Contour Crafting Corporation — National Aeronautics and Space Administration STTR Phase I: T7

Description

The focus of this STTR solicitation is construction of lunar infrastructure elements using bulk regolith and rock. The key requirement of all such construction operations will be a practical and versatile technology for effective regolith and rock conveyance which can operate in a variety of conditions and for a variety of lunar applications at highest possible energy efficiency.All material conveyance equipment for Earth work are generally too large, and heavy and hence their design is not suitable for being flown to the Moon and operated there.nbsp;Furthermore, such equipment are power-hungry and infeasible to operate using the limited energy sources accessible on the Moon.nbsp;While traditional loader or truck would have to make return trips empty, CrafTram would eliminate the need for such back and forth transport of a vehicle. It is expected that CrafTram#39;s low energy demand would allow for this continuous production.Proposed is a novel autonomous material conveyance system called CrafTram, offering the following advantages:nbsp;Is super lightweight and compact as compared to alternative to other material conveyance options,Itnbsp;folds to a compact sizenbsp;to take minimal space in the rocket cargo compartment,Is self-expanding upon deployment on lunar surface,Is capable of transporting material to and from different elevations including sharp uphill or downhill trajectoriesUses the least possible amount of energy among all other alternatives for material conveyance.Operates smoothly with minimum wear, regardless ofnbsp;sandy or rocky terrains,Can convey material along sharp uphill or downhill trajectories.The proposed effort includes analysis and design of the novel CrafTram system, and creation of a TRL 4 functioning 1/3 scale prototype of the technology. The proposed effort at the RI further includes analysis and design of a berm as the choice for demonstrationnbsp;structure. The CrafTram prototype is also expected to be tested in constructing a 1/3 scalenbsp;berm section.