"...One can always imagine obstacles that any one particular rover design might not be able to handle..."

All mars rovers' movements must be "planned" for days due to earth-mars radio delay.

Moonrovers, thanks to "one-second" only radio-delay, can be driven in real-time.

This is a GIANT advantage (for space/time moon exploration) of moonrovers vs. mars rovers but may increase the problems that a rovers may have during moon travel.

A Segway-based design may help if some unexpected problems will happen.


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Moonrovers' Prize Competition www.gaetanomarano.it/moonprize/moonprize.html

Segway technology is very interesting to build a moonrover but there are two other aspects of my idea that may be VERY GOOD for Segway company and Segway communities:

1. Segway can't build and launch 200+ moonrovers for a complete moon exploration (as explained in the "Vision for Moonrovers' Exploration" on my website), but, if Segway's moonrovers' technology will works well, Segway can sell it to other companies and labs that can simply add their own instruments to a "base-rover" to meet their planned exploration's targets!

2. Thanks to Segway's moonrovers, Segway technology and Segway products may become MUCH MORE known and popular than now, so, Segway LLC will sell MUCH MORE Segways and, thanks to scale-economy, its unit price will finally FALL VERY MUCH to become affordable for a larger number of users!

I hope that at Segway LLC some will read this post and follow my suggestion!



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Moonrovers' Prize Competition www.gaetanomarano.it/moonprize/moonprize.html

Any way you slice it, and especially for all those spandex wearing bicycle enthusiasts that are so frequently bashing segs, I don't know what the rover will look like but I feel it will surely not be a bicycle! (Unless, of course, someone comes up with a spandex spacesuit!)

Karl Ian Sagal

Each road you travel should be just a bit better for having had you pass.

Rumor has it that the next generation of lunar rovers will be built by Mattel.

JohnM
Anything worth doing for 2 hours is 10 times more worthwhile if done for 20 hours.
RUSA #235

Why not?

A "1st generation" moonrover (travels and 3D images only) may be VERY SIMPLE and made with:

- movable 3D camera with 8 Mpixels' "eyes"
- litium batteries
- solar panels
- four/six metallic wheels
- four/six stepper motors
- little parabolic antenna
- digital radio TX/RX
- control computer
- gyroscopic system (for Segway version)

all running controls and image memory may be on earth and don't need to be on the rover, so, its weight may be only around 200 lbs.!

of course, all rovers' parts may be "military-grade" (made for very high and low temperatures and better MTBF), but the moonrovers' unit cost may be less than $500,000 each!

the real high cost is the rocket to launch it that, to-day, starts from $15 million of a 1000 lbs. payload Pegasus to $20-30 million of 2-3 tons payload launchers

that price are TOO MUCH for me (and probably for you) but NOT for THOUSANDS little-mid companies around the world!

BIG COMPANIES SPEND MUCH MORE THAN $20 BILLION PER WEEK ONLY FOR ADVERTISING!


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Moonrovers' Prize Competition www.gaetanomarano.it/moonprize/moonprize.html

In my moonprize's webpage I've added an image of a "private moonrover" with a possible (well known) Sponsor www.gaetanomarano.it/moonprize/moonprize.html

Of course, since the cost of a moonrover will be low and its prestige very high, many big and mid Companies may send on the moon their own rovers with their own Logos and Colors... Coca Cola, Pepsi, McDonald's, Microsoft, Virgin, Segway, Oracle, Lufthansa, BMW, etc.

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Moonrovers' Prize Competition www.gaetanomarano.it/moonprize/moonprize.html

before we put segway on the moon, we might want to put a few more on EARTH!

....for as long as I can STAND....

Uhhh.....guys.....I think he's serious........wow.
Wayne
(who definetly doesn't have THAT much time on his hands)

Segway of Alberta - Calgary
www.mysegway.ca

if Segway LLC spends a few millions to develop a Segway-derived moonrover and launch it on the moon with a ready available rocket, it will give a global popularity to Segway that may help to sell much more units than now (and fall its price)


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Moonrovers' Prize Competition www.gaetanomarano.it/moonprize/moonprize.html

I'm very serious about moonrovers, in these days I'm sending emails to universities, magazines and companies around the world to search "developers", "competitors" and "sponsors" for the prize

also, in next weeks, I will design the moonrovers' prize RULES (1.0) and (probably in january 2006) I will propose (and publish on my website) some ideas about a possible moonrover design and mission steps

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Moonrovers' Prize Competition www.gaetanomarano.it/moonprize/moonprize.html