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NASA Challenge: Lunar TORCH

NASA is seeking to challenge the GrabCAD Community to design a mobile lunar heliostat that can be used to support operations at the Artemis Base Camp by redirecting solar energy where it is most needed. The Lunar Tele-Operated Rover-based Configurable Heliostat (Lunar TORCH) system serves as a cost effective multi-purpose tool for lunar operations by manipulating a critical resource (sunlight).


Potential uses include:
1. Concentrating/redirecting sunlight
a. On to existing solar arrays
b. On assets located in shadowed areas
c. Providing radiative heat for ISRU processing


2. Thermal management of lunar infrastructure
a. Increasing thermal gradients for power generation
b. Reducing thermal gradients on structural elements
c. Warming components such as gearboxes
d. Shading instruments such as infrared sensors
e. Reducing solar heating on critical components


3. Illuminating shadowed areas
a. Providing illumination for astronauts/robots working in locations with deep shadow
b. Providing illumination for sensors in shadowed areas


4. Providing beacons for spacecraft and landers with vision navigation systems


The goal of this challenge is to develop an innovative low mass mobile heliostat that can be tightly packaged on a lander and easily deployed on the lunar surface. The basic configuration should be scalable to provide large amounts of solar energy where needed (i.e. ISRU systems located in permanently shadowed regions). The Lunar TORCH could also be remotely operated by ground control or Artemis astronauts and commanded where it is needed to support operations at the Artemis base camp.


The focus of this challenge is on the deployable heliostat subsystem and not on the rover that supports it. Challengers can use a generic rover design or come up with their own if it will help with attachment and deployment of the heliostat subsystem. Many good examples of rovers can be found in the GrabCAD library (i.e. Mars Rover Prototype). The heliostat design should be lightweight, self-deployable, and allow for compact packaging. NASA is looking for innovative packaging and deployment methods that can reliably and autonomously deploy the heliostat subsystem after being unloaded on the lunar surface.


It is expected that the heliostat subsystem will not have to be fully stowed again after deployment. However, the overall system must be mobile, which requires the heliostat structure to be robust enough to allow it to travel over rugged lunar terrain which includes steep slopes. Challengers can consider partially stowing the system or
including locking mechanisms to help with dynamic loads when the system is being relocated. The system will be parked while redirecting sunlight.


For this competition, the reflecting area of the heliostat should be a minimum of 10 square meters when deployed. On the lunar surface, 10 square meters of reflecting area can redirect over 13 kW of solar energy to a specific target. The heliostat subsystem should be able to continuously track the sun to illuminate a selected target without depending on the rover for rotation and elevation.


Design Notes: It is generally advantageous to have a higher reflecting area since it may provide line of sight advantages to the target (e.g. A rover operating in a crater). This can lead to a challenging engineering trade between structural, deployment, and mobility considerations. The design should also be scalable so that it can be tailored for different applications. The angular sweep on both axes should be at least 90 degrees to minimize the need to reorient the rover. Motors used for tracking will likely need to have heaters if they are in shadow, Thermal insulation blankets around sensitive components such as motors and gearboxes will likely be needed.


In addition to the reflecting area, it is expected the overall system will need 1 square meter of photovoltaics for electrical power. Since the solar panels should also track the sun it may be advantageous to incorporate the solar array into the heliostat’s reflecting system. During longer periods of darkness/night in its area of operation the heliostat should be able to traverse to a pre-deployed power source where it can obtain survival power for heaters on sensitive components. This could be with an inductive power coupling to reduce dust contamination issues on the connector.

1. Avoid concepts that require direct human contact or custom robotics to help with deployment.
2. Avoid concepts that are extremely complex as this adversely impacts fabrication, reliability, and increases risk.
3. Avoid concepts that cannot handle lunar dust (i.e. telescoping tubes can seize if contaminated with the very abrasive lunar dust although a one-time use for deployment is OK).


For information on heliostat concepts see:
Stoica et al, NIAC Phase I Report
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Stoica_2013_PhI_Transformers.pdf
Stoica et al, NIAC Phase II Report:
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/161997906.pdf
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7943717
For information on the Artemis roadmap see:
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/a_sustained_lunar_presence_nspc_report4220final.pdf

Requirements

  • Contest submissions must include:


    1. CAD models of a deployed mobile heliostat (Submissions to be provided in
    STEP or IGES file formats).
    2. Include a concept for packaging the mobile lunar heliostat system that shows a feasible method of deployment from a packaged state. This may be provided in 2D drawings or as a 3D animations.
    3. Provide an estimate of heliostat subsystem mass and packaged (stowed)/deployed dimensions. For this contest, a graphic showing a basic use case has been provided as a starting point. The concept is expected to be deployed autonomously from a lander without direct human support. Additional features of a mobile heliostat would likely include:
    1. Solar array that provides power to charge on board batteries and avionics
    2. Sun sensors for pointing knowledge
    3. 2 axis Sun tracking motors
    4. Deployment/locking mechanisms (springs, latches, hinges, motors, etc.)
    5. External Power Connector: The system must survive the lunar night and may have a connector to an external power source where it would dock when not in use.
    6. Wireless Communication System: The system is expected to be tele-operated from a pre-deployed local wireless network which will manage communications from the Earth if human operators are not at the Artemis base camp. A high gain antenna for direct communication from Earth is not expected. Assume that the system will operate in an area with small rocks/craters which operators will avoid via onboard navigation cameras. The system will likely be operated on slopes (such as crater aprons) in order to illuminate areas that are in deep shadow.

