親子觀星會

https://chinese.engadget.com/chinese-2020-05-17-nasa-rassor-competition-winners.html

NASA 的 Artemis 計畫如果要持續維持人類在月球的活動的話，挖掘月表的土壤，並由中採集水冰和各種礦物質，是必要的一步。但想在月表挖掘並非易事 —— 由於月球的重力僅有地球的 1/6，這意味著挖掘器具將很難依靠自身的重量來深入土壤，而火箭的載重限制，讓加重挖掘器具亦不可行。NASA 的解決方式是一個取名「RASSOR」的「挖掘鼓」，它在一個旋轉的圓筒外側加上小鏟子，但用旋轉的力量將表土「鏟」進圓筒中。如此一來不僅解決了挖掘的問題，也同時解決了運輸的問題，挖完後的土全在筒子裡，可以直接運到他處倒出。

不過，一人計短、二人計長，NASA 相信一定還有更多好點子可以讓挖掘鼓更有效率，因此在 GrabCAD 眾包平台上徵集了可以裝滿圓鼓內一半空間而不會灑出，又不會太加重圓筒的設計提案。最後獲得首獎的是 Caleb Clausing 的一個極簡單的單向門設計，只有從外向內推才會打開，將已經進入內部的沙土關住。其他還有螺旋式的設計、縮窄鏟口的設計、內外雙螺旋的設計等等，NASA 都會一一予以評估，並將合適的設計導入最終的 RASSOR 上。

NASA 的這個眾籌活動，一方面是做試驗，另一方面也是做公關。但如果人類真的要到月球，乃至於火星上長居的話，有不少日常工具和器具可能都要依當地的環境特別設計。在此次 RASSOR 的成功後，NASA 或許會將更多需求和想法提出，繼續向 NASA 以外的人士徵求設計呢

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/innovators-around-the-world-help-nasa-improve-a-moon-digging-robot

The award recipients are:

    Regolith Trap by Caleb Clausing will receive $3,000 for first place. This design is an innovative solution to capturing regolith with a passive door. The design had considerations for making it dust tolerant and the approach will be able to hold large amounts of regolith.
    RASSOR Bucket Drum by Michael R will receive $2,000 for second place. This design has a very simple, but promising sectioned baffle system that should be very effective at capturing regolith.
    RASSOR Bucket Drum V3 by Kyle St.Thomas will receive $1,000 for third place. This design narrows drum sections to keep the scoop count high while also only having one scoop per section, which increases captured regolith.
    NASA Bucket Drum Double-Helix by Stephan Weißenböck will receive $750 for fourth place. This entry uses an innovative internal and external helix design that is likely to have a very high fill ratio.
    Lunar Kinetics by Clix will receive $250 for fifth place. This design has an innovative door mechanism that not only uses gravity but the weight of the regolith to actuate.


 Caleb Clausing 
(https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/side_image/public/thumbnails/image/rassor_drum_first_place_alternate.jpg?itok=D86LYg2K)
(https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public/thumbnails/image/rassor_drum_third_place.jpg?itok=21QZz10U)
RASSOR Bucket Drum
(https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/side_image/public/thumbnails/image/rassor_drum_second_place.png?itok=_KJttE3Y)