Moon Strider

The Moon Water Wheel satellite I proposed earlier allows the following lunar explorer “The Moon Strider”. I got my inspiration from the water striders that walk on water. They are very light and have long thin legs.

The Moon Strider would be a flexible solar panel supported by a thin titanium plate for rigidity. It would have thin legs made of carbon fiber tubes and carbon nano tube fibers connecting the sections to the motor section on top. I propose piezoelectric motors for the actuation of these legs. The robot would have four legs and 2 arms that function as legs as well. The tips of the arms attract the lunar dust and carry them to the head for analyses. The head of the robot accommodates all the sensors. The robot does not carry bulky batteries. The power-hungry operations such as walking, sampling and communicating are only done when the solar panels are illuminated. The satellite I had proposed earlier would beam light on the robot on Lunar nights. The satellite also relays the signals from the robot to the earth, reducing the communication power need for the robot.

The Moon Strider would be deployed on the Moon in rolled form. It would also be covered by a rolled protective cylinder made of wire mashes. The satellite carrying the Moon Strider would spin it before releasing it on the moon for a free fall. I got my inspiration from the Dambusters bombs. The spinning would reduce the effect of impact on the robot. The rolled cylindrical wire mash would unfold after it is released from the satellite. After hitting the surface of the moon, it would absorb the shock and crack, releasing the rolled Moon Strider unharmed. Then, the strider would melt the wires that keep it rolled. Once the robot unfolds, it would start its exploration of the moon. The deployment of the robot should be conducted on Lunar days.

The light weight design and long legs allow the robot to go over the obstacles and climb the crater walls. The satellite carrying the robot would also function as the illuminator, relay satellite. Also, more than one robot can be deployed to cover more areas.