    Additional features of a mobile heliostat would likely include:
    1. Solar array that provides power to charge onboard batteries and avionics
    2. Sun sensors for pointing knowledge
    3. 2 axis Sun tracking motors
    4. Deployment/locking mechanisms (springs, latches, hinges, motors, etc.)
    5. External Power Connector: The system must survive the lunar night and may have a connector to an external power source where it would dock when not in use.
    6. Wireless Communication System: The system is expected to be teleoperated from a pre-deployed local wireless network that will manage communications from the Earth if human operators are not at the Artemis base camp. A high gain antenna for direct communication from Earth is not expected. Assume that the system will operate in an area with small rocks/craters which operators will avoid via onboard navigation cameras. The system will likely be operated on slopes (such as crater aprons) in order to illuminate areas that are in deep shadow.

  • Technical Requirements
    The overall system (including the rover) should fit into a package that is 2m long X 1.5m wide X 1.5m high. This is a reasonable scale for a basic heliostat system that could provide valuable support. Although a system that can focus the sunlight on to a small/distant target is advantageous for many applications, it is not required in this design iteration. However, to be effective, the heliostat subsystem design must minimize the dispersion of the sunlight so that energy is not lost. This requires very flat surfaces. A successful outcome of this contest are 3D models and graphics, and/or animations of an effective heliostat subsystem that is integrated onto a basic rover. These will be used to communicate the different concepts and will be considered for further
    development.

Rules

  • ENTERING THE COMPETITION:


    If you think an entry may infringe on existing copyrighted materials, please email challenges@grabcad.com.


    By entering the Challenge you:

      1) Accept the official GrabCAD Challenges Terms & Conditions.
      2) Agree to be bound by the decisions of the judges (Jury).
      3) Warrant that you are eligible to participate.
      4) Warrant that the submission is your original work. Warrant, to the best of your knowledge, your work is not, and has not been in production or otherwise previously published or exhibited.
      5) Warrant neither the work nor its use infringes the intellectual property rights (whether a patent, utility model, functional design right, aesthetic design right, trademark, copyright or any other intellectual property right) of any other person.
      6) Warrant participation shall not constitute employment, assignment or offer of employment or assignment.
      7) Are not entitled to any compensation or reimbursement for any costs.
      8) Agree the Sponsor and GrabCAD have the right to promote all entries.


  • Submitting an Entry


    Only entries uploaded to GrabCAD through the "Submit entry" button on this Challenge page will be considered an entry. Only public entries are eligible. We encourage teams to use GrabCAD Workbench for developing their entries. Entries are automatically given the tag "NASALunarTorch"; when uploading to GrabCAD. Please do not edit or delete this tag. Only entries with valid tag will participate in the Challenge.

  • AWARDING THE WINNERS

    The sum of the Awards is the total gross amount of the reward. The awarded participant is solely liable for the payment of all taxes, duties, and other similar measures if imposed on the reward pursuant to the legislation of the country of his/her residence, domicile, citizenship, workplace, or any other criterion of similar nature. Only 1 award per person. Prizes may not be transferred or exchanged. All winners will be contacted by the GrabCAD staff to get their contact information and any other information needed to get the prize to them. Payment of cash awards is made through Checks mailed to the Winners. All team awards will be transferred to the member who entered the Challenge. Vouchers will be provided in the form of Stratasys Direct Manufacturing promo codes.

    We will release the finalists before the announcement of the winners to give the Community an opportunity to share their favorites in the comments, discuss concerns, and allow time for any testing or analysis by the Jury. The Jury will take the feedback into consideration when picking the winners.

    Winning designs will be chosen based on the Rules and Requirements schedule.

  • Schedule


    This Challenge ends on September 15, 2021 (23:59 EST.) Finalists will be announced on September 23rd, 2021 and Winners will be announced on September 28th, 2021

Prizes

$7000 in Total Prizes

$7000 in Total Prizes

First Place

$3000

Second Place

$2000

Third Place

$1000

Fourth Place

$750

Fifth Place

$250

About NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative.

This contest supports NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative. This study is sponsored by the NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program and was selected through the competitive Crowdsourcing Contenders Call for challenge ideas. The study will help inform lunar mission architects who are currently selecting the systems that will be used to support the Artemis Base Camp.

89 comments

  • Ananth Narayan

    Ananth Narayan almost 3 years ago

    Will Heliostat structure remain intact with rover or rover will drop heliostat to desired location and return?

    Ananth Narayan has uploaded 66 CAD models & has left 322 comments.
  • Kevin Kempton

    Kevin Kempton almost 3 years ago

    For this challenge, the heliostat structure will remain on the rover. This will provide greater operational flexibility.
    For fixed heliostat systems, they would likely be offloaded from the lander and placed where needed by a system similar to what was designed in the ALLGO challenge that was run on GrabCAD last year.

    Kevin Kempton has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 35 comments.
  • Kevin Kempton

    Kevin Kempton almost 3 years ago

    Here are some additional notes based on questions I have received:
    1. You do not have to design the electrical circuitry. The intent is that designers must consider the placement and sizes of some key electrical components such as pointing motors, power cables, and actuators (they can be generic representations but should approximate sizes). Motors will also need some thermal insulation due to the extremely wide temperature ranges so that increases the required volume of these components. Another potential example of basic electrical considerations is that if a solar array is included on the reflector, then it must have an electrical cable which must be accounted for when developing the deployment method.
    2. It is expected that the rover will have the appropriate sensors to allow tele-operators to control it (i.e. cameras, accelerometers, and maybe a star tracker for rover attitude knowledge). Operators will command the system to move to the desired location. This capability is allocated to the rover and is not the focus of this challenge.
    With that said, there is one sensor that would be desirable to include on the heliostat subsystem. This is a small, low cost, commonly used sensor called a sun sensor that identifies the relative location of the sun in the sky. Since it would simplify alignment and tracking if it the sun sensor was mounted directly on the reflector it may be worth including it in the design of the heliostat subsystem.
    After the system is in position the heliostat will need to track the sun and the sun sensor can provide regular updates to the rover for pointing calculations without the need for complex orbital calculations.
    It is expected that the operators will command the rover to a specific location and identify the target location relative to the heliostat system. If the sun sensor determines the solar vector the calculations for pointing the reflector to illuminate a target are pretty straight forward. The rover avionics will control all of this and it is not the focus of this challenge.
    3. For this application assume that a few percent reflectance loss due to dust accumulation will not be an issue so no dust cleaning requirement is needed. This is intended to be a basic cost effective system and could potentially be developed to provide energy as a commercial service for lunar operations.
    4. The system is mobile and remains integrated with the rover so that it can be positioned relatively near the target (10 to 200 meters). This is because the sun is an extended object and no matter how accurate the reflector surface is, there will be significant spreading of the reflected light. A heliostat system is not a good choice for long distance power transfer although longer distances are OK for wide area illumination. A mobile system provides much more operational flexibility since there are many potential uses at a lunar base.

