Inching across the Moon in the Lunar Worm

Fil Salustri found an article that described the Aeronutronic study in the mid-1960s to develop a 'Lunar Worm'.  At the time, the composition of the lunar surface was unknown.  Three designs were explored: extension-contraction mobility, rib-walking and traveling wave.  The traveling wave method turned out to have the most desirable characteristics.  Applications included a lunar shelter, an unmanned exploration vehicle and an manned extended-range roving habitat.  In the end, the 'Lunar Rover' was the design that went to the moon.

The article is not specific on the depth of analogy used by the Aeronutronic team.  The article mentions concerns about abrasion-resistant materials, a solution that worms have solved but in a context very different from the lunar environment.  Chapter 11 and 12 of Biologically Inspired Design: Computational Methods and Tools point out the challenges of ignoring the context of biomimetic innovations.

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