Lunar Rover
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Hitting the Books: How NASA selected the first Lunar Rover to scoot across the moon
In his latest book, Across the Airless Wilds, journalist Earl Swift, examines the oft ignored Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions, our last trips to the Moon's surface.
NASA tests its water-hunting lunar rover VIPER
NASA has gotten a glimpse of how the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover or VIPER would fare on the Moon. It put an engineering model of its golf cart-sized rover to the test at Glenn Research Center's Simulated Lunar Operations Laboratory (SLOPE), which can mimic lunar and planetary surfaces.
China’s rover finds mysterious minerals on the far side of the moon
Early this year, China's Chang'e-4 lunar lander made history when it became the first spacecraft to touch down on the far side of the moon. Now, according to a study published in Nature, the lander's rover, Yutu-2, may have detected the first signs of lunar mantle material. If the minerals it found prove to be part of the moon's mantle, the discovery could help scientists better understand how both the moon and the Earth formed.
McGill University researchers show off lunar rover prototype with unique 'iRing' wheels
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.
Odyssey Moon hopes to bring lunar payloads to the masses with MoonOne
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.
A closer look at NASA's electric lunar rover
We were all decently hyped to see NASA's lunar rover rolling down the street in the Inaugural Parade in Washington D.C. the other day (remember that?), but now, thanks to a really awesome new NASA buddy of ours, we've gotten a much closer look at it. Hit the gallery after the break for a bunch of views, and -- if you were wondering -- the rover's running Windows XP.%Gallery-43029%[Thanks, Cade]
NASA electric lunar rover struts its stuff for the President
For the Inaugural Parade, NASA astronauts greeted our new President in the style befitting such an august organization (and one that'll take all the funding they can get) by trotting out their Small Pressurized Rover. Hopefully by 2012 this thing will be spending less time cruising around Washington DC and more time on the lunar surface, where it can support two intrepid explorers for up to two weeks at a time. It sure looks cramped, but man, what a view! Check out some video of the thing in action -- in the nation's capital and in the wild -- after the break.[Via Billionaire Boys Club]
NASA demos 2020's 12-wheeled, pressurized lunar rover concept car
We've all seen black and white footage of astronauts on the moon hot doggin' it over craters and dunes in a trick electric buggy, but that was over thirty years ago. In 2020, when a new generation of astronauts head there, they'll need a new generation of whip too, and that's just what NASA recently demonstrated to the public. Called the Small Pressurized Rover Concept, it looks to be an evolution of the 12-wheeled Chariot prototype we saw earlier this year, pimped out with an air-tight cabin that sleeps two and some bitchin' gold dubs. Inside a pair of explorers can go lunar RVing for up to two weeks at a time, covering 625 miles on one charge at a leisurely 6 mph, hopping out through rear-mounted (non-next-gen) spacesuits when something interesting catches their eye. You know, like aliens or something. Could happen. [Thanks, Peter D.]
Carnegie Mellon shows off "Scarab" lunar rover
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]
Chinese engineers reveal nuclear-powered lunar rover
While the US is already thinking ahead to manned missions on Mars, China's space program is still in its infancy, with the country taking the very first steps to sending vehicles and eventually people to the Moon. After launching a lunar orbiter later this year, scientists will begin the process of choosing among several competing rover designs for exploring the Moon's geology and terrain, and now the first of these candidates has been unveiled for public consumption. Very similar to the famous Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, the six-wheeled bot created by a team at Shanghai Aerospace System Engineering Institute is capable of cruising around the Moon at a reported 100 meters per hour, all the while snapping photos and collecting bits of moon rock for analysis and possible sale on eBay. Perhaps the most interesting part of this design is its dual-mode power system, which consists of the standard solar cell array as well as a nuclear power source, allowing the rover to operate continuously and in areas that go long periods without sunlight. No word yet on when exactly the Chinese will pick the winning rover, but expect whichever model emerges victorious to head skyward sometime in 2012.[Via BBC, photo courtesy of Shanghai Daily]