    Kevin Kempton has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 35 comments.
  • Igor Siliotto

    Igor Siliotto almost 3 years ago

    Dear Kevin, my friend Emiliano and I are trying to create the project. We have a couple of questions: Does the torch go down with the rover to the moon? Is the rover dedicated to the torch or does it do other services? Do you want to detach the torch and place it on the Moon with the rover free to take other torchs? Or do torch and rover always have to be together? Is the insulation of motors and other parts to be considered with what thicknesses? Are NASA thermal insulators used?
    Does the final design have to include detailed mechanical and automation design? Do you also need to know which commercial elements (motors, CCDs, etc.) we recommend?
    Thankyou veru much for your attention..

    Igor Siliotto has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 4 comments.
  • Kevin Kempton

    Kevin Kempton almost 3 years ago

    The current concept of the Lunar TORCH is a low-cost system to provide solar energy/illumination on demand wherever it is needed in the early development of the Artemis Base Camp. There are likely additional add-ons to the Lunar TORCH system that could increase its value as a general purpose tool. This could include an independent video system to monitor base operations. There may also be other innovative dual use features that could be added, however this is not the focus of the challenge. As mentioned earlier, most of the automation will be on the rover. The heliostat subsystem, which is the focus of the challenge, just needs to self-deployable and able to track via motor commands from the rover.

    Stationary heliostats may be added after the Artemis base camp becomes established if it is determined there are specific locations where would be cost effective. These could be installed and sized for their specific applications such as on the rims of a permanently shadowed crater where systems are extracting water ice. For this challenge we are looking for mobile systems that can be moved wherever needed.

    A good summary of thermal management techniques can be found at the link: https://www.nasa.gov/smallsat-institute/sst-soa-2020/thermal-control. Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) is not especially thick (~1cm) but should be considered if it would impact the packaging, deployment and operation. Since the motors will not have to operate continuously they will cool down if in shadow and components like gearboxes and electronics may need to be kept within their operating ranges when used.

    Although identifying specific commercial components is not expected it should be noted that suppliers will often provide 3D models of their components online. If available this could save time and provide dimensional credibility to your models.

    Kevin Kempton has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 35 comments.
  • Igor Siliotto

    Igor Siliotto almost 3 years ago

    thanks a lot

    Igor Siliotto has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 4 comments.
  • Ananth Narayan

    Ananth Narayan almost 3 years ago

    What should be the minimum size of Rover. Also what are the capabilities that Rover should have?

    Ananth Narayan has uploaded 66 CAD models & has left 322 comments.
  • Kevin Kempton

    Kevin Kempton almost 3 years ago

    Although the rover is not the focus of the challenge, it should be sized to accommodate the heliostat for mobile operations. It can be assumed the operators will command the rover’s path to avoid terrain that is too rugged or uneven. A reasonable system performance may be to handle rocks of less than 10 cm and slopes of less than 10 degrees. The wheel base must be wide enough so that the system will not be prone to tipping during operations. This is affected by the center of gravity of the overall rover/heliostat system. Ambitious modelers could incorporate material densities in their models and calculate the CG to determine if tipping is an issue when operating on a slope. For this challenge that is not required.

    A simple four wheeled version may be less complex than other configurations such as the rocker-bogie configuration. Other mobility configurations may be better at packaging. One of the advantages of the rocker-bogie suspension is that it helps keep the rover deck level as shown in the animation on the Wiki site: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocker-bogie.

    As with all space system designs, systems should be kept as simple as possible to reduce complexity and increase reliability. Many general purpose rover designs have been proposed that can be adapted for different payloads. Two recent flexible designs were included on the winning submissions on the Lunar Delivery Challenge: https://www.herox.com/LunarDelivery/147-meet-the-winners.

    Since we are talking about mobility systems, NASA just launched a university challenge on alternate mobility methods for extreme terrain. If anyone in the GrabCAD community is a US university student and wants to participate in the challenge check out this link: http://bigidea.nianet.org/.

    Kevin Kempton has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 35 comments.
  • Mustafa Khan

    Mustafa Khan almost 3 years ago

    are multiple entries allowed?

    Mustafa Khan has uploaded 5 CAD models & has left 8 comments.
  • Rohin Lengade

    Rohin Lengade over 2 years ago

    Is the challenge open to all or only US nationals?

    Rohin Lengade has uploaded 11 CAD models & has left 2 comments.
  • Tim Morell

    Tim Morell over 2 years ago

    Do we need to protect against wind speed? I'm seeing mixed information in my research: 1. about the moon not having wind due to no atmosphere and 2. solar wind stirring up dust on the moon.

    Tim Morell has uploaded 3 CAD models & has left 1 comments.
  • Kevin Kempton

    Kevin Kempton over 2 years ago

    Wind loads on the moon are not a concern since there is no significant atmosphere. Near the landing site, rocket plumes may kick up debris however the heliostat will be commanded to move a safe distance away when landings are expected. Loads from the solar wind and/or photon pressure from the sun as used with solar sails would be very small at this scale.

