University of Vermont Enters NASA's
Fifth Annual Great Moon Buggy Race

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Professor Tony Keller of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Vermont (UVM) and Co-Director of the Vermont Space Grant Consortium, heads a team of UVM students that are designing and constructing a moon-rover type vehicle. The vehicle will participate in NASA's Fifth Annual Great Moon Buggy Race that is to be held at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama during April of 1997. UVM's entry, nicknamed the MOONCAT, has completed in the Great Moon Buggy Race for the last two years. The MOONCAT design has shown steady improvement over the past two years with a sixth place finish out of the 16 nationwide colleges and universities entered the first year of competition and a fourth place finish (in both time and the newly established design portion) out of over 20 competitors in last year's race. This year's team will be making major modification to the MOONCAT to improve the vehicle's performance in the competition with guidance from previous UVM Moon Buggy Race participants.

The moon buggies are two person, human-powered machines that must be able to be dismantled and placed into a maximum volume of 4'x4'x4'. During the competition, the two riders, one male and one female, must carry the dismantled buggy 20 feet to the starting line, assemble the vehicle, and then power the craft over a course that simulates lunar terrain. The teams are ranked by combining the vehicle assembly time with the time required to traverse the simulated lunar course. First prize is a trip to NASA's Kennedy Space Center to witness a Space Shuttle launch. In addition to the time prizes a design competition was started last year (1997).

UVM's design incorporates a variety of interesting and unique engineering aspects. First, the MOONCAT utilizes a reciprocating up-and-down motion, similar to walking, to power the vehicle rather than the traditional cyclical motion of a bicycle. The MOONCAT's reciprocating design reduces the range of movement necessary to power the vehicle when compared to a tradition bicycle. This reduced range of motion makes the astronaut's job of powering the MOONCAT easier since the currently used spacesuits significantly limit an astronaut's motion. Additionally, the treadles (the pedals of a reciprocating vehicle) provide a large foot area for moon boots and permit easy loading and unloading of astronauts. Second, the MOONCAT uses front and rear wheel drive providing an easier traverse over the rough lunar surface. Third, the front and rear sections are joined by a flexible connection that allows for rotational and flexural motion, thus all four wheels remain in contact with the ground and a smoother ride is provided. Another important design feature is that the rear rider of the MOONCAT stands while the front rider sits allowing a clear forward view for both riders. Further, the riders can adjust both front and rear seat positions for individual comfort. Finally, a wheel can be added to the front section of the MOONCAT allowing a single rider to traverse the lunar landscape alone on a three-wheeled vehicle.

Past and present MOONCAT teams consist of undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of disciplines such as mechanical, civil, and biomedical engineering, computer science, biology, and business. Previous year's team sponsors that donated parts, consulting, and labor included Treadle Power Inc., Champion Cycles, TRI-ANGLE Metal Fabrication, BF Goodrich Aerospace, SACHS bicycle components, Shimano America Corporation, Bike E Corporation, Michelin Tire Company, Dexter Axle, UVM Instrumentation and Model Facility, UVM Bookstore, B&M Auto Parts, and Queen City Steel. Monetary donations were provided by the Vermont Space Grant Consortium, UVM College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department, and American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

For more information about the MOONCAT, contact:

Professor Tony Keller
119 Votey Building, Burlington, VT 05405
E-Mail: keller@emba.uvm.edu
Phone: (802) 656-1936
Fax: (802) 656-4441

Mark Miller
119 Votey Building, Burlington, VT 05405
E-Mail: mmiller@emba.uvm.edu
Phone: (802) 656-4436
Fax: (802) 656-4441