Tripod Lunar Landing Structure is a project that requires students to design, build and Students perform last minute preparation of structure before testing on a hydrolic press test a simple tripod truss which would simulate, on a small scale, a lunar landing structure. The prescribed height of the tripod was 18 inches and its total weight could not exceed 7.5 pounds. Students were encouraged to invent their own truss structure connecting the top three strong-points to the lower three. Testing of student-designed Tripod Lunar Landing Structures took place on a simple testing machine made from an existing hydraulic press and a carefully calibrated load cell.
Nervous students watch as their structure undergoes testing.
Mechanical Engineering student Kristen Murphy models her Tripod Landing Structure design.