Moon crater vehicles, what's your idea?

[mikecrane]

<p>My thought.</p><p>A&nbsp;probe hung by a cable attached to two points, or, two vehicles&nbsp;at opposite edges of the crater rim.&nbsp; The two points of attachment could collect solar power and transfer it to the probe.&nbsp; The&nbsp;probe could then raise and lower it's self into the crater off of the suspended line.&nbsp; This could later be used as a system of retrieval by replacing the probe with a shovel&nbsp;if anything of interest is found. It could also be used as a means to raise and lower humans safely into the crater in a basket&nbsp;for a better inspection or to work.</p><p>It this system were to be anchored between two rovers which raise and extended the cable across the crater, then hold it in place, it could be used to explore several craters.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[kelvinzero]

<p>Hi Mike,</p><p>(Im not an expert but..)</p><p>From what I have heard the moon's surface is actually fairly smooth up close because it's surface is continually ground down by micrometeroids (and all the material thrown up from impacts)&nbsp;to form the regolith. It looks harsh in photos because of the dark, sharp shadows.</p><p>I was wondering if the regolith itself could cause problems though. Anyone here ever tried walking up a sand dune which has the maximum possible slope? If you stand on it, it&nbsp;slips you to the bottom like an excalator. I remember something about the lunar rovers also slipping down a bit when parked (from the book 'A man on the moon'). presumably they never parked them on severe slopes.</p><p>For a child playing on a beach, trying to get to the top of a sand dune&nbsp;is a great game. It might not be so funny in a spacesuit in 'smallish' crater several meters high on all sides.</p><p>Back to the issue of getting a probe into a crater (if it should prove impractical to drive in) How about the portion that goes in unwinds a cable as it goes, and the outside end of the cable is anchored by a tool that could also be useful for probing into the regolith? This could also be used for holes that are too wide to be spanned.</p>

 

[StarShipTrooper]

<p>mikecrane</p><p>Not bad, assuming the lip on the crater walls is not to steep as KELVINZERO stated.&nbsp; If enough cables could be strung to span one crater it could make a truss to support an enclosure.&nbsp; If you could close in one of these craters you could then create an artificial enviroment more sutible for humans.&nbsp; Kind of like a lunar bio-doam.&nbsp; You would of corse have to find a narrow mouth deep crater.</p><p>&nbsp;Personally I think you would be better off using all this cable to attach a lunar space elevator into a crater bed.&nbsp; Humans would fair better longterm in a station above the moon that had an earth like enviroment including gravity.&nbsp; Humans could then ride down the elevator to work or repair mining machines. </p>

 

[mikecrane]

<p><font color="#003399">StarShipTrooper</font> </p><p>What would you use as a roofing material?&nbsp; Even a metorite strike away from your cozy crater could result in debree ripping the roof to bits.&nbsp; Remeber the Super Dome?&nbsp; A little wind and rain took that bad boy down.&nbsp; Smaller structures have a far less chance of getting hit becuse well their smaller.&nbsp; A giant structure is putting to many eggs in one basket in my oppion.</p><p>I do agree with you in regards to a space elevator.&nbsp; Small bodies will probably make better settlements at first due to the fact you can simulate gravity with artificial rotation.</p><p><font color="#003399">kelvinzero</font> </p><p>Good Idea, two of the leads can always be joined in the middle too.&nbsp; Ever see the cable mining?&nbsp; A good example is how the hoover dam was built.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>