Mobile Obstacle Overcoming Surface Explorer (MOOSE)

Faculty Advisor: Erik Knudsen

Industry Mentor: Ursa Major

Summary: The project under Professor Knudsen is based upon the future needs of moon and mars missions. The project ask is to design four different rovers to complete various tasks around an obstacle course within a one hour time limit. These include crossing a canyon, collecting regolith from a crater, and assembling a berm for a future spacecraft launch. The section is divided into four groups of nine to ten people. 

The task for the M.O.O.S.E team is to assemble a berm around a launch pad that is six feet in diameter and one foot high. To do this, we are building a rover from scratch. This rover is designed to be able to stack six inch foam blocks for this berm. While creating this rover, we need to keep in mind size, cost, and weight requirements outlined in the project guidelines. 

We also need to keep in mind how easily parts can be machined and assembled. The team will need to create custom electronics and communications as well. This project will also involve a lot of CAD and analysis that our team will need to perform. Progress is tracked and documented with two design reviews in the fall semester and a fall final report. Construction of the rover will be done during the spring semester.