The last time we considered temperatures, or heat in particular, we were concerned with spreading or getting rid of it as much as possible.
“During the lunar day the moon is just like an oven. Fourteen terran days since the begin-ning of the lunar day, things are finally changing a bit. It’s growing increasingly cool, even chilly. The sun is long past its zenith and draws ominously close to the horizon. What I need now is a warm spot to spend the lunar night and wait for morning when the sun’s rays wake me. Or I can turn on the heater, switch cameras to night vision and grind on without rest. Unfortunately I’m on the moon. Warm spots in the cold lunar night are real scarce, and power for the heater should come from the solar panels and the sun, which is going away for 14 terran days. Oh, what were my creators thinking!?”
– Asimov, Lunar Rover
What can we do to prevent out little robot’s despair? We have been discussing for a while how our rover Asimov can survive the lunar night. We came up with a few options, but they are complex and difficult to explain, and neither of them may be the final answer. That’s why we want to pose the question to you: How can Asimov survive the fourteen-(terran-)daylong ice age on the moon? What are good strategies?
We will collect and analyze your answers, and follow up with another blog post that discusses the various submitted concepts. We will highlight which ones are good or which problems they may have.
Work out your strategies and send your ideas to blog@part-time-scientists.com. If you have ques-tions, see if you can find the answer yourself. If not, send them in, but we may not reply in time for the next blog post. We’re looking forward to your submissions!
A parting hint: just standing still and freezing is a possible strategy; it’s the simplest one. However, it is also the riskiest, since the probability of simply not waking up the next morning is quite high.
