Engadget

X Prize adopts NASA guidelines for protecting lunar heritage sites, Buzz Aldrin punch averted

Jason Hidalgo — Fri, 25 May 2012 00:19:00 EST

NASA hopes that one small step by Google's Lunar X Prize will eventually lead to a giant leap in protecting historical sites on the moon. The X Prize Foundation announced that it will adopt guidelines released by the space agency last year to help preserve lunar heritage sites. The move comes at a crucial time as a new space race increases the possibility of an imminent moon landing, according to NASA. Google's Lunar X Prize alone currently has 26 contestants worldwide vying to land a robot on the lunar surface by 2015. NASA stressed that their recommendations aren't law and "do not represent mandatory U.S. or international requirements." Examples include approach and landing guidelines to minimize disturbance, contamination and degradation of Apollo mission sites. That certainly sounds more reasonable than, say, plopping some dude in a spacesuit at a lunar outpost to shoot trespassers with a plasma shotgun while yelling, "Get off my property!" In the meantime, feel free to mosey on over to the PR after the break.

Continue reading X Prize adopts NASA guidelines for protecting lunar heritage sites, Buzz Aldrin punch averted

X Prize adopts NASA guidelines for protecting lunar heritage sites, Buzz Aldrin punch averted originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 00:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

NASA's GRAIL spacecraft begin the process of staring way too hard at the moon

Darren Murph — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 23:26:00 EST

NASA's overall initiatives may be throttled, but the Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft haven't heard of any such limitations. These guys have officially started their collection mission, orbiting the moon for the next 80-some-odd days in order to obtain a high-resolution map of the lunar gravitational field. Why? Humans told 'em too, of course. Outside of the conventional knee-jerk response, scientists are also hoping to grok more about the moon's "internal structure and composition," and perhaps even get a better understanding of how "Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed and evolved." Cleverly, the GRAIL mission's twin machines are named Ebb and Flow (thanks to a group of youngsters in Bozeman, Montana), and while it's not being made public, we wouldn't be shocked to hear that the whole thing is being covertly funded by Sir Richard Branson. The moon is totally the next hot real estate market, right?

Continue reading NASA's GRAIL spacecraft begin the process of staring way too hard at the moon

NASA's GRAIL spacecraft begin the process of staring way too hard at the moon originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 23:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

NASA's GRAIL spacecrafts enter Moon's orbit, set to map its gravitational field in March

Joe Pollicino — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:29:00 EST

Way back in September, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory sent a duo of Lockheed Martin-produced spacecraft toward one of its favorite test subjects, the Moon, as a part of its GRAIL mission -- Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory. Now, nearly four months later, the administration has announced that the GRAIL-A and -B twin crafts have planted themselves within our Moon's orbit. According to NASA, they're currently in "a near-polar, elliptical orbit with an orbital period of approximately 11.5 hours," and it plans to execute more "burn maneuvers" in the coming weeks to shorten that time frame to less than two. By March, the research crafts will be positioned in a "near-polar, near-circular orbit" 34 miles above its surface, at which point they'll begin surveying its gravitational pull, by using radio signals to determine the distance between both units.

With this information, NASA hopes to better understand how gravity works, both above and below the Moon's surface, by detailing the findings in a high-resolution map. NASA also says that scientists can utilize it to get further insight into how our planets formed. Notably, both spacecraft feature a MoonKAM (Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students), that will allow students request pictures of specific areas the lunar surface for later study. Best of all, using NASA's "Eyes on the Solar System" web app, you'll be able to follow the paths of both spaceships in detail. You'll find full details about the GRAIL mission at the source links below.

NASA's GRAIL spacecrafts enter Moon's orbit, set to map its gravitational field in March originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Space Adventures will shoot you (and your ego) to the moon for $150 million

Michael Gorman — Sun, 08 May 2011 08:11:00 EST

Y'know, there are only so many pristine beaches and spectacular slopes one can see before terrestrial tourism becomes blasé. That's why Space Adventures -- who lets folks vacay in space via suborbital jaunts -- is offering to shoot you to the moon during your next work sabbatical. Amateur astronauts won't actually land on the lunar surface, of course, but their Soyuz spacecraft will get within 62 miles of it. To indulge in your lunar fantasy, it'll only cost you 150 million bucks, or roughly the GDP of a [insert small island nation here]. One of the two seats is already taken, but the company needs another would-be moon man or lunar lady before the trip's a go. The only thing stopping us (and everyone we know) from signing up is an empty bank account -- does Fastweb do spaceflight scholarships?

