Lunar Numbat

Andy Gelme and Jon Oxer of the Lunar Numbat build team have been preparing a modest avionics package to go into a class G hobby rocket for some high velocity fun and testing.

The rocket to be used for the launches has already made a name for itself due to some stunning video taken with it's onboard inflight video camera, linked via a 2.4GHz Microwave signal.

The Lunar Numbat Build team are keen to get our avionics under development into launch vehicles, so as to test our work and improve on it.

We're looking forward to the test results and video footage of course!

An ingenious 'tethered marsupial rover' that would spend most of its time attached to a larger vehicle until it is needed is being investigated by NASA.

From Space.com:

The Axel rover prototype is built like a yo-yo; its tether is wrapped around its central axle. The other end of the tether would be attached to a larger, conventional rover robot, like the Spirit and Opportunity rovers on Mars. The Axel rover solves a problem that bedevils these conventional robots. When Spirit, for example, encounters a crater, it cannot descend and explore.

According to Pablo Abad-Manterola, one of the contributing CalTech students:

"Right now, it's really risky for astronauts or robots, for example, like Spirit an Opportunity to go into craters. The ground is too loose and the slopes are too steep. So it's too risky for those robots to get into those craters and perform any interesting science. So this robot would be very useful for those types of scenarios, where you can really dive into those craters, pick up some samples, and really analyze them and tell us something really new and interesting about Mars or the moon, for example."

Small, nippy and smart is all the rage. Go Lunar Numbat!

Spirit and Opportunity, the wildly successful Martian rovers have an Australian contribution.

Both are driven by 39 DC micromotors supplied by Maxon Motor Australia.

Each rover is equipped with 39 DC motors from Swiss drive specialists, Maxon motor Australia. The precision drives are used for driving the robotic arms, rock drilling, operating the cameras, the steering mechanism, and for the 6 wheels that drive the heavy vehicles (each weighing nearly 180kg) over the planet’s surface.

The motors are standard products with diameters of 20 and 25mm that deliver more than 90% efficiency. Minor modifications were required to enable rovers to cope with the harsh conditions. The equipment has to be able to withstand temperature changes on the surface of Mars, which can range from around -120°C to +25°C, vibrations and the special atmosphere.

Worthy of investigation.

All work done for Lunar Numbat is on a volunteer basis, including assembling our online infrastructure, which a step at a time is coming together.

One quite important piece is the Lunar Numbat Wiki, now available and ready to use thanks to Jon, who broke the ice with his page on Reference Material. Thanks Jon!

The Reference Material page was gathered from posts to the Lunar Numbat Mail List, which already has some interesting posts in it.

My thanks to all those helping bring this necessary collection of resources together. From here on we power ahead

So what is Lunar Numbat all about you're wondering? I'm glad you asked!

Lunar Numbat is a team of Australians and New Zealanders who use their skills and Open Source technologies to partner with the Google Lunar X-Prize team "White Label Space". Why? So as to put a Linux powered robotic Australian Marsupial on the moon. Simple really.

The Google Lunar X-Prize awards US$20 million to the first team to safely land a rover on the moon which successfully roves more than 500 meters and transmits back high definition images and video, with bonuses for extra achievements.

"White Label Space" is a Google Lunar X-Prize (GLXP) team we like the look of, which is why we're partnering with them.

The Numbat is a small smart and very cute endangered Australian Marsupial. It's efficiencies and intelligence represent the attributes we aspire to in our rover.

While our primary goal is to assist "White Label Space" to succeed in the GLXP, our reasons for doing so also include bringing about innovations in Space Science using Open Source technologies, to collaborate with other Space Science entities, to educate as to the grand benefits that Space Science provides all people and advocate the formation of an Australian Space Agency.

As for the moon, it's our companion world, our off shore island. Invariably when you learn about the moon, you learn about the Earth. In more ways than may seem self evident, they're linked.

In this International year of Astronomy, we'd like to start making Space Science better understood, less expensive and more accessible to everyone.

Sound like fun to you? Then come join us!