Technical Downtime :) July 27, 2010
Posted by Nick Azer in : Luna C/I , add a commentI’m going to be moving the site over to a different hosting source this week, so I’ll be back next week (or sooner, if it turns out to be quick and easy) with regular updates, a 2-week edition of the Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup, and some early revamps/expansions of the site :)
In the meantime, keep an eye on my Twitter page :)
Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup #27 July 20, 2010
Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, Google Lunar X Prize Roundup , add a comment- Team SELENE posted about mail by cannon. Yes, cannon. There’s even test video. (All you need to do is launch bacon out of it and the awesomeness will be complete! :D )
- Team FREDNET signed a memorandum of understanding with Broward College, bringing CubeSat experience :) They also blogged about satellite views of a solar eclipse.
- Team Astrobotic posted video of a test of their rover’s motors! They also continue to cook up Black Magic.
- Team White Label Space‘s rover is receiving a master’s thesis thermal analysis :)
- Team Synergy Moon posted about NASA’s announcement of new Centennial Prizes!
- Team Part Time Scientists uploaded a bunch more pictures of their ILA ’10 presence :)
- Mike Doornbos (of neat podcasting spot Evadot) is taking over the GLXP social media reins for a week (with the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE racing down to its finish)! :)
- NASA Propulsion Academy students visited the GLXP! (Future lunar pioneers? :) )
- The GLXP LEGO MoonBots teams received Mindstorms kits from LEGO HQ! :)
NASA Announces New Centennial Challenges; Two Moon-Related :) July 15, 2010
Posted by Nick Azer in : Centennial Challenges, lunar night, NASA, private space, rover , add a comment
This week, NASA announced three new Centennial Challenge prizes—the first in five years :) Much like the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, these prizes set tasks to be completed for $1.5-2 million each.
Two of the new challenges are directly lunar-related:
- Night Rover Challenge: Demonstrate a solar-powered rover that can store its energy to operate during the lunar night. With the theorized Peak of Eternal Light shown to not quite exist (89% illumination being the max), and most of the Moon receiving less than that regardless, sustainable (and cost-effective) night operation will prove to be a critical leg-up for any lunar effort.
- Sample Return Robot Challenge: A prize for the aspiring Jack Schmitts and Lee Silvers of the world (…or, worlds), this challenge sets forth the task of demonstrating a robot that can retrieve geologic samples from a wide, varied terrain without human interference.
Both prizes have a purse of $1.5 million, with the third Nano-Satellite prize having a purse of $2 million.
Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup #26 July 13, 2010
Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, Google Lunar X Prize Roundup , add a commentHere’s all your Google Lunar X PRIZE goodness for the week ending July 12th…
- A potential new GLXP team, Phoenicia, is looking for ‘kickstarts’ to get them into the running!
- Team ARCA posted a slideshow of their Helen 2 rocket being loaded onto a ship in preparation for their upcoming test launch!
- Team SELENE posted about their antennas for an upcoming weather balloon experiment!
- Team Astrobotic conjured up a post on their “Black Magic”… :)
- Team C-Base Open Moon posted a 3-D rendering of their rover!
- Team Part Time Scientists held a contest on their Twitter page :) They also blogged about their one-year anniversary!
To keep up on all of the teams’ Twitterverse activities, check out my handy GLXP Twitter List :)
Potentially Icy Northern Crater Mapped By LRO July 7, 2010
Posted by Nick Azer in : lunar mining, lunar North Pole, lunar polar regions, Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter, lunar water, NASA, Rozhdestvenskiy, water , add a commentNASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has mapped for the first time in high resolution a crater of interest for potential ice deposits.
A permanently-shadowed crater within the larger, northern Rozhdestvenskiy, the LRO’s advanced Mini-RF imaging technology was able to bring out the Circular Polarization Ratio (CPR) of the crater and its surroundings. A stark contrast between the two suggests thick deposits of ice, as were shown generally to exist around the north pole earlier this year.
You better get used to ‘Rozhdestvenskiy’, as deposits will surely make this an icy hotspot for future lunar missions and subsequent (lucrative) mining efforts.
Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup #25 July 5, 2010
Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, Google Lunar X Prize Roundup , add a comment- Team ARCA is sending childrens’ artwork to space! And still taking submissions :)
- Team Synergy Moon welcomed a new development group for their Tesla prospector rover!
- Team Astrobotic took a look at potential sun shield materials :)
- Team White Label Space highlighted new work by their Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC) engineer, Dhanushka Chamara Liyanage!
- A member of team Omega Envoy, Jason Dunn, reported on the interesting project tracks at Singularity University!
- Team Part Time Scientists celebrated their 1-year anniversary as a team! Meanwhile, Will Pomerantz of the GLXP celebrated his 5-year anniversary with the X PRIZE Foundation—lots of milestones :)