Space Adventures will shoot you (and your ego) to the moon for $150 million originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 May 2011 08:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

McGill University researchers show off lunar rover prototype with unique 'iRing' wheels

Donald Melanson — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 04:14:00 EST

We've already seen researchers at the University of Chicago and Cornell use coffee grounds to develop an entirely different type of robotic hand, and it looks like some folks at McGill University in Montreal, Canada have also been taking a similar approach to quite literally reinvent the wheel. That's being done as part of the Lunar Exploration Light Rover (or LELR) project, which is aiming to build a lunar rover that's light and able to navigate difficult terrain (i.e. the surface of the moon) with ease. One of the key aspects of that, of course, are the wheels, and the McGill researchers' solution is something called the "iRing" -- a wheel made of a chainmail-type fabric and filled with "granular particulate matter" (or tiny pieces of metal). That creates a wheel that's heavy and sturdy enough to avoid bouncing around on the moon, but still flexible enough to absorb shocks and overcome any obstacles. Will it actually wind up on the moon? That remains to be seen, but the researchers expect the final prototype of the complete rover (which could even carry a crew) to be complete in the spring of 2012. Be sure to hit up the via link below for the best look at the rover on video.

McGill University researchers show off lunar rover prototype with unique 'iRing' wheels originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 04:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Visualized: NASA's lunar laser light show

Donald Melanson — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 04:41:00 EST

NASA's been quietly shooting lasers at the moon -- and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, specifically -- for some time now, but it only just opened its Laser Ranging Facility at the Goddard Space Flight Center to the public this weekend and, as you can see, it didn't fail to put on a show. Of course, the lasers do more than provide the backdrop for all-night NASA raves (we're guessing), they also measure the precise location of the LRO and ensure the accuracy of the lunar maps its generates.

Visualized: NASA's lunar laser light show originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 04:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

NASA successfully tests autonomous lunar lander navigation system, codename GENIE (video)

Sean Hollister — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 21:33:00 EST

Robonaut2 may have fantastic biceps, but raw muscle won't put a ~~man~~ humanoid on the moon -- that takes rockets. Rockets like the one in this RR-1 prototype lander, recently outfitted with a Guidance Embedded Navigator Integration Environment (GENIE) system to let the craft safely descend to the lunar surface. On June 23rd, NASA and partner Armadillo Aerospace put the system to the test, hoping it could figure out the complex algorithms necessary to process volumes of data from the laser altimeter, GPS and inertial sensors, and quickly enough to steer the rocket engine accordingly... but the machine performed like a charm. See its first solo flight in an inspiring, flame-filled video after the break, and skip to 4:12 for the good stuff.

Continue reading NASA successfully tests autonomous lunar lander navigation system, codename GENIE (video)

NASA successfully tests autonomous lunar lander navigation system, codename GENIE (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Jul 2010 21:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Researchers tout plans for moon greenhouse, Silent Running sequel

Donald Melanson — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:04:00 EST

The Google Lunar X Prize obviously hasn't drawn quite the same number of competitors as some of the more Earthbound X Prizes, but it looks like things are starting to heat up a little bit, with Paragon Space Development recently teaming up with Odyssey Moon in an effort to deploy the first greenhouse on the surface of moon. Specifically, the team is hoping to grow a Brassica plant (a member of the mustard family) in a pressurized greenhouse like the one picture above, and possibly even see the plant re-seed itself within a single Lunar day (or 14 Earth days), which just so happens to coincide with the average growth period for the plant on Earth. Of course, that would only be one small part of the X Prize mission, which first and foremost requires teams to safely land a craft, send some live video back to Earth, travel at least 500 meters, send some more video, and carry a payload. So, still a little ways off, but don't let that stop you from checking out the (autoplaying) video after the break, in which Paragon's Taber MacCallum (a Biosphere veteran himself) explains the project to the folks at Engineering TV.