    Kevin Kempton has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 35 comments.
  • Kevin Kempton

    Kevin Kempton over 2 years ago

    Hello: Catching up on a couple questions:
    Multiple Entries? Unless there is some restriction with the GrabCAD platform, there is no problem with multiple entries if you have different concepts you want to try out. (However note that GrabCAD rules only allow one winning submission per GrabCAD member).
    Who is eligible? This competition is open to anyone who wants to enter however there are some countries that we are restricted from awarding prize money to. (Search “NASA designated countries list”). In the event a submission from one of these countries is selected they will receive an honorable mention but will not be eligible for prize money.

    Kevin Kempton has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 35 comments.
  • Ananth Narayan

    Ananth Narayan over 2 years ago

    Hi, I am from India and if I win will I get prize money. Also I don't see India in the list of Designated countries. Thank you.

    Ananth Narayan has uploaded 66 CAD models & has left 322 comments.
  • Harsh Boss

    Harsh Boss over 2 years ago

    Can we submit rover without wheels?

    Harsh Boss has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 1 comments.
  • Ananth Narayan

    Ananth Narayan over 2 years ago

    On moon at what temperature will the heliostat be deployed. Is it okay for me to assume some deployment temperature and mention in document.

    Ananth Narayan has uploaded 66 CAD models & has left 322 comments.
  • Kevin Kempton

    Kevin Kempton over 2 years ago

    The heliostat needs to be mobile but that does not require wheel based systems. In fact this is the focus of a NASA university challenge: http://bigidea.nianet.org/competition-basics/
    Other mobility solutions are generally more complex so there needs to be a distinct advantage of using them.

    Kevin Kempton has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 35 comments.
  • Kevin Kempton

    Kevin Kempton over 2 years ago

    The Moon rotates once as it orbits the Earth so a full “lunar day” is over 27 Earth days long. During the long periods of darkness (~14 Earth days depending on location) it gets very cold as all the heat gets radiated away into space. For this reason, mission planners will want to land payloads early in the lunar daytime cycle. The heliostat will likely be deployed in full sunlight (~1300 W/m2) which is the main driver on the temperature of the heliostat subsystem. A lot of thermal control can be done simply by adjusting how reflective the surfaces are. Areas on shadowed side will radiate their heat into space and cool down until thermal equilibrium is reached between the “hot” side and the “cold” side. This can generate large thermal gradients and designers must be mindful of the coefficients of thermal expansion of the materials they use to avoid excessive strain or bending.

    Kevin Kempton has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 35 comments.
  • Ananth Narayan

    Ananth Narayan over 2 years ago

    How will the parts on rover like motors, gears etc., be protected. Apart from thermal insulation any other protection is followed. Also will the dust accumulation in between gears will affect the operation on long run on moon.

    Ananth Narayan has uploaded 66 CAD models & has left 322 comments.
  • Jose C A Noriega

    Jose C A Noriega over 2 years ago

    Greetings friend Kevin, some maximum size of Heliostat, not displayed, thanks

    Jose C A Noriega has uploaded 9 CAD models & has left 10 comments.
  • Jose C A Noriega

    Jose C A Noriega over 2 years ago

    Greetings Mr. Kevin, some maximum size of the Heliostat, before deployment

    Jose C A Noriega has uploaded 9 CAD models & has left 10 comments.
  • Kesa

    Kesa over 2 years ago

    Hello Everyone. Just wanted to let you know that the end date on the challenge has been fixed. The Challenge ends on September 13th Winners are announced on the 28th

    Kesa has uploaded 3 CAD models & has left 211 comments.
  • V B

    V B over 2 years ago

    Is this a joke, what kind of cheap skates are you?? from NASA?? $3000 is taking an advantage of people

    V B has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 6 comments.
  • Dmitry Feklin

    Dmitry Feklin over 2 years ago

    V B, $ 3,000 is the salary of a senior engineer for three months in Ukraine :)

    Dmitry Feklin has uploaded 5 CAD models & has left 7 comments.
  • Andrew MT

    Andrew MT over 2 years ago

    V B, if you don't like the reward then just don't do the challenge. A week's worth of your time is not worth months of money.

    Andrew MT has uploaded 2 CAD models & has left 1 comments.
  • Guru P D

    Guru P D over 2 years ago

    Okay, I don't know about NASA. mostly I know mechanical design please send mechanical related I do well.

    Guru P D has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 2 comments.
  • Kevin Kempton

    Kevin Kempton over 2 years ago

    The challenge is written with the intent that the heliostat subsystem will always remain integrated with the rover throughout its mission. This greatly simplifies things since the rover provides many of the required capabilities needed (communications for command and control, computational resources, power conversion, mobility, provides a stable platform, etc.). Thus, you do not need a detachment system in your design. A heliostat that could operate in a standalone mode would require a lot of additional systems and you would also need a way to deploy it.
    We are looking for a credible low-cost system that has a return in investment. Think of yourself as an entrepreneur who will put a heliostat system near the Artemis basecamp and provide a service for customers who need additional solar energy/illumination to support their operations.
    What we hope to get out of the competition are innovative concepts that we can use to develop an internal IRAD proposal to get some funding for a prototype system development and also use in trade studies. This may include a follow-on competition if we are successful.

    Kevin Kempton has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 35 comments.
  • Dmitry Feklin

    Dmitry Feklin over 2 years ago

    For those who use a concave mirror.
    I'll just put links here:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curved_mirror
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focal_length

    Dmitry Feklin has uploaded 5 CAD models & has left 7 comments.
  • Ananth Narayan

    Ananth Narayan over 2 years ago

    @Kevin Sir, is it okay if I don't design rover with features but I will mention them in documentation. Also the condition for tipping when rover climbs over 10 degree clif.

