Spidernaut prototype at NASA
Say “Oh God, please don’t become sentient” to NASA’s newest technological wonder, the Spidernaut!
After realizing that their newest space science platforms and vehicles would be too fragile to deploy as self-contained payloads, NASA engineers were inspired by the structure of arachnid climbers, whose multi-point stance makes them perfect for overcoming the unique challenges faced by Extra-Vehicular Robots (EVR).
The Spidernaut’s eight-legged design allows her to maintain “simply-supported footholds,” something that spreads the weight of climbing loads more evenly across space structures. It is designed to carry or transport large payloads and materials, and could eventually be used to deploy “webs” of space tethers that could help cross challenging structural spans.
While the Spidernaut is currently only a prototype at the Johnson Space Center, the success of its design could definitely impact the future of EVRs and space structures.
Bonus Image:
Apollo 13 red phone
While we couldn’t devote a whole article to this piece of NASA history, a close-up of the famous red phone was simply too amazing not to share. The red phone was Mission Control’s direct link to the president/Department of Defense—it has no dial, because it only called one number, and only for extreme emergencies. Now, it is mostly remembered because of the infamous Apollo 13 mission.
These images were taken by editors from Electronic Products, who have joined the winners of Littelfuse’s Speed2Design contest and are presently taking a tour of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
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