Continue reading Researchers tout plans for moon greenhouse, Silent Running sequel

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Researchers tout plans for moon greenhouse, Silent Running sequel originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Odyssey Moon hopes to bring lunar payloads to the masses with MoonOne

Joseph L. Flatley — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:27:00 EST

Looks like our civilian space agency is serious about getting their little robot outpost on the moon, and now they've teamed up with a company called Odyssey Moon to develop small robotic lunar landers based on NASA's Common Spacecraft Bus. The firm hopes to provide regular commercial services (the craft supports a roughly 110 lb payload) in the event of an oncoming "moon rush," a magical future time where everyone and their mother are looking to get a piece of the lunar surface. Who knows what sorts of new discoveries (and new practical jokes) await those of us who are brave enough to exit the gravity well and live amongst the stars? To peep that far out Engineering TV episode where they break it all down for us, hit the read link.

Filed under: Robots, Science

Odyssey Moon hopes to bring lunar payloads to the masses with MoonOne originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

NASA ruminating a robot-built lunar outpost to make way for manned missions

Paul Miller — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 03:10:00 EST

NASA commissioned a study on the feasibility of using little smallish tractor bots to prep a lunar outpost before the humans show up, and the research seems to show it as a good idea. The theoretical plan is for 330 pound mower-sized bots to show up on the moon and prep the surface for actual buildings, landing sites, roads and so forth. The robots are basically glorified tractors (or perhaps simplified tractors) so lunarnauts shouldn't expect a palace by the time they show up -- just a bunch of displaced dirt. Berms seem to be a big theme of construction, since a sort of "blast shield" is needed to make sure debris from takeoff and landing don't damage the actual settlement.

[Via ComputerWorld; warning: PDF read link]

Gallery: NASA ruminating a robot-built lunar outpost to make way for manned missions

Filed under: Robots

NASA ruminating a robot-built lunar outpost to make way for manned missions originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 03:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

First team sets a date for Google Lunar X-Prize attempt

Nilay Patel — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:04:00 EST

Just under a year after Google ponied up the money for the Lunar X Prize, there's a team set to attempt a launch and claim the $20M reward. The Aeronautics and Cosmonautics Romanian Association (ARCA) has scheduled up a launch of a 92-pound rover called the European Lunar Lander within the next three months, with the plan being to float a balloon over the sea to a height of 11 miles, at which point a STABILO rocket will carry the payload to space. To win the prize, the ELL has to land, travel 500 feet on the surface of the moon, and send video, images, and data back to Earth. That's quite a tall order -- we'll be watching this one closely, since even if ARCA succeeds, there's still several $5M prizes out there for second places and the completion of several other objectives.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

First team sets a date for Google Lunar X-Prize attempt originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Japan's KAGUYA spacecraft performs first lunar HDTV transmission

Steven Kim — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:42:00 EST

DirecTV's "Starship" has the right name, but it can't hold a candle to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) KAGUYA satellite which has beamed back the first ever HDTV images from the moon. Form its orbit about 100km above the moon's surface, the spacecraft trained its HDTV camera on the moon and sent the images back for all to see. There were only two "scenes" put in the can, both taken from the area around "Oceanus Procellarum." Click through to see (the very crispy, we think) stills from the captures as well as a short video clip. Alas, the video offered up by JAXA is a decidedly non-HD 480x270 pixels. Taking a lesson from Alien's "In space, no one can hear you scream" PSA, there's also no audio, so feel free to add your own soundtrack as you watch (some version of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" is the obvious choice).

Filed under: Other hardware, Others, Satellite

Japan's KAGUYA spacecraft performs first lunar HDTV transmission originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lunar Lander Challenge set to kick off with $2M at stake

Donald Melanson — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:51:00 EST

It looks like New Mexico's the place to be for anyone looking to catch a glimpse of a possible future mission to the moon, with the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge set to get underway tomorrow at the Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo. As an added incentive for competitors, NASA is ponying up $2M in prizes, although they'll have their work cut out for them if they want to take that home. Specifically, they need to show off a rocket-propelled vehicle and payload that "takes off vertically, climbs to a defined altitude, flies for a pre-determined amount of time, and then land vertically on a target that is a fixed distance from the launch pad." Then they have to do that all over again within a predetermined period of time. To open things up a bit, there's also two difficulty levels but, as with all challenges of this sort, no one takes home a prize unless they fully meet all the requirements.

