Paper:
Model Tests of Regolith Packaging Mechanism
Daisuke Inoue*, Yoshitaka Yanagihara*, Hiroshi Ueno**,
and Shin’ichiro Nishida**
*Tokyu Construction Co., Ltd., 3062-1 Tana, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0244, Japan
**Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 2-1-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8505, Japan
A robot construction method is developed for burying a lunar outpost. With this method, sandbags are made and piled up on the lunar surface to build a sandbag stack around an outpost and bury it. This method makes it possible to build a lunar base efficiently while minimizing risky manned space operations. In this study, we focused on the “sandbag,” which is the most critical element in a burying mission using a sandbag stacking robot, made a basic design based on soil pressure analysis, and evaluated the validity of design by conducting model tests. We confirmed the validity of the basic design of the sandbag stacking robot from these studies.
- [1] T. Yoshimitsu, M. Ootsuka, T. Kubota, and I. Nakatani, “Semi-Autonomous Telescience System for Planetary Exploration Rover,” J. Robotics and Mechatronics, Vol.12, No.4, pp. 432-437, 2000.
- [2] N. Yoshioka, “Mission-Task Support Aspects of Planetary Rover for Surface Analysis,” J. Robotics and Mechatronics, Vol.12, No.4, pp. 438-442, 2000.
- [3] S. Hirose and H. Kuwabara, “Design of Three-wheeled Planetary Rover Tri-StarII,” J. Robotics and Mechatronics, Vol.12, No.4, pp. 446-452, 2000.
- [4] K. Tadakuma, M. Matsumoto, and S. Hirose, “Mechanical Design and Basic Run Experiments with the Tri-StarIII – Horizontal Polyarticular Expandable 3-Wheeled Planetary Rover,” J. Robotics and Mechatronics, Vol.20, No.6, 2008.
- [5] M. Okumura, Y. Ohashi, T. Ueno, S. Motoyui, and K. Murakawa, “Lunar Base Construction Using the Reinforce Earth Method with Geotextile,” Proc. ASCE Space’94, Vol.2, pp. 1106-1115, 1994.
- [6] J. Kaplicky and D. Nixon, “A Surface-Assembled Superstructure Envelope System to Support Regolith Mass-Shielding for an Initial-Operational-Capability Lunar Base,” Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century, Lunar and Planetary Institute, pp. 375-380, 1985.
- [7] Eagle Engineering, “Lunar Surface Construction & Assembly Equipment Study,” EEI Report, No.88-194, 1988.
- [8] M. Okumura, Y. Ohashi, T. Ueno, S. Motoyui, and K. Murakawa, “Foundation Slab for Lunar Base Construction,” Proc. ASCE Space���94, Vol.2, pp. 1128-1137, 1994.
- [9] Y. Nakamura, “Shallow moonquakes – How they compare with earthquakes,” Proc. 11th Lunar and Planetary Science Conf., Vol.3, pp. 1847-1853, 1980.
- [10] H. Kanamori, S. Udagawa, T. Yoshida, S. Matsumoto, and K. Takagi, “Properties of lunar soil simulant manufactured in Japan,” Proc. ASCE Space’98, pp. 462-468, 1998.
- [11] W. D. Carrier, G. R. Olhoeft, and W. Mendell, “Physical Properties of the Lunar Surface,” Lunar Sourcebook, Cambridge University Press, 1991.
- [12] T. Kobayashi, H. Ochiai, N. Yasufuku, K. Omine, S. Aoki, H. Kanamori, K. Matsui, and A. Miyamae, “Load-settlement Characteristics of Japanese Lunar Soil Simulant in Partial Gravity,” Space Resources Roundtable VIII, pp. 37-38, 2006.
- [13] H. Matsuoka and S. Liu, “A New Earth Reinforcement Method Using Soilbags,” Taylor & Francis, 2005.
- [14] L. D. Fuglsang and N. K. Ovesen, “The application of the theory of modeling to centrifuge studies,” Taylor & Francis, Centrifuge in Soil Mechanics, pp. 119-38, 1988.
This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationa License.
Copyright© 2012 by Fuji Technology Press Ltd. and Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers. All right reserved.