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Lunar Hot Rod: The Rest of the Story...

creatrPosted for Everyone to comment on, 5 years ago8 min read

"The older I get, the faster I was."
- Charles Barkley -


This is the conclusion of a three-part series describing the design of a vehicle intended to win a race to visit all six of the Apollo lunar landing sites.

The Omni contest was "words only."

I had to write a description of this vehicle in less than 200 words. You can read that in the earlier installments of this story.

However, in order to help you picture my design for this rather unusual lunar vehicle, I've created a 3D model—really more of a sketch, as it isn't fully detailed—so you can better grasp my design concept.

Note: You can CLICK  most images for a full-size view.


ClimbAboard.png

Climb aboard! ~ Original Visualization by @creatr)

The MagRod sports two contour couches,

each with access to all controls so that one pilot can rest while the other drives. The couches are designed to provide full body support during repeated accelerations of almost three Earth gravities. The pilots would have to be in excellent physical shape, and mentally prepared to tolerate two second periods of heavy acceleration during each 30-second leap.

SideHatchOpen.png

Side view. Note telescoping counterweight "tail." ~ Original Visualization by @creatr)

The transparent hatch,

wrapping around both pilots, provides outstanding views in all directions. When the canopy is closed and sealed, pilots can remove their helmets. However, they should keep them handy in case a leak develops or in the event of an accident.

Ready.png

Ready for launch. ~ Original Visualization by @creatr)

Your ride starts with the cab at the base of the launch rod.

The "Rod" portion of the MagRod is a linear magnetic accelerator rail. With the MagRod's "foot" firmly placed on the lunar surface, the cab can be rapidly magnetically propelled along the length of the rod.


CameraLaunch.png

Surveillance camera launch. ~ Original Visualization by @creatr)

However, just before take off,

when the rod is tilted slightly forward, a terrain surveillance camera is launched from a tube in the top of the rod.

CameraLaunch01.png

Surveillance camera launch. ~ Original Visualization by @creatr)

The camera is accelerated magnetically.

It leaves the launch tube rotating so its multiple imagers can capture views in all directions.

Spouting.png

Surveillance camera launch. ~ Original Visualization by @creatr)

Because of its motion,

integral computers are able to create accurate 3D terrain models by analyzing the parallax between image viewpoints.

download.png

Detailed computer terrain map. Image credit: NASA GSFC/Jacob Richardson

The pilots can override manually,

but for the most part the autonomous computer system steers the craft based on an artificial intelligence evaluation of the race route, satellite maps, and the detailed terrain contour map created on the spot by the surveillance camera.

At a precisely calculated microsecond,

based on the tilt and the desired trajectory, the cabin begins to accelerate up the rod.


StartUp.png

Starting up the rod... ~ Original Visualization by @creatr)

Acceleration upward is brisk,

not quite three Earth gravities. From a standing start, the acceleration lasts just less than a second. When the cabin nears the top end of the rod, it decelerates relative to the rod. The result is that the entire vehicle leaves the surface and takes flight in a parabolic ballistic trajectory.

Flight.png

The MagRod In Flight. ~ Original Visualization by @creatr)

While above the lunar surface,

the pilots experience weightlessness for almost half a minute during each jump. They are now in a free-fall, parabolic arc. In the lunar vacuum, this trajectory is precisely predictable, so the precise spot where the MagRod will touch down is known in advance.

ComingIn.png

The MagRod coming down. ~ Original Visualization by @creatr)

Landing deceleration is also stiff.

The pilots experience three Earth gravities again, all the way down the pole. Assuming that this is just one of many "kangaroo leaps," the acceleration continues smoothly all the way back up the rod again in order to produce the next leap.

Of course, if they are stopping to rest or to take a close look at some unexpected selenological feature, the motion of the cabin will simply cease when it reaches the bottom of the rod.

The diagram below illustrates the parabolic paths of the camera and of the MagRod during the course of one jump from point to point on the lunar surface.

Note: This visualization is not to scale!

Its purpose is to give you a general idea of how the MagRod travels, not to provide a detailed precise trajectory.

ParaLeap.png

Camera and Vehicle follow parabolic arcs. ~ Original Visualization by @creatr) Graph courtesy of https://www.desmos.com .

Notice the "tail" projecting from the MagRod.

It telescopes in and out, and it moves up and down to help rotate the MagRod around its center of gravity. This insures that the foot is pointing in the right direction at takeoff and landing.

Sad to report,

my design was not the contest winner. It was not even among the ten finalists. I was quite disappointed when the contest results were announced, but I've learned through much life experience that revolutionary ideas are not easily accepted.

I still believe that my design, assuming adequate time and resources for engineering development and refinement, would have run circles around the winner and all of the top ten entries. <Deep sigh...>

Crater Mid View

Some lunar highland terrain. ~ Image courtesy of NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Well, that's my Lunar MagRod Leaper...

Care to go for a ride with me?


~FIN~


RockyPlateau.png

The MagRod easily negotiates rough lunar terrain. (CLICK for an amazing panoramic closeup) ~ Image courtesy of NASA.

Articles In This Series


Important Note: My articles often contain hot links to supplemental information. While they aren't essential, you may find added value by following them. Most images also link to useful or related information or articles.

As a member of the Whaleshares community, I promise to take your comments, both positive and corrective, very seriously.

I'm especially interested in meeting makers. If you make stuff, I would love to read about it and encourage you in any way that I can... Just say "Hi" in a comment, and show me what you're working on; I welcome your links!


Historical footnotes:


This article started out as TEMPORARY CONTENT...

It was posted here early for the sole purpose of "reserving this spot." I'm leaving the following as an "historical footnote" because I think it important that we encourage the Whaleshares developers to enable perpetual editing.


Feel free to watch the update "in real-time." I'm busy loading images and adding text.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE... the REAL article is in progress, and shall appear here soon, God willing.

Just to clarify:

At present, I know of no way to edit a post after two weeks. This is an unfortunate situation for authors, one that I hope the Whaleshares development team will address and fix sooner rather than later. There are many reasons to provide authors the ability to update their work at any time in the future. I am not aware of any reason to prevent this.

MagRod Launch Sequence.png

MagRod Launch Sequence ~ Original Visualization by @creatr)
CLICK  image for full-size view.


The case in point here is that I have begun a series of articles on a topic (the design of a lunar racer) and it is important to me (and to my readers!) to have inter-links in the articles so that a reader can branch from any article in the series to any other.

Although I began the series hoping to complete all three articles within a two-week period, as events turned out, that was not possible... Therefore, I published this "place-holder" article to extend my time limit by another two weeks. THIS CONTENT IS TEMPORARY so that I could reserve a spot here at a fixed link address to put in the first two posts. This will be replaced by the "real article" soon.

I'm working diligently on some important illustrations for the final article in the series, and hope to complete that task in the near future. Here's a "teaser" for you:

MagRodIllus.png

MagRod 3D Model Development ~ Original Art by @creatr)
CLICK  image for full-size view.

Please DO read the first two articles in this series.


END historical footnote.


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