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Hardware design of a spherical mini-roverIn this hardware project the students designed the prototype of a novel mini-rover for the exploration of a planetary surface. In an actual application, a large number of such miniature roving devices would be released from a landing craft. Each rover would be equipped with a Cd 109 radio-isotope source (a gamma ray emitter) irradiating the planetary surface below the rover, and an x-ray fluorescence detector for a quantitative assay of high atomic weight elements in the planet's surface. (Similar, miniaturized, hand-held devices have recently been developed for use in gold mines). The device developed by the students was limited to demonstrating the mechanical and electrical drive. The geometric external shape is a sphere; hence there is no danger of the rover being turned on its back and stopped. Propulsion is by means of an interior mass, eccentric to the sphere and driven by an electric motor. In an inter-disciplinary effort in mechanical and electrical engineering, the students designed the mechanical parts, built the transistorized circuit board, and tested the device.
Document ID
19940021176
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Tarlton, John
(California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: USRA, Proceedings of the 8th Annual Summer Conference: NASA(USRA Advanced Design Program
Subject Category
Mechanical Engineering
Accession Number
94N25669
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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