What is a lunabot?
- A robot controlled remotely or autonomously
- Visual and auditory isolation from the operator
- Traverses across rough lunar terrain
- Mines Black Point 1 (BP-1) aggregate
- Traverses back across rough lunar terrain
- Deposits BP-1 into LunaBin at .5 meters above simulated lunar surface
- Weighs no more than 80 kilograms
- Does not exceed dimensions of 1.5m long x .75 meters wide x .75 meters tall at the start of each run
What is BP-1
- BP-1 is Black Point 1, a lunar regolith simulant that is found at the Black Point mine in Arizona.
What is regolith? - The layer of unconsolidated solid material covering the bedrock of a planet
- The Lunabotics Mining Competition is a university-level competition designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). NASA will directly benefit from the competition by encouraging the development of innovative lunar excavation concepts from universities which may result in clever ideas and solutions which could be applied to an actual lunar excavation device or payload. The challenge is for students to design and build a remote controlled or autonomous excavator, called a lunabot, that can collect and deposit a minimum of 10 kilograms of lunar simulant within 10 minutes. The complexities of the challenge include the abrasive characteristics of the lunar simulant, the weight and size limitations of the lunabot, and the ability to control the lunabot from a remote control center.
Where can I register to compete? What are the rules of the competition? Where do I find more information? |
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