We are here (deux)

Terra and Luna, from Mars. From the same HiRISE camera that took photos of Phoenix on Mars’ surface. This time, looking back on us.

A bigger photo is over there. From the mission Website:

At the time the image was taken, Earth was 142 million kilometers (88 million miles) from Mars, giving the HiRISE image a scale of 142 kilometers (88 miles) per pixel, an Earth diameter of about 90 pixels and a moon diameter of 24 pixels. The phase angle is 98 degrees, which means that less than half of the disk of the Earth and the disk of the moon have direct illumination. We could image Earth and moon at full disk illumination only when they are on the opposite side of the sun from Mars, but then the range would be much greater and the image would show less detail.

Lunar robots

U.S. President George Bush has made a manned mission to Mars a priority for NASA. But before that happens, we need to establish a permanent base on the Moon. Call it practice in living on an alien landscape. Robots will help make that happen; here are a few articles from the past few years that tackle that idea.

From News Scientist, a peer reviewed science journal (in other words, well respected), Lunar colony to tun on moon dust and robots:

Four years ago, Alex Freundlich and his colleagues at the University of Houston in Texas came up with the idea of getting robotic rovers to build solar cells entirely out of lunar dust or “regolith” (New Scientist print edition, 24 June 2000). This fine, grey powder is half silicon dioxide, with the remainder made up of a blend of oxides of 12 metals, including aluminium, magnesium and iron.

The team reasoned that this mix contains all the elements necessary to build a solar panel, and suggested that robots trundling over the lunar surface could melt regolith, refine it and then lay down a glassy substrate on which solar cells could be deposited. The rover – solar-powered, of course – would leave a trail of solar panels in its wake (see graphic).

And then there’s the ATHLETE, from the Daily Galaxy:

The ATHLETE (All-Terrain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer) has a number of functions. For one, it proves that engineers will go to the most torturous verbal lengths to get a good acronym. For another, it solves one of the fundamental ironic problems of moon exploration: after spending millions of dollars and years of effort to cross the hundreds of thousands of kilometers to get there, you’re stuck exploring the same few square miles around your base site.

The ATHLETE can wheel and walk its way around the lunar surface to anywhere the occupants feel like taking a gander at. A unique combination design means that while the roving robot can drive a lot of the way, anywhere wheels would get stuck it can simply get up and step across. The moon’s reduced gravity means that this huge Wild Wild Westesque spider-bot isn’t as unlikely as it seems, and solar power means the explorers don’t risk running out of gas.

Here’s the Nasa Website for ATHLETE

The first version of the ATHLETE vehicle is under development and has the following characteristics:

• Greater than 4 m in diameter with more than 6 m reach
• Able to dock or mate with special-purpose devices, including a launchable/releasable grappling hook, refueling stations, excavation implements, and/or special end effectors
• 6-DOF legs for generalized robotic manipulation
• Large payload capacity of 450 kg per vehicle, with much more for multiple ATHLETE vehicles docked together