New research in the desert of Qatar is helping
scientists understand more about future space exploration.
Reports from July show scientists operating an Audi Lunar
Quattro in Qatar’s Zekreet Desert.
The rover, which had been previously tested in glacier and
mountain areas, navigated the sand dunes, often by driving backwards.
Scientists found the craft struggled with high temperatures but noticed the major circuitry remained in good shape.
The project is part of a competition for the Google X Prize, where the first group able
to travel 500 meters on the moon and bring home the proof will win $20
million.
The desert project is great PR for Qatar, but it’s also a
demonstration of what’s new in space travel.
“We are seeing
a groundbreaking event, the first private rover on the Moon.” Harry Keller, president and founder of Smart Science Education Inc. in California, recently told the
Gulf News Journal. explaining how lunar rover testing fits into the
picture. Keller, a Caltech
graduate with experience in engineering and computing technology, has
published articles on space exploration.
“No one knows exactly how the future of space exploration will
play out, and we should be working on everything we can,” Keller said. “Compared to
Mars, the Moon is easy and makes a great place to test ideas for further space
exploration. It could happen that a Moon base will be a key to the
future. Placing capable rovers on the Moon will allow us to locate
potential base sites and to test ideas for space in general.”
Keller broke down the differences between Qatar’s desert
environment and the actual moon surface.
“Earth sand and
soil is quite different from the Moon.” Keller said. “Desert sand in Qatar …
consists of fine and medium grains of silicates, mostly quartz (silicon
dioxide). On the Moon, the soil is mostly basalt that’s been broken down
by millennia of meteorite impacts and the solar wind … the very fine dust
that covers the Moon does not cover the Qatar desert in the same way. Any
such dust would be blown away to be captured by nearby non-desert land and by
bodies of water. Sure, the deserts are dusty, just not so much as the
Moon.”
Keller said lunar electrostatic dust sticks to objects and surfaces. This dust,
he said, can really be a problem for rovers and other mechanical constructions.
“The dust can
be a serious problem for mechanical devices, because it can infiltrate into the
mechanisms, wear them down and even clog them.” Keller said.
Also, Keller said, the much lower gravity of the moon will
help rovers use less energy and experience less challenges navigating slopes.
“The Earth has
the highest gravity of the four rocky planets in our solar system.” Keller
said. “The gravity on the Moon is one-sixth of that on the Earth. This
low gravity makes operating rovers on the Moon easier, not more difficult … the
rovers still must have a low center of gravity, because the changes in forces
that tip and hold down a rover balance each other. Being lighter on the
Moon, a rover is less likely to become stuck in a rut or gully. While the
wheels will have less grip on the lunar soil, they also have less weight to
move … while very low gravity may not help people’s health, it’s a boon for
machines. Rovers can go farther and faster in the low lunar gravity.”
