Motiv Space Systems is Engineering the First Robotic Arm to Survive the Extreme Cold of the Moon
News provided by
Share this article
Share this article
PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ Motiv Space Systems, in partnership with JPL, today announced the development of COLDArm, the first-in-kind robotic arm that will be built to survive the extreme cold of the Moon s South Pole ushering in a new era of extended space exploration on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
About COLDArm
COLDArm (short for Cold Operable Lunar Deployable Arm) is a vital component of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) a NASA program to send small robotic landers and rovers to the Moon, including its South Pole a region known for extremely cold temperatures in the dark of night.
Jan 11, 2021 | by Julie Bonette
A team of eight Dartmouth engineering students was awarded
Best Technical Paper at NASA’s Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-changing (BIG) Idea Challenge. The team was one of eight finalists selected from across the country to present lunar exploration technology concepts and prototypes at the BIG Idea Challenge virtual forum earlier this month.
The Dartmouth team’s idea, SHREWs: Strategic Highly-compliant Roving Explorers of other Worlds, focuses on mobility achieved through a class of robots able to latch on to each other to minimize the chance of getting stuck or having to be rescued. The team took inspiration from shrews, who latch onto each others tails, forming a train or caravan, in order to move in a quick and orderly fashion. The modular, collaborative rovers were designed to help explore the Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs) of the Lunar South Pole.
So without further adieu, here are the BIGGEST TCPA stories of 2020 based on our readership volumes.
No. 10: Repeat TCPA Plaintiffs Score Big Wins
Nothing fascinates (enrages?) TCPAWorld dwellers more than hearing about the antics of repeat TCPA plaintiffs. Names like Shelton, Perrong, Mey, Abante Rooter, Cunningham, Charvat (one R), and the infamous Doc Compton really seem to move the needle. And nothing gets the dander of TCPAWorld readers like stories of these frequent fliers scoring big TCPA wins. So it is, perhaps, little surprise that the number 10 most read story of 2020 was
Stoops defense and carving out a new private right of action for internal DNC claims.
NASA reports 3D Printed Rocket Engine Parts make it through 23 Hot-Fire Tests
Huntsville, AL – Future lunar landers might come equipped with 3D printed rocket engine parts that help bring down overall manufacturing costs and reduce production time. NASA is investing in advanced manufacturing – one of five industries of the future – to make it possible.
Through a series of hot-fire tests in November, NASA demonstrated that two additively manufactured engine components – a copper alloy combustion chamber and nozzle made of high-strength hydrogen resistant alloy – could withstand the same extreme combustion environments that traditionally manufactured metal structures experience in flight.
Hot-fire testing of an additively manufactured copper alloy combustion chamber and a nozzle made of a high-strength hydrogen resistant alloy. (NASA)
[1] – to make it possible.
Through a series of hot-fire tests in November, NASA demonstrated that two additively manufactured engine components – a copper alloy combustion chamber and nozzle made of high-strength hydrogen resistant alloy – could withstand the same extreme combustion environments that traditionally manufactured metal structures experience in flight.
Hot-fire testing of an additively manufactured copper alloy combustion chamber and a nozzle made of a high-strength hydrogen resistant alloy. (NASA)
“This 3D printed technology is a game-changer when it comes to reducing total hardware manufacturing time and cost,” said Tom Teasley, a test engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.