NASA is testing a robot that will revolutionize space technology and be able to work on the moon at -173 degrees Celsius

By: Maksim Panasovskiy | 09.12.2022, 21:14
NASA is testing a robot that will revolutionize space technology and be able to work on the moon at -173 degrees Celsius

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has begun testing a robotic device that will travel to the moon in the future.

Here's What We Know

The robot is called the Cold Operable Lunar Deployable Arm or simply COLDArm. It is a manipulator that will be installed at the South Pole of the Moon, where NASA plans to land astronauts in the Artemis program. There will also be a U.S. (and Chinese) lunar base there.

The robotic arm has a telling name. It is designed to operate in the extremely low temperatures that prevail at the Moon's South Pole. NASA says that COLDArm will be able to perform its tasks even if the temperature drops to -173 degrees Celsius.

The robot will lose some of the heaters that keep the lubricant at the right temperature for operation. Instead, NASA uses cold-resistant materials and innovative technologies that almost triple the energy consumption and reduce the heating time of the systems by 120 minutes.

COLDArm got several heaters for electronics and other components of the robot. The device is able to function in unmanned mode and in remote control mode. To create a robot, NASA specialists used the experience from the project of the Martian helicopter Ingenuity, which last week made its 35th flight. COLDArm project will be completed by the end of the decade.

Source: NASA