Cold plate.
The rectangular slab is a 'cold plate'. The plate is used to sink heat that is applied to a hot source during vacuum tests. Conduction and capacitance are measured during heat flow through parts that are placed between the hot and cold.
December 23, 2008 - by Layered chassis mold
Layered chassis mold
The robot's chassis mold must exhibit precise geometry over a large volume, which is a challenge. It is impractical for us to handle or machine one monolithic block of metal this size. One approach is to layer precisely-machined sections to achieve the intended result.
December 22, 2008 - by Optimization of composite material
Wired temp sensors
Finite element analysis is used to optimize composite material details like shell thickness and fiber orientation. Loading conditions include acoustic, thrust and shaking from launch vehicle and rocket motors. These images correspond to loading conditions and fiber orientation within the composite material.
December 17, 2008 - by Thermal strap test
Wired temp sensors
Composite thermal straps conduct heat from internal hot-spots to the robot's radiator. An 'L'-shaped strap was pre-tested in atmosphere by heating one end and observing the resulting temperatures. The test succeeded. The next step is vacuum testing.
December 12, 2008 - by Wired temp sensors
Wired temp sensors
Small temperature sensors with even smaller wires report temperature readings that result from thermal-vacuum testing.
December 9, 2008 - by Motor control by FPGA
Motor control by FPGA
Seven brushless motors drive the robot and operate cameras because brushed motors would fail in the lunar environment. Brushed control wouldn't do, but brushless control could burden the flight computer. Field-Programmable-Gate-Arrays are the right intermediary to offload computer cycles while reliably controlling the motors. Brushless motor control is underway on commercial development boards before porting to flight hardware.
December 3, 2008 - by Beam testing
Beam testing
This composite beam failed intentionally during testing. The carbon sheathing delaminated from its honeycomb core. The test loads a simply-supported beam with two equal forces. The result is moment without shear at the center and shear without moment at the end. This is a standard means for evaluating beam performance.
November 23, 2008 - by Wedge filler success in I-beam layup
Wedge filler success in I-beam layup
November 14, 2008 - by Photo Shoot
Photo Shoot
Astrobotic's photography is no accident. Some of the quality is from technique. All of the quality is from people. This clip profiles a photo shoot.
November 13, 2008 - by Vacuum test of chain drive
Vacuum test of chain drive
Chains are transmissions of choice for many compact, ultralight wheel drives. For example, over a billion chain-driven bicycles operate on earth. However, chain drives don't yet operate on the moon. Lunar-specific advantages of chains include location of drive motors away from wheel hubs and driving multiple wheels from fewer actuators. Because the application is innovative, it requires extensive testing. A successful vacuum test simulated 40 kilometers of lunar driving in a hundred hours.
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