Space rake

Space rake
x = 22, y = 19, rule = B3/S23 11b2o5b4o$9b2ob2o3bo3bo$9b4o8bo$10b2o5bo2bo2$8bo$7b2o8b2o$6bo9bo2bo$7b 5o4bo2bo$8b4o3b2ob2o$11bo4b2o4$18b4o$o2bo13bo3bo$4bo16bo$o3bo12bo2bo$b 4o! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ AUTOSTART ]]
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Pattern type	Rake Puffer
Number of cells	65
Bounding box	22 × 19
Direction	Orthogonal
Period	20
Speed	c/2
Discovered by	Probably Bill Gosper
Year of discovery	Unknown
Pattern files Plaintext spacerake.cells RLE spacerake.rle

Space rake is a period 20 forward glider rake constructed around 1971 and was the first known rake. It consists of an ecologist with a lightweight spaceship added to turn its dying debris into gliders.

Note that if the back lightweight spaceship is flipped vertically and moved down by one cell, then this becomes a period 20 backward glider rake, as shown below. When it hits a wall, it fires a glider in the other direction, and creates a block and a beehive.

Image gallery

The backward version of the space rake RLE: here

External links

• Space rake at the Life Lexicon