[Via Physorg, photo courtesy of X-Prize Foundation/Paragon Labs]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation

Lunar Lander Challenge set to kick off with $2M at stake originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Carnegie Mellon shows off "Scarab" lunar rover

Donald Melanson — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:33:00 EST

It looks like the moon could soon become a relatively crowded place if even half of all these robots and rovers we keep hearing about actually get off the ground, the latest of which comes to us from Carnegie Mellon University. Dubbed the "Scarab," this four-wheeled bot is equipped with a Canadian-made drill capable of obtaining meter-long geological core samples, which its creators hope could turn up evidence of hydrogen, water or other recoverable resources. While it's appearance would suggest otherwise, the Scarab apparently won't be tearing up the lunar surface if and when it gets there, with it boasting a top speed of just four inches per second. On the upside, it will apparently be able to maneuver over rocky surfaces, and it can anchor itself to the ground to stay in place while drilling. While that would be enough for most folks to call it a day, it seems that project leader William "Red" Whittaker won't be resting on his lunar laurels, as he's also announced that he'll be assembling a team to compete for the Google Lunar X-Prize, which promises $20 million to anyone that can land a privately funded robot on the moon by 2012.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Filed under: Robots

Carnegie Mellon shows off "Scarab" lunar rover originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Magnetic space tube to help suck up lunar soil

Jeannie Choe — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:07:00 EST

Not sure if NASA has this on tap or not, but Benjamin Eimer and Lawrence Taylor of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville just invented a special magnetic collection tube that sucks up lunar soil so we can extract precious resources for use in future moon colonies. The tube, which is sort of like an elephant's trunk or one of those leaf suckers, would suck up lunar soil (not peanuts and leaves) containing water, oxygen and other resources to be extracted by astronauts. They'd need to gather and transport large amounts of the stuff without stirring up jagged moon shards and hazardous dust, so bulldozer-like equipment is definitely out of the question. The tube's coils would create a magnetic field that attracts the iron-laden soil, keeping it neatly centered to be distributed to storage facilities or processing plants via a pipeline system. Assuming the tube rules at collecting a massive supply, the soil can then be bagged to stack on top of lunar habitats to help regulate unpredictable temperatures and block radiation from hazardous space particles. Sweet! Once they hook us up with some sci-fi WiFi, we'll be reporting from Engadget's new intergalactic office.

[Thanks, Matthew]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Magnetic space tube to help suck up lunar soil originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

NASA develops inflatable lunar habitat

Jeannie Choe — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 23:10:00 EST

As much as we wish this was some type of anti-gravity bouncy castle, NASA's current experiments with inflatable structures are intended for slightly less entertaining implementation on the moon, where crews will use them as outposts for research, testing, storage, and living. NASA's contractor, ILC Dover, has presented a capsule-like prototype that's 12 feet in diameter and made of multilayer fabric. It's currently being evaluated for emerging technologies such as flexible structural health monitoring systems, self-healing materials, and radiation-protective materials. In addition, they showed a connecting smaller inflatable structure that served as a demonstration airlock. To justify these solutions, the team's next step is to perform studies comparing inflatable and rigid structures for crew habitats.The modular airtight inflatables are favored for being lightweight and adaptable, and if all goes well, the first extended-stay lunar missions could start as early as 2020.

[Via Primidi]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

NASA develops inflatable lunar habitat originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Mar 2007 23:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Japan launches effort to colonize moon with robots

Ryan Block — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 15:34:00 EST

Duelling isn't the only thing the Japanese have planned in the next decade for robots in space. Apparently as reported by the Asahi Shimbun the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (which we can only assume is tantamount to our own NASA) are taking action on their earlier intentions to build lunar and inter-planetary exploration and colonization robots. Meaning they've gathered their team to develop robots with artificial intelligence to land on and explore the moon within 10 years, and independently colonize the joint within 20. But once these robots have completed their objective of taking over the moon, what makes the Japanese think they're gonna hand it over just like that?

Filed under: Robots

Japan launches effort to colonize moon with robots originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Apr 2006 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments