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Monthly Archives: November 2008
Wedge filler success in I-beam layup
This I-beam uses curved fillets to connect the tapered web to its
flanges. Earlier layups failed, since material could not be compressed
at the curved fillets, and air-gaps resulted. This layup succeeds because the fillets are pre-packed with long wedges. The wedges are permanently, integrally molded into the tapered I-beam. With the wedges in place, external pressure compresses the layup material against the internal resistance of the wedges. This compression squeezes out air bubbles and compresses resin, fibers and wedges into a strong monolith.
The web and flanges are visible in a side view.
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| From AstroboticBlogPhotos |
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Google Lunar X Prize competitor plans return to Apollo 11 site and commercial polar missions PITTSBURGH, PA – November 18, 2008 – Astrobotic Technology Inc., which will pioneer the lunar frontier with commercial robotic services, today announced that four leading space and management experts have been elected to its Board of Directors. “Together, these new… {read more}
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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.
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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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| From AstroboticBlogPhotos |
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Posed rover photos
These images raise the bar on Astrobotic’s photographic technique.
Prior photos caught poses of opportunity in arbitrary scenes with natural lighting. These photos intentionally posed the rover and illuminated for effect. These used handheld strobes to dramatize the rover and lower the ambient scene lighting. Post-processing desaturated the terrain until it was moon-gray. Post-processing also darkened the sky and added the earth.
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| From AstroboticBlogPhotos |
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Anticipate, negotiate, evaluate, iterate
Human factors govern success of remote operations, and success requires a great deal of training, experimentation and hard work. That is expected in technological development and enterprise. Success rarely comes easily. Flip Wilson said it well: “You can’t expect to hit the jackpot if you don’t put a few nickels in the machine”.
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