2014/12/10 by Chris Womack, Miles Crist, Womack, Chris +10
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM) #Planetary Science and Exploration #Spacecraft Design and Technology #Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies #astro-ph.IM
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1412.3490
13 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication at American Journal of Undergraduate Research (AJUR)
arxiv created 2014/12/10 · openalex publication_date 2014/12/10 · arxiv updated 2014/12/12 · openalex created_date 2022/09/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The harsh environment on the lunar surface presents unique technological challenges for space exploration. This paper presents research on the design and development of the Tele- scope-deployment High-vacuum teleOperated Rover (THOR), currently being built and tested in the Lunar and Airless Bodies Simulator (LABS) facility at the University of Colorado Boulder. This rover is fabricated entirely out of cost-effective commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and materials. THOR can potentially survive for more than one simulated year in conditions similar to that of the lunar environment, demonstrating the successful initial results of a first phase research study on material and electronic survivability in an extreme environment such as the Moon.