    Ananth Narayan has uploaded 66 CAD models & has left 322 comments.
  • Vishal Gandhele

    Vishal Gandhele over 2 years ago

    Hi Kevin, the description says the challenge is ending on 13 September. But on top it is showing 7 days are left. So which is the deadline? 13 September or 16 September?

    Vishal Gandhele has uploaded 6 CAD models & has left 12 comments.
  • Jackson Eckenrode

    Jackson Eckenrode over 2 years ago

    We extended the deadline, so the challenge ends in 6 days.

    Jackson Eckenrode has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 2 comments.
  • Y.KRISHNA PAVAN SAI

    Y.KRISHNA PAVAN SAI over 2 years ago

    should the model be build on software or can we submit hand drawings and slides?

    Y.KRISHNA PAVAN SAI has uploaded 15 CAD models & has left 2 comments.
  • Kevin Kempton

    Kevin Kempton over 2 years ago

    Since this is GrabCAD you should have a 3D model. If you want to add some hand drawings to show features that are not readily apparent in the model that is OK.

    Kevin Kempton has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 35 comments.
  • Kevin Kempton

    Kevin Kempton over 2 years ago

    Wow!!! I am seeing a lot of outstanding entries. The judges are going to have a very tough time.

    Kevin Kempton has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 35 comments.
  • Starrow

    Starrow over 2 years ago

    Hi, I have missed the deadline of the competition, so I expose my work out of it.
    I have developed a rotary motor and torsion modules for turning the reflective canvas. Materials are being supplemented. It would be nice to get your feedback.

    NASA SUNRAY ROBOTICS COMPLEX

    Starrow has uploaded 11 CAD models & has left 77 comments.
  • Ananth Narayan

    Ananth Narayan over 2 years ago

    When will finalist be announced?

    Ananth Narayan has uploaded 66 CAD models & has left 322 comments.
  • Konstantin Kostsov

    Konstantin Kostsov over 2 years ago

    194 projects. If spend an hour on each project, and a day is a maximum of 8 hours, then we get 24 days only for viewing.

    Konstantin Kostsov has uploaded 23 CAD models & has left 32 comments.
  • Ashish Karanam

    Ashish Karanam over 2 years ago

    Hi, When will finalist results be announced?

    Ashish Karanam has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 3 comments.
  • Daniel Mikołajewski

    Daniel Mikołajewski over 2 years ago

    Let people act, when they select finalists, they will probably announce it.

    Daniel Mikołajewski has uploaded 2 CAD models & has left 5 comments.
  • Kesa

    Kesa over 2 years ago

    We will announce the Winners Tomorrow 9/23/21.

    Kesa has uploaded 3 CAD models & has left 211 comments.
  • Omar Berra

    Omar Berra over 2 years ago

    Is anyone able to see the results?

    Omar Berra has uploaded 2 CAD models & has left 1 comments.
  • Mustafa Khan

    Mustafa Khan over 2 years ago

    i too can't see the results

    Mustafa Khan has uploaded 5 CAD models & has left 8 comments.
  • Team AA - Star

    Team AA - Star over 2 years ago

    No I can't see the results too.

    Team AA - Star has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 36 comments.
  • kalob bolak

    kalob bolak over 2 years ago

    Vulkano Lunar Torch by vulkano.engineering-1 is in twice ?

    kalob bolak has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 2 comments.
  • kalob bolak

    kalob bolak over 2 years ago

    NASA ppls, my concept thought with out of the box, I would love to see a real life version of this concept. I don't think it will take that much of resources to look into it further.

    kalob bolak has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 2 comments.
  • ANOUAR BARODI

    ANOUAR BARODI over 2 years ago

    WOW !!! Thank you very much NASA and GrabCAD for choosing my concept among the finalists, Congats to all, and good luck to everyone !!!

    ANOUAR BARODI has uploaded 98 CAD models & has left 1661 comments.
  • Solar Kitchen LLC

    Solar Kitchen LLC over 2 years ago

    Yes, thank you NASA and GrabCAD! Congrats to everyone, it's enthralling looking through the extremely beautiful, textured and detailed models submitted, clearly thousands of hours of work are on display here and so much talent. Humbled that my beginner-level cad was considered among these masters. Beyond grateful, this has been a really cool and thought-provoking challenge.

    Solar Kitchen LLC has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 8 comments.
  • James G

    James G over 2 years ago

    Thanks for choosing my concept jury! Looking like there's some great competition here :)

    James G has uploaded 3 CAD models & has left 6 comments.
  • satheesh Kumar

    satheesh Kumar over 2 years ago

    I hope Juries finalized the contestants by rolling dice.
    Blind juries!!..
    There were far more better designs and innovative ideas, instead you end up choosing these... I'm really disappointed. Three fourth of the finalized concepts had same base concept. In a previous challenge, they rejected my colleague's design, but end up modifying his idea. None of the finalized designs in that challenge were used to create the prototype.

    satheesh Kumar has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 1 comments.
  • Mustafa Khan

    Mustafa Khan over 2 years ago

    i have also seen many designs that were not selected. eg the askara origami inspired design. its design was so meticulous and detailed and was also one of the most liked design from this challange.

    Mustafa Khan has uploaded 5 CAD models & has left 8 comments.
  • jordy

    jordy over 2 years ago

    I see quite a lot of models that seem pretty complicated. I assumed due to the concerns of dust a lone operation that it had to be a simple and reliable mechanism. Anyway good luck to the remaining finalists

    jordy has uploaded 6 CAD models & has left 6 comments.
  • Daniel Mikołajewski

    Daniel Mikołajewski over 2 years ago

    Congratulations!!!!
    to everyone taking part in this challenge, thank you also for choosing my concept. It is a real pleasure to compete with you !! You are great designers and many thanks for sharing our knowledge and experience on GrabCAD. I would also like to thank NASA for giving me the opportunity to participate in such challenges really great job thanks.

