TransFormers (TF) are adaptive, shape-changing robotic systems that transform a region of an extreme environment, by projecting energy to it, making it milder at the targeted locale, with less environmental constraints on robots or humans operating there. This paper focuses on TF that project solar energy into dark and cold areas, such as permanently shaded craters, to provide illumination and heat and enable long-duration low-cost missions. Thus, TF offer an attractive solution for operations in ice-harboring craters on polar regions of the Moon or Mercury, and caves on Mars and lava tubes on Moon, of high interest not only for great scientific value, but also as shielded habitats for human bases. We performed high-level analysis of four mission scenarios. For a mission scenario involving operations up to 10km deep into the Moon's Shackleton crater at below 80K temperatures we performed optical and thermal analyses to provide 300VV of power to the solar panels of an MSL-class rover. The area of TFs reflecting sunlight from the rim must be more than ~1000m~2 . A network of TFs would form the backbone of an integrated Solar Power Infrastructure, in which the combined illumination provided to regions of interest is continuous, even though none of the individual TransFormers is continuously illuminated year-round. A Lunar South Pole Solar Power Infrastructure around Shackleton Crater is briefly introduced.
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