DigitalSpace: Lunar Conveyer/Trackway Superbot Concept Application

DigitalSpace: Lunar Conveyer/Trackway Superbot Concept Application

The following is a concept discussed first on a conference call in March 2005 and again on a conference call on July 11, 2005 for a SuperBots application in the Lunar surface environment for ISRU and exploration. Concept and sketches provided by Bruce Damer of DigitalSpace.

The concept achieves the following four goals with moveable, extendable identical conveyer + mobile platform segments (see sketch below). The top of the segment is a conveyer belt on rollers. This belt can also be locked into place and provide a stable platform. Carrying the platform are identical wheeled superbot segments which provide mobility to the whole platform and, if necessary, move the conveyer roller. These superbots connect with neighboring superbots supporting other platforms and provide power and communications.

1. These identical segments may be moved independently, connected together and like a traditional bucket wheel mining operation, convey materials from an excavation face possibly driven by an machine like a bucket wheel excavator (BWE). This material is conveyed along variable length and pathways to an ISRU processor for mission consumables extraction, to a hab area for burying and radiation mitigation or past scientific instruments for detection of different components of regolith as excavated from different depths (concept per Michael Sims). See figure below for scenario 1.

2-3. Next, the same conveyer/trackway segments could be rearranged to provide stationary platforms (conveyer belt is locked in place) for trackways and landing pad areas for easier mobility, dust mitigation and descent/ascent motor exhaust blast mitigation. See figure above for concepts 2-3.

4. As the figure above shows, the conveyer/trackway segments could also be stacked with solar arrays and these arrays connected into a larger field or moved out to a worksite to provide mobile power generation. These could also be platforms for any other devices like communications systems.