a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
American manned lunar rover. Study 1989. MOSAP (MObile Surface APplication traverse vehicle) was the pressurized lunar rover that was the key to NASA’s 90-Day-Study moon base concept of 1989. It would greatly extend the range of manned lunar expeditions. MOSAP had a maximum range of 3000 km with a nominal speed of 10 kph. MOSAP …
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Most of the unmanned Lunar and Martian rover concepts were designed to use manipulator arms for sampling rocks and surface material. John Schoenherr’s (1935-2010) fabulous Moon Crawler painting pictured above, which he painted in 1961 for the cover of Analog magazine that year. Source: Project SWORD Â Â Project S.W.O.R.D. (SPACE WORLD ORGANISATION FOR RESEARCH …
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4-Legged robot space explorer. Robot Rescuing an Astronaut on the Lunar Surface. Robot reminiscent of Odex-1. Legged robot turning a valve. Model Lunar walker from the French children's book "Permieres Vacances Sur La Lune" [“First Vacation on the Moon”], Marc Heimer – 1967. Above: Prediction of life on the moon c1965. Illustration from the …
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Lunar Construction Vehicle with manipulator arms. Above image from “The Next 50 Years on the Moon”, 1974. NASA Study Summary: “Project Horizon, Vol 2, Technical Considerations and Plans” Here’s a big study from 1959, done by the US Army, right about the time NASA was just becoming a going concern. There was a lot of …
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Artists concept of the Lunar Worm, showing a large, crawling Pneumatic bellows shelter, and a smaller transport vehicle with side-by-side circular bellows. The crawling motion is not gained by pumping fluid (air) in or out of the bellow segments, but uses a mechanical travelling-wave connected to the pneumatic-bellows structure. The Epoch Times July 20, …
Read More “1966 – “Lunar Worm” (Concept) – Dobson & Fulton of Philco (American)”