    Daniel Mikołajewski has uploaded 2 CAD models & has left 5 comments.
  • Yash Murthy

    Yash Murthy over 2 years ago

    Thank you NASA jury members and Grabcad community.
    This challenge was really competitive. Looking forward to take part in more such design challenges.

    Yash Murthy has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 1 comments.
  • Scott Frash

    Scott Frash over 2 years ago

    Congratulations to all. Lots of great ideas posted. Looking forward to the Q & A's!

    Scott Frash has uploaded 2 CAD models & has left 10 comments.
  • KANSARA PIYUSH

    KANSARA PIYUSH over 2 years ago

    Congratulations to all winner

    KANSARA PIYUSH has uploaded 17 CAD models & has left 11 comments.
  • Ashish Karanam

    Ashish Karanam over 2 years ago

    will this be the finalist list or any updates are there because some entries were selected twice.

    Ashish Karanam has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 3 comments.
  • Hajiba bakhti

    Hajiba bakhti over 2 years ago

    Congratulations for the winners.

    Hajiba bakhti has uploaded 166 CAD models & has left 137 comments.
  • Lauri Link

    Lauri Link over 2 years ago

    Thanks NASA and Grabcad for choosing my concept. I added a youtube link for a better overview of the mechanism https://youtu.be/M8kPrQq7wRU

    Lauri Link has uploaded 50 CAD models & has left 98 comments.
  • geo

    geo over 2 years ago

    For a device that weighs only about 70 kg on earth, I think 6 wheels are too much.
    The mechanic must not be a clockwork either and the function must simply and reliably.
    I find some winners too unrealistic.

    Still, even if I didn't win:
    Congratulations on the winners.

    geo has uploaded 54 CAD models & has left 1099 comments.
  • Dipl.Ing.Ciaba Vasile Roland

    Dipl.Ing.Ciaba Vasile Roland over 2 years ago

    Hello everybody! At first, I want to congratulate all winners.Secondly, I want to thank NASA and GrabCAD for the opportunity to work on such a project.

    Dipl.Ing.Ciaba Vasile Roland has uploaded 47 CAD models & has left 4 comments.
  • erfan

    erfan over 2 years ago

    mr geo Dear friend, the weight of each object in the month is The weight of that object on the earth ten fold .There is a balance problem in the handling of the wheels lunar torch Because the handling of each car depends on both external and internal factors 1- Car weight distribution When the weight of the car is very high, or the weight is unevenly distributed, the car tends to go straight in the corner. It is better to divide the weight of the car so that 50% of the car weight is on the rear axle and 50% on The front axle is.
    With this formula, the weight of the car is divided equally.
    2- The height of the center of gravity and the center of the car .Centrifugal force is applied to the car's center of gravity and tends to tilt the car outward.
    Also, the location of the car's center of gravity along the length of the car determines the force distribution on the front and rear axles of the car.
    When accelerating or braking, torque is applied to the vehicle's center of gravity.
    This is why the car tends to bend backwards or forwards.
    In a car in different conditions, only the downward force on the wheels changes and not the location of the center of gravity.
    Therefore, the effect of the downward force on the handling of the vehicle is different from the effect of the displacement of the center of gravity.
    When a car brakes, the downward force on the front wheels increases.
    Increasing this force on the front wheels reduces the car's handling.
    On the other hand, the downward force on the rear wheels is reduced.
    As a result, the ability of the wheels to withstand lateral forces will vary.
    Low center of gravity is one of the major benefits of cars .
    3- Car suspension system: Low-altitude vehicles with dry suspension have good handling. The four angles (camber, caster, tu, kingpin) and the height of the center of gravity are the factors that affect handling.
    4- Aerodynamic condition of the car:
    When a car has a good aerodynamic design, it means that the amount of air particles colliding with the body of the moving car is very low. The aerodynamic force is usually proportional to the square of the air velocity. Used downward force to neutralize the lift force and maintain balance in the car.
    When a car turns, it must rotate around a vertical axis.
    It also has to shift its center of gravity on an arc.
    In a sharp turn, the angular velocity of the car is high and its linear speed is low, while the angular speed is lower in a gentle turn.
    Therefore, in sharp turns, the front tires have more difficulty than gentle turns to overcome the moment of inertia of the car.
    As a result, every car tends to have low steering in sharp turns and oversteer in gentle turns.
    To compensate for this inevitable impact, car designers often try to compensate by lowering the rolling axis as well as by transferring downward aerodynamic force to the rear of the car.
    External factors affecting handling as follows
    1- Roughness and roughness of the road:
    Roughness and roughness of the road covers any roughness of the road surface, from potholes and bumps arising from local failures to deviations that result from inaccuracies in the road surface that there are rough surfaces on the moon.
    2- Wheels and tires:
    Riding characteristics are significantly dependent on tire specifications.
    The tire can be considered the point of reaction of the car with the road surface, which manages forces and vibrations.
    The tire and wheels are ideally thought to be soft and flexible to absorb vibrations from road bumps and as part of the car's isolation system.
    Also, this set should not ideally play a role in producing car vibration.
    But in practical terms, factors such as the structure of the tire, wheel, wheel hub, brake and other rotating sub-components may cause the set to be uneven:
    - Balance of crime
    - Dimensional changes
    - Hardness changes
    The result of all these unevennesses in the set of wheels and tires as a vibration source is the creation and production of vibrations in the car.
    3- Engine:
    The engine is the main source of car power
    4. Power transmission:
    The last major source of vibration in the car is the power chain system and power transmission.
    Smaller wheels make you feel better in the car, especially when it comes to driving in potholes and rough roads.
    If you are thinking of tightening your car by adding large tires, you should keep in mind that the larger the wheel, the greater the roller resistance. The more resistant something is, the more energy it takes to move it; So you need more fuel to move your car. And operations are practically difficult .Large wheels are more beautiful and comfortable, but they are not engineered. The greater the wheel radius, the heavier the rims and tires, and the more difficult it is to control their movement. To achieve a logical balance, it can be clearly said that everything has a tolerance threshold Increasing the diameter of the tire disrupts this tolerance The laws of physics must be followed .
    Increasing the wheel helps a lot in handling the car but the main problem of these friends is the planer of not knowing the roads of the moon Most of these projects have cost NASA dearly .My design consists of small wheels and consumes less energy than large wheels and creates higher handling power than large wheels, such as the movement of a mouse and an elephant. Faster has just such an example
    I hoped the referee's friends would examine these more carefully
    Thank you for your valuable efforts

