Astro

Astro is a 3.5 x 2 x 2 feet rover that is designed to collect lunar soil. It uses a camera that can turn 360° to survey areas and a satellite that can turn in any direction to communicate. Astro has a solar panel that can tilt and change directions to face the sun if the rover is unable to move. It has six wheels, three on each side, each made of aluminum. The wheels can individually move to help it more easily navigate over rough terrain and lower and raise the rover. To collect soil, Astro lowers a retractable plow that opens to allow the rocks to come into the body of the rover while it moves forward. It also has an arm that helps push in regolith instead of the rover needing to move forward. Once the regolith is in, it’s compresses it to make more room.