1997--Fifth Annual
Professor Tony Keller of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Vermont (UVM)
head a team of UVM students that are designing and constructing a moon-rover
type vehicle. The vehicle will participate in
NASA's Fifth Annual Great Moon Buggy Race that is to be held at
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama during April of 1997. UVM's
entry, nicknamed the MOONCAT, has completed in the Great Moon Buggy Race for the
last two years. The MOONCAT design has shown steady improvement over the past
two years with a sixth place finish out of the 16 nationwide colleges and
universities entered the first year of competition and a fourth place finish (in
both time and the newly established design portion) out of over 20 competitors
in last year's race. This year's team will be making major modification to the
MOONCAT to improve the vehicle's performance in the competition with guidance
from previous UVM Moon Buggy Race participants.
The moon buggies are two person, human-powered machines that must be able to be dismantled and placed into a maximum volume of 4'x4'x4'. During the competition, the two riders, one male and one female, must carry the dismantled buggy 20 feet to the starting line, assemble the vehicle, and then power the craft over a course that simulates lunar terrain. The teams are ranked by combining the vehicle assembly time with the time required to traverse the simulated lunar course. First prize is a trip to NASA's Kennedy Space Center to witness a Space Shuttle launch. In addition to the time prizes a design competition was started last year (1997).
UVM's design incorporates a variety of interesting and unique engineering
aspects. First, the MOONCAT utilizes a reciprocating up-and-down motion, similar
to walking, to power the vehicle rather than the traditional cyclical motion of
a bicycle. The MOONCAT's reciprocating design reduces the range of movement
necessary to power the vehicle when compared to a tradition bicycle. This
reduced range of motion makes the astronaut's job of powering the MOONCAT easier
since the currently used spacesuits significantly limit an astronaut's motion.
Additionally, the treadles (the pedals of a reciprocating vehicle) provide a
large foot area for moon boots and permit easy loading and unloading of
astronauts. Second, the MOONCAT uses front and rear wheel drive providing an
easier traverse over the rough lunar surface. Third, the front and rear sections
are joined by a flexible connection that allows for rotational and flexural
motion, thus all four wheels remain in contact with the ground and a smoother
ride is provided. Another important design feature is that the rear rider of the
MOONCAT stands while the front rider sits allowing a clear forward view for both
riders. Further, the riders can adjust both front and rear seat positions for
individual comfort. Finally, a wheel can be added to the front section of the
MOONCAT allowing a single rider to traverse the lunar landscape alone on a
three-wheeled vehicle.
Past and present MOONCAT teams consist of undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of disciplines such as mechanical, civil, and biomedical engineering, computer science, biology, and business. Previous year's team sponsors that donated parts, consulting, and labor included Treadle Power Inc., Champion Cycles, TRI-ANGLE Metal Fabrication, BF Goodrich Aerospace, SACHS bicycle components, Shimano America Corporation, Bike E Corporation, Michelin Tire Company, Dexter Axle, UVM Instrumentation and Model Facility, UVM Bookstore, B&M Auto Parts, and Queen City Steel. Monetary donations were provided by the Vermont Space Grant Consortium, UVM College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department, and American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
For more information about the MOONCAT, contact:
Laurel C. Zeno
VT Space Grant Consoritum/NASA EPSCoR
Votey Building, UVM
Burlington, VT 05405
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