book about humans on alien ice planet using robots like avatars?

[CaptainAmerica109]

trying to locate a book I read years ago. Cannot remember the title or author. But I remember the premise being a group of scientist/astronauts are on a frozen planet (?) inhabited with smaller bug like aliens. I believe they had to use small robots built to look like them that they communicated through and learned about/lived with the aliens. I remember there being some type celebration happening and many of the aliens dying and the humans trying to save them. I think the female aliens wore veils to cover their mouths, as it was improper to see their mouths outside of their home. I know that's not a lot to go on. Thanks for any insight, been close to 20 years since I read it. Might be making it all up lol.

 

[Parson]

Does the book you are thinking of take place on a moon in our solar system? Are the aliens unknowingly producing a "fizzle" atomic bomb. When the alien atomic waste (the aliens have atomic hearts and the waste they excrete is radioactive) reaches a certain level their "city" is revealed as a space ship and blasts away due to the "low" level atomic explosion. The humans help one town do this unwittingly by providing one of the inhabitants with an "encyclopedia" and the bug like aliens win a victory with a foot bow? ---- This sounds like the same book to me, if so it might give someone else a chance to remember the title and the author, which unfortunately I do not.

 

[chrispenycate]

The book Parson is specifying is Robert L. Forward's 'Camelot 30K' And the body is not so much a planet or a moon - our closest word is 'comet', but we tend to think of those charging into the inner system in glory, not sitting in the outer dark for all eternity. Some Arthurian references. (Hero 'Merlene')

 

[CaptainAmerica109]

Yes!!! That's it! Thank you both!