![]() ![]() “Of course, it’s not feasible for us to go to the moon to test out the rover, come back to earth and make design changes to the vehicle, and then return to the moon,” Negrut says. Negrut sees computer simulation as a powerful tool for solving engineering problems, especially in cases where it’s too expensive or impractical to conduct actual tests out in the field. This software allows the researchers to model complex mechanical systems, such as full rovers operating on deformable soil. They are leveraging Project Chrono, an open-source physics simulation engine developed at UW-Madison in collaboration with scientists from Italy. To help tackle this challenge, Negrut and his students are working on a NASA-funded project to simulate how the VIPER rover will travel on the moon’s surface. “NASA wants to avoid the catastrophic failure that happened when the Spirit rover got stuck in sand on Mars and was unable to free itself, ending its mission,” says Dan Negrut, the Mead Witter Foundation Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UW-Madison. ![]() When vehicles drive across extraterrestrial surfaces, they risk getting stuck in rocky areas or in soft terrain. NASA is planning a 2023 mission to send the VIPER rover to the moon, where it will traverse the lunar surface as it searches for ice-and University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers are helping to ensure the rover is able to remain on task. ![]()
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