    erfan has uploaded 9 CAD models & has left 11 comments.
  • Mustafa Khan

    Mustafa Khan over 2 years ago

    wasn't the whole point of the challenge to design the mirrors and the deployment mechanism. The rover will be designed in some other challenge as said in the description. however, i do agree with geo that some of the selected designs are too unrealistic.

    Mustafa Khan has uploaded 5 CAD models & has left 8 comments.
  • geo

    geo over 2 years ago

    It is an old tradition that the inventor is ridiculed and viewed as a weirdo.
    I get spat on a lot with my new products.
    And at the same time, companies always want new innovations.
    The idea with the large double bubble is stupid and yet it is a valuable contribution. I like the idea of the bubble.

    geo has uploaded 54 CAD models & has left 1099 comments.
  • Konstantin Kostsov

    Konstantin Kostsov over 2 years ago

    Colleagues, you shouldn't express your negativity. NASA specialists have a difficult task. We are making the organizers upset with our negative attitude. There are many interesting ideas shown here. The specialists do not have much time to look at all this in detail. Let people do their job, no matter how long it takes.

    Konstantin Kostsov has uploaded 23 CAD models & has left 32 comments.
  • geo

    geo over 2 years ago

    Misunderstanding: Nobody here is negative.
    In successful research, it is important to have a free opinion and to be open to concerns.
    A boss who can't listen to his employees, has employees who are only present.
    I didn't win, but I'm still happy.
    Look ahead :-)

    geo has uploaded 54 CAD models & has left 1099 comments.
  • Celso Tokarski

    Celso Tokarski over 2 years ago

    good job everyone for the fantastic ideas!!!
    even for the project that copied my idea posted a day later and was chosen for the finals, great job for considering this in the evaluation!!!

    Celso Tokarski has uploaded 2 CAD models & has left 2 comments.
  • Kesa

    Kesa over 2 years ago

    Winners will be announced Tuesday

    Kesa has uploaded 3 CAD models & has left 211 comments.
  • Mark Archambault

    Mark Archambault over 2 years ago

    What I think I'm seeing is a lot of people eager to understand the judging process. It seems a webinar type meeting would benefit both GrabCAD and the entrants. Texted questions could be filtered and the interesting ones presented to the panelists. In any case the GrabCAD community could only benefit from such a learning experience. Respectfully, Mark Archambault

    Mark Archambault has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 3 comments.
  • Ben Marken

    Ben Marken over 2 years ago

    +1 to Mark's idea. These challenges have been great.

    Ben Marken has uploaded 4 CAD models & has left 7 comments.
  • Solar Kitchen LLC

    Solar Kitchen LLC over 2 years ago

    If it's not too late, here's some additional data and ray tracing on the passive ISRU collector. The ray trace is an approximation but it's to show how the collimated light reacts to the changing of the sun altitude with facets, which is what I wanted to demonstrate, that you can keep it fairly centered on a certain area even passively.

    Here:

    https://youtu.be/xViRtogDEx4

    This cone has four slight slopes to account for the winter, spring, summer, fall slight altitude shifts of the sun, plus there are some mass calculations for the wire and reflector material, and a packing render. Very short vid.

    Even if it is too late, it was driving me crazy, of how to fix the reflector so it doesn't need any manual adjustment. In case of a major solar flare or EMP frying all the electronics, how would you keep providing light to a certain area? Maybe lives are depending on it to keep warm... That is the reasoning behind this, to see if it was possible an overhead cone would be able to keep providing light during a crisis. Or in places where you just want a fixed position signal set up permanently.

    Thank you, it was a very fun project to put this together and hopefully a useful idea.

    Solar Kitchen LLC has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 8 comments.
  • Kesa

    Kesa over 2 years ago

    Mark I will talk to the rest of the team and see about starting up a Webinar like Winners announcement so judges can talk about their process. Very cool idea.

    Kesa has uploaded 3 CAD models & has left 211 comments.
  • ANOUAR BARODI

    ANOUAR BARODI over 2 years ago

    Thanks so much NASA and GrabCAD for choosing my concept among the winners,
    it's a great honor to be among the winners.
    Congratulations to everyone !!!

    Big thanks again to NASA jury and GrabCAD.

    good luck to everyone !!!

    ANOUAR BARODI has uploaded 98 CAD models & has left 1661 comments.
  • Mark Archambault

    Mark Archambault over 2 years ago

    Thank you, Kesa

    Mark Archambault has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 3 comments.
  • Konstantin Kostsov

    Konstantin Kostsov over 2 years ago

    Congratulations to all the winners. Your projects are very interesting. Thanks to the organizers of the competition.

