Night Walker Probe

Instead of complaining about the difficult conditions of vacuum and temperature extremes on Luna, we should take advantage of them. In this instance a probe is described that is to sit in one spot gathering solar electric energy during the day and move during the night.

The thermal condition of Luna during local 354 hour night is not intractably difficult. Insulation can be very effective in a vacuum, as it is for satellites in free space. The feet of the robot probe would be the only parts to usually lose heat to lunar surface directly by conduction. They can be made of materials resistant to cold temperatures. Ordinary electrical operation of the probe should provide sufficient heat to maintain operating temperatures. When local daytime approaches the probe should unpack and deploy an aluminum foil wall to block infrared radiation between a three meter diameter camp site the surrounding terrain. Also it should deploy an umbrella on a 15 meter boom toward the sunrise to shade the campsite. The umbrella includes solar cells to gather electricity. Also it should deploy 15 meter booms at azimuths 120 degrees different from the sunrise in the northerly and southerly directions, which booms contain solar cells and balance the torque on the robot produced by the 15 meter umbrella boom. As the sun moves through the lunar sky the umbrella boom is rotated to always block the sun. The counter torque booms are rotated in the opposite direction to balance the torque on the probe. The probe gathers electrical energy and uses it to electrolyze water and liquefy and store the resulting hydrogen and oxygen. At sunset the probe stows the booms, gathers up and stows the aluminum foil wall, and using electricity from hydrogen/oxygen fuel cells. It then moves about actively exploring Luna during the Lunar night.

This probe would be optimized moving about during the night and it could carry out observations and other activities from its stationary position during the day. The probe should be designed to be active for several years. Since leg bearings can be covered by a gas tight envelope to maintain gas pressure and prevent lubrication evaporation and wheel bearings cannot be so covered, legs might be used instead of wheels as a means of locomotion.