Design and Development of the Telescope-deployment High-vacuum teleOperated Rover (THOR) in an Airless Body Environment

TL;DR

This paper details the design and testing of the THOR rover, built with COTS components, capable of surviving over a year in lunar-like vacuum conditions, advancing lunar exploration technology.

Contribution

It introduces a cost-effective, COTS-based lunar rover prototype tested in simulated lunar conditions, demonstrating material and electronic survivability for extended durations.

Findings

THOR can survive over one simulated lunar year.

COTS components are viable for lunar environment applications.

Initial tests show promising durability in extreme conditions.

Abstract

The harsh environment on the lunar surface presents unique technological challenges for space exploration. This paper presents research on the design and development of the Tele- scope-deployment High-vacuum teleOperated Rover (THOR), currently being built and tested in the Lunar and Airless Bodies Simulator (LABS) facility at the University of Colorado Boulder. This rover is fabricated entirely out of cost-effective commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and materials. THOR can potentially survive for more than one simulated year in conditions similar to that of the lunar environment, demonstrating the successful initial results of a first phase research study on material and electronic survivability in an extreme environment such as the Moon.