Title:
Development of an autonomous surveying vehicle for underground lunar environments
Development of an autonomous surveying vehicle for underground lunar environments
Author(s)
Jagdish, Nikita
Advisor(s)
Gunter, Brian C.
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Abstract
With impending plans for establishing the first long-term lunar base camp, there is a need to find sustainable habitation sites on the Moon. Discovered in 2009, underground lunar lava tubes have shown potential as future habitation sites and have been proposed for devoted exploratory missions. These underground environments could provide protection from the drastic changes in temperature, radiation, and other extreme conditions on the Moon. However, they have only been observed by lunar orbiters and little is known about their internal structure or suitability for habitable structures. Various on-ground robotic systems have been proposed to do this initial survey, but ground vehicles have a high risk of being immobilized in the event of rough terrain. This project aimed to begin the development of an Autonomous Surveying Vehicle (ASV) as a candidate to explore these lava tubes. The ASV will feature a self-contained, refillable propulsion system that provides full mobility, allowing the vehicle to explore the lava tubes with high agility and multiple short-span surveying missions. The propulsion system will utilize an inert cold gas as its propellant to preserve the natural environment and avoid contamination of any potential resources in the lava tubes. The vehicle will also be equipped with on-board sensors, such as inertial sensors and LiDAR, and an autonomous navigation system to simultaneously map and traverse the tubes. The ASV will be compact and inexpensive compared to other proposed systems, putting forth a simpler option for an initial survey of the tubes to determine whether a more extensive exploratory mission is warranted. The vehicle will also be applicable for other surveying missions, such as above-ground environments that are inaccessible or hazardous for rovers and humans. This thesis outlines the mission goals and requirements and begins the development of a prototype cold gas propulsion system for the ASV.
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Date Issued
2024-04-29
Extent
Resource Type
Thesis