Winners emerge from NASA's new Challenge
NASA solicited the lunar robot proposal from the public, and its winning proposal weighed only 0.8 pounds, about the size of a soapbox, smaller in size and mass, cheaper to build, and more maneuverable.
Robotic detectors in other fields are of all kinds, some like a piece of soap, even in the palm of the hand. But these mini-robots are on a great mission: to prepare humans for survival on the moon.
NASA announced the "Honey, I've Scaled Down NASA Loader" challenge campaign, selecting a total of six miniature loader designs for the postponed lunar launch mission. In the future, these small robots are likely to reach the surface of the moon, collect resources, observe the environment, and then gather to form relevant information.
Shipping equipment into space is expensive: NASA predicts that it will cost $10,000 to send just a 1-pound (about 0.454 kilogram) load to Earth's orbit.
While part of Artemis' plan is to provide sustainable conditions for human survival on the moon, the space agency should also consider using sustainable methods as it moves toward this goal.
This is how these small robots come from, the smaller the loader quality, the cheaper the price, and the smaller the size of the detector, the more convenient it is to move.
In April, NASA announced a volkswagen-contest for awards that required miniature loads to be 3.9 inches long, 3.9 inches wide, 1.9 inches high, and no more than 0.8 pounds (about 0.363 kilograms) in mass, and Volkswagen submitted hundreds of designs.
The "Next Generation" challenge, sponsored by NASA's Lunar Surface Innovation Program, calls on a new generation to technically support further exploration of the moon in the future, seeking long-term shelter on the moon for humanity.
Mini robotic probe on the lunar surface
Sabah Bacchus, a technician at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said: "Everyone's ideas are excellent, and these designs also help NASA find a place for humans to stop on the moon and create conditions for the development of new science." ”
The selection is divided into two categories, namely the potential resources of the moon and the lunar environment, which are divided into the second prize and the third prize of the first prize, with a total prize of 160,000 US dollars (about 1,023,680 yuan).
The moon's potential resources are given to mini robots, who carefully explore the lunar surface, identifying minerals, volatile substances and other elements, looking for materials like water that can feed astronauts, which is a revered undertaking. The team that won the first prize in this category developed a lunar water probe called "Puli", a lightweight mini robot that can detect water molecules on the moon while withstanding the moon's harsh weather conditions.
The design of the lunar environment category focuses on the detection of radiation and solar activity received near the moon. The first prize winner designed an X-ray spectrometer, called the "Sun Limiter," which can measure areas that are enhanced by solar activity.
Next mission: NASA has embarked on plans to launch a miniature rover to the moon by the end of 2022.
The Iris four-wheel rover, which is about the size of a shoebox and weighs less than 5 pounds (about 2.27 kilograms), is under development and is expected to be a pioneer in NASA's future lunar missions with a mini-rover.
The Artemis program, which will be implemented in 2024, will be the first time a female astronaut has been sent to the lunar surface and the first time that an astronaut has landed on the lunar surface after more than fifty years since the Apollo program.
Unlike the Apollo program, this time the aim was to keep the astronauts on the moon. In the end, the Artemis project also wanted them to live sustainably on the moon, and it was planned to send a group of team members to the lunar surface every year.
BY: inverse
FY: Fish tofu fish
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