Friday, April 10, 2009

Spotlight on Carnegie-Mellon's Scarab Rover

Fresh from a second round of Ground Truth testing on the Island of Hawai'i, CM's Scarab is detailed in a recent report from The Future of Things
Scarab was designed from the start for conditions on the Moon.

The Carnegie Mellon Lunar Rover Initiative put the Scarab through two series of extended tests in 2008. The first took place in Moses Lake, Washington in June and the second in Mauna Kea, Hawaii in October and November. Most of the tests in Washington explored the capabilities of the laser navigation system and the vehicle's mobility. The tests in Hawaii also exercised the navigation systems in a lunar-like terrain filled with volcanic ash. Drawbar tests to examine what happens when forces pull back on the Scarab were also performed as were tests of the velocity camera and drilling system.
From The Future of Things, HERE.

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