HR: 0830h
AN: P21D-11    [Abstracts]
TI: Addressable Reconfigurable Technology (ART) for Building Sustainable Moon Bases
AU: * Clark, P E
EM: pamela.clark@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA/GSFC, Code 695, greenbelt, md 20771 United States
AU: Curtis, S A
EM: Steven.A.Curtis@nasa.gov
AF: NASA/GSFC, Code 695, greenbelt, md 20771 United States
AU: Rilee, M L
EM: mike@rilee.net
AF: NASA/GSFC, Code 695, greenbelt, md 20771 United States
AU: Shaya, E J
EM: edward.j.shaya.1@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: University of Maryland, Astronomy Department, College Park, md 20742 United States
AU: Cheung, C Y
EM: CYnthia.Y.Cheung@nasa.gov
AF: NASA/GSFC, Code 695, greenbelt, md 20771 United States
AU: Floyd, S R
EM: Samuel.R.Floyd@nasa.gov
AF: NASA/GSFC, Code 691, Greenbelt, md 20771 United States
AB: NASA's Exploration Initiative requires approaches and tools to support of near future human activities on the lunar surface. A sustainable infrastructure and tools to support such activities must be developed using currently available ElectroMechanical Systems (EMS). Architecture based on Addressable Reconfigurable Technology (ART), which we are already developing for small rovers, should be well suited to this task. ART structures are highly addressable arrays of robust nodes interconnected by highly reconfigurable struts that, along with tethers and surfaces are autonomously and reversibly deployable. The basic building unit in this architecture is a tetrahedron, the most efficient space-filling form, consisting of nodes interconnected with struts that can be reversibly and/or partially deployed or stowed to allow the tetrahedron to change its size and shape on command in real-time. Tetrahedral units are interlinked in one (linear), two (planar), or three (space-filling) dimensions to create conformable objects. As more tetrahedra are interconnected, the degrees of freedom are increased and motions evolve from simple to complex, from stepped to continuous. This design allows movement to change shape and/or location revolutionizing the architecture for space structures by epitomizing portable `form follows function' at every level. Although the 3D network of actuators and structural elements is composed of nodes that are addressable as are pixels in an LCD screen. The full functionality of such a system requires fully autonomous operation, and will ultimately be realized through a neural basis function (NBF) we are currently developing, which possesses the capability for actuator-level autonomic response and heuristic-level decision-making. Two EMS level ART-based concepts are designed for sustainable autonomous operation on the Moon. The Autonomous Lunar Investigator (ALI) would consist of one or more 12tetrahedral walkers capable of rapid locomotion with the many degrees of freedom necessary to navigate the relatively inaccessible and thus largely unexplored rugged terrains where lunar resources are likely to be found: the farside, the edges of basins, the poles. The Smart Architecture for Infrastructure on the Lunar Surface. (SAILS) would provide reusable, multi-functional, efficient, and thus cost-effective architecture for robust yet transformable structures to provide the controllable physical plant for lunar bases: shelter, transportation, communication, and production facilities.
UR: http://ants.gsfc.nasa.gov
DE: 5462 Polar regions
DE: 5470 Surface materials and properties
DE: 5494 Instruments and techniques
DE: 6250 Moon (1221)
DE: 9820 Techniques applicable in three or more fields
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly