https://www.space.com/europe-moon-cave-exploration-ideas.html

Europe Wants Ideas for Cave-Spelunking Moon Robots. Here’s How You Can Help!

ESA has released a call for proposals asking for creative ways to design a robotic mission that would explore these caves, which could be related to old underground lava tubes that dried up over the eons and collapsed. The campaign is available on ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform and closes Oct. 31. 2019.

The missions have several scientific objectives associated with them, ESA explained. Future explorers would not only need to access, navigate and map the caves, but may use other resources. Some possible ideas include establishing communications between the cave and “the outside world,” ESA said, while others involve instruments that could take measurements of the environment of the cave.

“Mission concepts may be based on a single rover or a distributed system of satellite, robotic or rover systems that operate together,”

Very nice.

Also my favourite Cherry Poppin’ Daddies song

A cannon that fires crazy rubber balls into the cave mouth with a tiny filament to send back signals. You could have a small charge on each one that after it comes to rest gives it another bounce.

AwesomeO said:

A cannon that fires crazy rubber balls into the cave mouth with a tiny filament to send back signals. You could have a small charge on each one that after it comes to rest gives it another bounce.

You could have sensors distributed evenly around the ball and it records from multiple directions.
Those anti grav balls they had in Prometheus seemed to work well for mapping the spaceship cave.

Spider type drones perhaps that can still move if legs gets damaged or if stuck it can disconnect it

Does anyone have a link to the website of the SSSF x prize blog?
I’ve lost the address – again

Why don’t they just ask Elon?

I am seriously curious about those polar ice sheets and was very disappointed in the failure of the Indian lander.

dv said:

I am seriously curious about those polar ice sheets and was very disappointed in the failure of the Indian lander.

I didn’t rate the Indian chances of a successful landing to be very high even though it’s easier than Mars.

mollwollfumble said:

https://www.space.com/europe-moon-cave-exploration-ideas.html

Europe Wants Ideas for Cave-Spelunking Moon Robots. Here’s How You Can Help!

ESA has released a call for proposals asking for creative ways to design a robotic mission that would explore these caves, which could be related to old underground lava tubes that dried up over the eons and collapsed. The campaign is available on ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform and closes Oct. 31. 2019.

The missions have several scientific objectives associated with them, ESA explained. Future explorers would not only need to access, navigate and map the caves, but may use other resources. Some possible ideas include establishing communications between the cave and “the outside world,” ESA said, while others involve instruments that could take measurements of the environment of the cave.

“Mission concepts may be based on a single rover or a distributed system of satellite, robotic or rover systems that operate together,”

Right. I’ve designed a moon cave robot now. Where do I send the design?

Inspirations:

• Naked human caver (Casteret)
• Toy all-terrain car (Channel 31 4WD program endings)
• Plumbers’ endoscope
• Keyhole surgery
• Fishing net
• Mythbusters “Jamie tested his hand held winch, which managed to pull him up 27 feet in just 20 seconds.”

I think I need to register here, as an “other country”.

https://ideas.esa.int/login

mollwollfumble said:

mollwollfumble said:

https://www.space.com/europe-moon-cave-exploration-ideas.html

Europe Wants Ideas for Cave-Spelunking Moon Robots. Here’s How You Can Help!

ESA has released a call for proposals asking for creative ways to design a robotic mission that would explore these caves, which could be related to old underground lava tubes that dried up over the eons and collapsed. The campaign is available on ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform and closes Oct. 31. 2019.

The missions have several scientific objectives associated with them, ESA explained. Future explorers would not only need to access, navigate and map the caves, but may use other resources. Some possible ideas include establishing communications between the cave and “the outside world,” ESA said, while others involve instruments that could take measurements of the environment of the cave.

“Mission concepts may be based on a single rover or a distributed system of satellite, robotic or rover systems that operate together,”

Right. I’ve designed a moon cave robot now. Where do I send the design?

Inspirations:

• Naked human caver (Casteret)
• Toy all-terrain car (Channel 31 4WD program endings)
• Plumbers’ endoscope
• Keyhole surgery
• Fishing net
• Mythbusters “Jamie tested his hand held winch, which managed to pull him up 27 feet in just 20 seconds.”

I think I need to register here, as an “other country”.

https://ideas.esa.int/login

You don’t know what might be in a moon cave.

https://i.imgur.com/gdARp7p.mp4

mollwollfumble said:

mollwollfumble said:

https://www.space.com/europe-moon-cave-exploration-ideas.html

Europe Wants Ideas for Cave-Spelunking Moon Robots. Here’s How You Can Help!

ESA has released a call for proposals asking for creative ways to design a robotic mission that would explore these caves, which could be related to old underground lava tubes that dried up over the eons and collapsed. The campaign is available on ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform and closes Oct. 31. 2019.

The missions have several scientific objectives associated with them, ESA explained. Future explorers would not only need to access, navigate and map the caves, but may use other resources. Some possible ideas include establishing communications between the cave and “the outside world,” ESA said, while others involve instruments that could take measurements of the environment of the cave.

“Mission concepts may be based on a single rover or a distributed system of satellite, robotic or rover systems that operate together,”

Right. I’ve designed a moon cave robot now. Where do I send the design?

Inspirations:

• Naked human caver (Casteret)
• Toy all-terrain car (Channel 31 4WD program endings)
• Plumbers’ endoscope
• Keyhole surgery
• Fishing net
• Mythbusters “Jamie tested his hand held winch, which managed to pull him up 27 feet in just 20 seconds.”

I think I need to register here, as an “other country”.

https://ideas.esa.int/login

Oh dang it, I can’t submit a .pdf file with all of my ideas. I have to submit only a brief text abstract and a picture.

That’s annoying.

Didn’t Frank Zappa call one of his kids ‘Moon Cave Robot’?