1. Human-Powered Transportation
The NASA Great Moonbuggy Race
Powder River Engineering
Brittany Fain Andrew Robbins
Jared Houfek David Wenig
Abstract
In 1994, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) created the first Great Moonbuggy Race to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Apollo lunar landing. The race was conducted at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The task facing the collegiate competitors was to design, construct, and race their human-powered vehicles on a course simulating lunar terrain. Fifteen years later, this competition has become an annual event. With the help of sponsors like Northrop Grumman Corporation, Jacobs, and Boeing, NASA continues to offer this unique challenge to students around the world.
Race Results
4th place out of 28 competitors
Time: 5:15
Missed 3rd place by 1 second
Jacobs ESTS Group “Most Improved” Award
(798 seconds faster than last year’s time)
No design or race penalties
No repairs between races.
Design Specifications
Two passenger capacity*
Human-powered*
Collapsible (4’x4’x4’ volume)*
4’ maximum assembled width*
15” minimum ground clearance*
15’ maximum turning radius*
Equipped with the following:*
Simulated TV camera
Simulated antenna
Simulated batteries (2)
Fenders
Simulated radio console
National or school flag
Assembled in 30 sec or less
Design Improvements
Weight: less than 150 lbs.
15” min. ground clearance*
15’ max. turning radius*
Stability
30º front & side slopes
18” deep craters
Rocks (1 cubic foot)
Passenger seat restraints
NOTE: * denotes NASA design specification
Required
Central Joint
friction reducing
hardware
better lubrication
Seats
better material
stiffeners/supports
IHG Mounting Brackets
thicker
harder material
Optimizing
Improve Set-Up Time
more “automatic”
internally sprung pins
Clip-less Pedals and Shoes
keeps feet attached
allows pulling on upstroke
3) Minimize Mechanical Drag
use shielded bearings instead
of sealed bearings
Costs
Key Design Aspects
Articulated Design – three degrees of freedom
(steering, obstacle navigation, collapsibility)
Independent all wheel drive and braking
Reversed rear drive train – efficient, “natural” pedaling
Credits
FRONT
REAR
Mr. Scott Morton, Dr. Nancy Peck, Dr. David Walrath
Mechanical Engineering Department Office
Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium
UW Engineering Machine Shop
Brandon Snelson
Fine Edge