Selene: A Lunar Voyage

Goddess of the Moon



Always seen carrying a torch, the Roman Goddess Selene lit the way for those to follow. As the moon lights the night sky on Earth, we hope that our revolutionary concept and design will shine a light inspiring future lunar missions.

Selene will be sent to accomplish several tasks during her mission. She will explore the moon, brave extreme temperatures, and capture images unlike those seen before.

Given the guidelines of Google Lunar X Prize, we hope to highlight a new method for lunar excursions. Our challenge was to effectively land on the surface of the moon, roam for a minimum of 500 meters, and compile a Mooncast. The Mooncast, consisting of a High Definition (HD) video, along with a 360 degree panoramic picture, and a photograph of our rover will then be sent back to Earth. We will also undertake the additional goals of collecting samples relating back to the Apollo Missions and surviving a frigid lunar night.

Overall, Selene will travel across the surface of the moon, utilize modern technology in order to send data back to Earth, undertake special challenges, and, most importantly, set a precedent for future rovers to follow.

Blasting from the Past and Propelling to the Future

Inspiration for Selene was drawn mainly from the past, present and future lunar rovers such as the Chinese rovers. The most current Chinese rover is set to be deployed in 2012. Like other Mars rovers, this rover will also have six-wheels. Created by a team at Shanghai Aerospace System Engineering Institute, this rover is capable of moving at a reported 100 meters per hour. The most interesting part of this design is its power system, which consists of a standard solar cell array as well as a nuclear power source, allowing the rover to operate continuously during a lunar night and even in the shade.

In addition, the Mars Exploration Rovers were launched on June 10 and July 7, 2003, and arrived on the Martian surface on January 3 and January 24, 2004. They were sent on a mission to collect and characterize various types of rocks and soil and look for signs of water. These robots used a variety of technology to help reach their goal. One of these instruments is the Microscopic Imager, which was used to take close up and high resolution pictures of the terrain. A material that was mandatory for this robot was the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer. This is used to analyze the elements that are in the soil and the rocks.