Here is a demonstration of our Moonbot’s drive train:

Here is our Moonbot running:

 

Here are renderings of our CAD model:
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Written Robot Proposal

Our plan consists of a system that would be comprised of a lander and small deployable rovers. This system would harvest minerals from the moon such as metals and silicon, and then assemble necessary objects for future use by humans, i.e. solar parabolic concentrators, a moon base, or other equipment.

1. Technical specifications

  • Rocket:

Ideally, this would be a previous design of a rocket to save on design and testing expenses. Payload would need to be anywhere between 1 and 3 tons.

  • Lander:

The lander would be designed to process materials gathered by the rovers. It would be comprised of the following individual components that form a process.

    • Landing rockets

Will be similar to the Apollo landing rockets.

    • Power

Aqueous homogeneous nuclear power generator - This will produce the heat for the smelter and energy for the machines. It will be extremely light compared to other types of nuclear reactors because it requires very little fuel. This will provide power for the lander and power replacement batteries for the rovers.

    • Chemical reducer

Used to separate metals from their oxidized state through the process of reduction. The mechanical process for this would need to be created.

    • Metal smelter/SiO2 glass maker

The heat for this device will be produced by the nuclear power generator. The machine will mechanically perform the procedure necessary to synthesize the needed materials, be it metal or glass, combining materials by monitoring feedback from sensors.

    • 3D printer

Will have the ability to create relatively finely-made objects out of various molten materials, specifically metal and glass using specs sent from earth. It may require the ability to clean itself.

    • Communications

A laser communications satellite may be needed to provide the high speed connection required to transmit the video feed in real time.

Process:

The lander would take harvested and refined Silicon and various metals, mostly Aluminum, Iron, and Titanium, refine these materials and print parts.

  • Rovers
    • Harvest rover(s):

The rover would be designed to gather materials for the lander. It would be equipped with a mineral analyzer tool to detect high concentrations of needed materials. It would then collect these materials and store them until depositing them in the lander. It would need to be very efficient and fast.

    • Construction/Transport rover

This rover would be equipped with 2 or more manipulator arms to assemble parts created by the lander. It would also have enough power to move relatively large assembled objects.

2. Mission Description

  • Proposed mission #1

Location: Highlands

Objectives: On the moon are fairly abundant amounts of Silicon and Lime, which can be synthesized into glass. There are also oxidized metals, primarily Aluminum and Iron. The lander would send the rovers to find deposits of necessary elements, harvest them, and bring them back for refining and molding. Using these, it could make solar parabolic concentrators, which would be stationed at one of the Peaks of Eternal Light to get power nearly all the time. The lander could then create and assemble a moon habitat for humans.

  • Proposed mission #2

Location: Maria

Objectives: On the lunar surface, especially in the Maria, there are fairly high amounts of oxidized metals, primarily Aluminum, Iron, and Titanium. The lander would send out the rovers to find deposits of necessary elements, harvest them, and bring them back to the lander for refining and molding. The lander could create and assemble a moon habitat for humans.

3. Challenges

  • Expensive and risky
  • May be too heavy to launch affordably
  • Lander mechanism is complicated – could be difficult to design.
  • Necessary elements not extremely concentrated on moon
  • Nuclear power can be difficult to manage

In the end:
Our system is adaptable and can perform many functions due to its multi-purpose nature. It is also capable of building components on site and expanding the area its is capable of exploring. It makes its own power by using new, already implemented methods; power that will last as long as is needed. It can be used for exploration and gathering of data. This system can also potentially set up a moon base or landing site which will open a portal for future missions.