![]() “But at the same time, the nature of the tasks to be performed on the surface will require a high cadence of operation. “The remote nature of the lunar surface makes it difficult for direct control of robots by human operators on Earth,” Mehling said. Credit: NASA TV video still Remote or autonomous?Ĭommunications challenges loom large for lunar robotics. RASSOR is designed to excavate resources on the moon, Mars or an asteroid and deliver them to a processing plant. NASA’s Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR) being tested at the Kennedy Space Center Swarmp Works rapid innovation center. “There are a lot of opportunities to use robots both when the crew is there and when they’re not, because they’re a valuable extension of that human presence,” Mehling said. When crews leave the moon to travel to the lunar Gateway space station or back to Earth, robots can continue to survey the lunar landscape and maintain lunar infrastructure. “The robots free up the crew for their top priorities.” “We have scenarios in which we would rather a robot do something than the crew because the crew’s time is more valuable spent elsewhere,” Mehling said. The same will be true on the moon.Īstronauts traveling to the lunar surface could rely on robots to perform routine inspections, sift through the lunar regolith and travel into craters or lava tubes. Terrestrial robots tend to perform jobs deemed too dull, dirty or dangerous for people. In addition to moving people and equipment, robots are being developed to help NASA identify lunar resources and construct lunar landing pads. From the first Artemis mission to deliver astronauts to the moon, currently scheduled for 2025, to later efforts to establish a sustained lunar presence, “there’s a vast array of uses for robots on the moon,” said Joshua Mehling, NASA principal technologist for robotics.
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