Lunar Worm Vehicle

[flateric]

Found via efforts of Mike Holt from http://groups.yahoo.com/group/space-modelers/ - his son found well-known pic on Mark Wade's site, and Mike found much more...

One of the most wonderful machines I've ever seen.

Original paper http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19660022562

 

[Lauge]

Gotta love it ;D ;D ;D

But shouldn't that be "Arrakis..." rather than "Lunar..." ? :

Regards & all,

Thomas L. Nielsen
Denmark

 

[Antonio]

Amazing!

BTW, from a zoological point of view it is more a caterpillar rather than a worm

 

[Orionblamblam]

Recently observed subscale demonstrator. Sort of a unmanned vehicle; notice the antennae, clearly for ULF communications with submerged submarines.

 

[robunos]

who built it, the _caterpillar_ corporation?? LOL!! ;D :

cheers,
Robin.

 

[OM]

"...He who controls the regolith, controls the universe!"

 

[Lauge]

"...He who controls the regolith, controls the universe!"

Well, considering the kinds of resources that are supposedly available from the Lunar regolith (metals, oxygen, helium3,....) that could be partially true, I suppose. Maybe not the universe, but the perhaps the Solar System. CIS-Lunar space, certainly

Regards & all,

Thomas L. Nielsen
Denmark

 

[Simon666]

Well, considering the kinds of resources that are supposedly available from the Lunar regolith (metals, oxygen, helium3,....) that could be partially true, I suppose. Maybe not the universe, but the perhaps the Solar System. CIS-Lunar space, certainly

Those metals and oxygen are available on earth and with regards to helium-3, as long as no working commercial fusion reactor exists it is absolutely not worth the enormous costs. There are some that claim though that for Mars missions those metals and oxygen might turn out cheaper if you get them from the moon, but I doubt it.

 

[Lauge]

Those metals and oxygen are available on earth...

Yes, today. And tomorrow. And probably the next day. 50 years from now ?

....and with regards to helium-3, as long as no working commercial fusion reactor exists it is absolutely not worth the enormous costs.

Although a commercially viable fusion reactor has been "right around the corner" for something like 40 years, I remain convinced that fusion will be one of the important power sources of the future ("the future" starting some 50 years from now). And even if exploitation of Lunar resources, such as He3, is 50 years into the future, we should start planning for it now.

Otherwise, it will always be 50 years into the future. Even in 50 years time.

Regards & all,

Thomas L. Nielsen
Denmark

 

[Simon666]

We're getting a bit off-topic, but:

Yes, today. And tomorrow. And probably the next day. 50 years from now ?

Oxygen will always be available and so will those metals. Extraction from even the poorest grades of ore will be way cheaper than getting it from the moon, unless some REALLY spectacular breakthroughs are made.

Although a commercially viable fusion reactor has been "right around the corner" for something like 40 years, I remain convinced that fusion will be one of the important power sources of the future ("the future" starting some 50 years from now). And even if exploitation of Lunar resources, such as He3, is 50 years into the future, we should start planning for it now.

Otherwise, it will always be 50 years into the future. Even in 50 years time.

Why not plan one step at a time, first a fusion reactor, second one that works on He-3 since D-T fusion is WAY easier, THEN on getting the fuel for it? Further, D-D is about just as easy as He3-D and the neutronicity of He3-D is not exactly zero either, only about ten times lower than D-D. Whether the lower neutronicity is worth the MASSIVE cost of switching to He-3 is quite dubious.

 

[mz]

He-3 is produced in certain nuclear reactors as well, and more can be produced if is needed.

 

[Simon666]

He-3 is produced in certain nuclear reactors as well, and more can be produced if is needed.

Thanks, I forgot that one too. Also from nuclear weapons.

 

[Lauge]

We're getting a bit off-topic

Yes, we are

Extraction from even the poorest grades of ore will be way cheaper than getting it from the moon, unless some REALLY spectacular breakthroughs are made.

Well, "always" is a very long time, and I'm not sure I entirely agree. Especially if the consequence of that "always" is that we have to strip-mine the entire planet.

Why not plan one step at a time, first a fusion reactor, second one that works on He-3 since D-T fusion is WAY easier, THEN on getting the fuel for it?

Hear-hear.

Whether the lower neutronicity is worth the MASSIVE cost of switching to He-3 is quite dubious.

Certainly. I guess my thought was that We (as in "man-/woman-kind") wouldn't be returning to the Moon just for the He3. But if we're going anyway, as I hope we are (although it looks dicey at the moment :'( ), for science, or tourism, or whatever, not making use of available resources would, I think, be foolish.

Regards & all,

Thomas L. Nielsen

PS: Let's get back to the Dune...sorry, Lunar, worms ;D

 

[OM]

Well, considering the kinds of resources that are supposedly available from the Lunar regolith (metals, oxygen, helium3,....)

...Otay, otay, *fine*:

He Who Controls The Helium-3 Controls The Universe!

Sheesh.

 

[Grey Havoc]

A handy back-up of the original paper linked in first post can be found via this page:
1966 – “Lunar Worm” (Concept) – Dobson & Fulton of Philco (American) [cyberneticzoo.com]

Never mind, it was a NTRS link as well!