rover that eventually goes to the moon. NASA's lunar architects
currently envision pressurized rovers that would travel in pairs,
with two astronauts in each rover. The new prototype vehicle is meant
to provide ideas as those future designs are developed.
"This rover concept changed the whole paradigm," said Diane Hope,
program element manager for NASA's Exploration Technology Development
Program at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., which
sponsored the vehicle's development. "It's not something I would have
expected. It provides an alternative approach."
To view images of the lunar truck and another rover technology in
development, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/lunar_truck.html
A Video File of the lunar truck will air on NASA Television. For
schedule and downlink information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
-end-
.
- Prev by Date: NASA Team Demonstrates Robot Technology For Moon Exploration
- Next by Date: NASA Views Landing Site Through Eyes of Future Moon Crew
- Previous by thread: NASA Team Demonstrates Robot Technology For Moon Exploration
- Next by thread: NASA Views Landing Site Through Eyes of Future Moon Crew
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
