Studies of the moon’s surface have led scientists to hypothesize the existence of a network of sublunarean tubes hundreds of feet across, extending for kilometers below the regolith. If these tubes exist, they could serve as the foundation of future human habitats on the moon. They would provide an enclosed space that would shield occupants from the radiation and extreme temperatures of the moon’s surface and could be sealed and pressurized with breathable air.
Although the existence and extent of these tubes remains a theory, there is direct evidence showing that the moon’s surface is studded with large pits, some dozens of meters across. These pits sink deep enough into the moon that they could potentially connect to the tube network. Because of the exciting potential of the sublunarean tube structures, these pits have become a top priority for future research and exploration.
Astrobotic Technology, in cooperation with Carnegie Mellon, proposes to send a small, fast, autonomous rover to explore these moon pits and collect data about their composition and structure. This rover will have between one and two Earth weeks to travel to and collect images of a moon pit near its landing site. This process will take the robot beyond the range of wireless communication with the lander craft, which is its only connection back to Earth. Therefore, the rover must be able to operate autonomously while executing its mission and return back to the landing site safely.
Any autonomous mission that must operate in the vicinity of a moon pit must have special routines for navigating around the pit edge in a safe and efficient manner. This project proposes to design and implement software that will identify a pre-selected pit from images collected by the rover’s cameras, construct a model of the pit’s dimensions and location from these images, and generate safe routes to a series of vantage points around the edge of the pit. From these vantage points, the rover will collect images of the opposite wall of the pit, aiming to photograph as much of the pit’s circumference as possible over the course of its mission duration.