Project Overview
Team conceptual design video
Project Duration: Fall 2021 - Present
The 2022 NASA Big Idea Challenge is centered around finding novel ways to traverse lunar craters and regolith. The Caltech team has received full funding in support of our project LATTICE. Details of the project are given in the conference paper here which I cowrote.
Key Contributions
Brainstorming and initial architecture design
Early trade studies of stake designs and mass optimization of stake design
Load and failure mode calculations/analysis for stakes
Design reviews/mentoring role for freshmen and sophomore team members
An early design of the helical auger that will be driven into lunar regolith to help the shuttle traverse.
The stake is 1.5m long, with between .25-.5m being driven into lunar regolith. Current designs being explored include stakes with steel, titanium, and carbon fiber bodies while the auger itself is intended to be steel. The stakes can support transverse loads of around 7kN when properly secured into the regolith.