[Rick Wagner]

It seems to me that there are two competing defensive strategies in autonomous mode. On the regolith, the robots will accelerate at less than a tenth of a g, so a good payload specialist (PS) should be able to get two or three balls into the trailer before it moves out of range. One strategy is to drive straight away, but this leaves the trailer exposed in the best attitude for scoring by the opposing PS. It might be a better strategy to spin on center to put the trailer behind the robot as quickly as possible and then back away from the PS. IF the robot is five feet tall, it will block the trailer from all but the highest arc shots.

Spinning quickly on center is problematic, especially since the trailer wheels will be on carpet in the starting position. This maneuver might best be performed by first pulling the trailer up onto the regolith, and then spinning on center 180 degrees.