    Konstantin Kostsov has uploaded 23 CAD models & has left 32 comments.
  • Solar Kitchen LLC

    Solar Kitchen LLC over 2 years ago

    wow congratulations!! These are beautifully executed, and many uses for heliostats on Earth also, it doesn't just have to be for a moon application. Concentrating solar in remote locations, amplifying solar on PV panels, towers, etc. This was great fun to design, and learned something new. Thank you for hosting it GrabCAD and NASA <3

    Solar Kitchen LLC has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 8 comments.
  • James G

    James G over 2 years ago

    Congrats winners and finalists!
    Just a small request, could GrabCad fix the formatting of the results tab/page? there are still duplicates and no sections seperating winners and finalists. No biggie though. Thanks for the great competition :)

    James G has uploaded 3 CAD models & has left 6 comments.
  • Achyuth Ashok

    Achyuth Ashok over 2 years ago

    Congratulations to all the winners and other finalists. It was an honor for my amateur work to be considered along with all of your works. Thank you grabCAD and NASA for this amazing opportunity. Looking forward to more of these in the future :)

    Achyuth Ashok has uploaded 10 CAD models & has left 5 comments.
  • Daniel Mikołajewski

    Daniel Mikołajewski over 2 years ago

    CONGRATULATIONS !! great level of competition, this is my first time taking part in the NASA GrabCAD challenge, but definitely not the last. CONGRATULATIONS for the winners !!!! I look forward to more NASA challenges.

    Daniel Mikołajewski has uploaded 2 CAD models & has left 5 comments.
  • Vulkano Engineering

    Vulkano Engineering over 2 years ago

    Hi everyone!

    Now that the contest is over, we want to congratulate all the contestants for their excellent work and especially the finalists. It's crazy how an idea can be developed in so many different ways.

    Finally and once again, we want to thank GrabCAD for serving as a platform for contests like this one and all the NASA jury for trusting us and for their kind words about our work, for us it has been a challenge to carry out this project in such a short time.

    We hope to see you again in future contests.

    Greetings to all from Spain!

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ¡Hola a todos!

    Ahora que el concurso ha terminado, nos gustaría felicitar todos los concursantes por su excelente trabajo y en especial a los finalistas. Es impresionante ver cómo una idea puede materializarse de tantísimas formas diferentes.

    Por último y una vez más, queremos dar las gracias a GrabCAD por servir de plataforma a concursos como éste y a todo el jurado de la NASA por confiar en nosotros y por su amable comentario sobre nuestro trabajo, ha sido todo un reto llevar a cabo este proyecto en tan poco tiempo.

    Esperamos poder volver a veros en futuros concursos.

    ¡Un saludo desde España!

    Vulkano Engineering has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 9 comments.
  • Yohannes Solomon

    Yohannes Solomon over 2 years ago

    It was an amazing experience to be part of this competition. I have been GrabCAD member since 2016, but I haven't been uploaded a model or participated in any of grabcad challenges this was my first experience. WOW I found this an amazing journey I have lately. I am sure in future I will upload more models and try to participate in challenges. To be honest my design was performed with in a week OMG didn't expect I will be the 5th place winner, now I have got a lesson Thank you NASA, Thank you GrabCAD,Thank you the jury. Thank you applicants you all taught me a biggest lesson NEVER STOP TRYING!... I am from Africa (Ethiopia). NASA this means a lot for me and young engineers like me in Africa, thou I thank you for this opportunity.

    Yohannes Solomon has uploaded 1 CAD models & has left 4 comments.
  • Sergi Bada

    Sergi Bada over 2 years ago

    This project has been completely sci-fi. Thank you GrabCAD and NASA! Congratulations to the winners, your works are formidable.

    Sergi Bada has uploaded 3 CAD models & has left 38 comments.
  • Mickey Gole

    Mickey Gole over 2 years ago

    Congrats to All the Winners ! and All Finalists too ! and Also All those who worked hard to Submit Entries to this Contest. This was an Excellent contest and was great to see all the Innovative ideas and the Exquisite work that was on display
    Many thanks to NASA & GRABCAD for hosting this competition.

    Also Thank You NASA for Selecting my entry "Heliora" as one of the Finalists and a Special Thank You to All those who liked my Design.

    Mickey Gole has uploaded 39 CAD models & has left 273 comments.
  • Lauren Fell

    Lauren Fell over 2 years ago

    Congratulations to the winners! Some amazing and detailed concepts! Was such a great experience participating in this challenge and looking forward to more in the future. Well done everyone and thanks to NASA for providing this opportunity.

    Lauren Fell has uploaded 7 CAD models & has left 23 comments.
  • Mahfuoz Mahfuoz

    Mahfuoz Mahfuoz over 2 years ago

    مبروك للفائزين

    Mahfuoz Mahfuoz has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 1 comments.
  • Jerry Chukwuowo

    Jerry Chukwuowo over 2 years ago

    Congratulations to the winners

    Jerry Chukwuowo has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 1 comments.
  • Yasin Aydin (GC Staff)

    Yasin Aydin (GC Staff) about 2 years ago

    Congratulations to the winners

    Yasin Aydin (GC Staff) has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 91 comments.
  • Hassan Saeed

    Hassan Saeed about 2 years ago

    SHAME ON YOU NASA FOR GIVING SUCH A LOW PRIZE VALUE

    Hassan Saeed has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 1 comments.
  • july bugador

    july bugador almost 2 years ago

    HAHAHHAHAHA

    july bugador has uploaded 2 CAD models & has left 3 comments.
  • Kevin Kempton

    Kevin Kempton 12 months ago

    I wanted to point out a new heliostat challenge sponsored by the US Department of Energy in case some of the Lunar Torch challengers were interested...https://www.herox.com/heliostat

    Kevin Kempton has uploaded 0 CAD models & has left 35 comments.

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  • Deadline Passed
  • Total entries 175
  • Who’s in the jury?
  • Adrian Stoica
    JPL
  • Aaron Olson
    NASA KSC
  • Marco B. Quadrelli
    JPL
  • Kevin Kempton
    NASA STMD

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