Mission Concept of Inflatable Tetrahedron Rover for Lava Tube Entry

In the coming decades, humanity seeks to explore more of the Moon, with plans of extended exploration for longer durations. Dangerous conditions on the Moon's surface, such as extreme temperatures, radiation, and micrometeorite impacts, threaten both humans and robotic systems. Lunar lava tubes and craters may provide a suitable solution to these dangers, but they have yet to be explored. Descending into a lava tube or crater also challenges the system to survive long drops and steep descents. A rover with unique mobility is needed to traverse the lunar terrain and survive the descent through the skylight entrance of the lava tube. The tetrahedron rover is designed with lunar surface travel in mind. Due to its uncommon shape, the rover has unique mobility allowing extreme exploration. It is equipped with large inflatable wheels to offer buoyancy and traction across the fine lunar regolith. These wheels act in sets of three on all sides of the rover body. Their swerve drive capability allows for the rover to move in any direction. It is designed to operate on any side of its tetrahedral shape, allowing the vehicle itself to rotate and tumble across the surface. This gives additional operational advantages beyond the traditional wheeled rolling rover. Because of its inflatable nature, the rover is an ideal choice for exploring craters and lava tubes. Additional inflatable bladders expand during falls and steep descents to protect against impacts. The unique mobility capabilities of the inflatable tetrahedron rover allow the exploration of new lunar destinations.