Astrobotic Technology Inc., a spin-off from Carnegie Mellon University, is developing a series of surface robotic missions to the moon. They will deliver more than 100 kg (240 lbs) per expedition for space agencies and corporations and beam 3D imagery to billions of people on Earth.
Destinations for early missions include Apollo sites, Surveyor 6 – very near the “zero zero” coordinates at the center of the Moon’s near side – and one of the newly discovered “skylights” that are mysterious holes in the surface that may lead down to volcanic caves.
These destinations are near the Moon’s equator, where daytime temperatures exceed 100 degrees C. The robots beat this tremendous heat with an innovative asymmetric design: a substantial radiator dumps heat to black sky from the rover’s shadowed side. All solar panels are on the other side, and the rover always orients them to face the Sun. By reversing its camera head, it can travel east or west while keeping its solar panels Sunward, and it can move north and south by tacking like a sailboat while gaining partial sunpower.
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