CMU's Red Whittaker and the Google Lunar X-Prize

Astrobotic Technology's "Red Rover" design concept picked by Popular Science as one of the 100 Best Innovations of 2011, their team entry in the contest to win the Google Lunar X-Prize [Astrobotic Technology, Inc.].

Debra Erdley
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

William "Red" Whittaker is still shooting for the moon.But Whittaker, a Carnegie Mellon University robotics professor and CEO of Astrobotic Technology Inc., says his team has pushed back its plans to land a robot on the moon by a year — to May 2015 — to tailor a robot suited to the expedition's new destination: the lunar south pole.

The CMU/Astrobotic team is competing to claim a portion of a multimillion-dollar prize for landing a robot on the moon. The team's new plan calls for a robot prospector to drill for ice samples at the moon's south pole to try to confirm the existence of water there, a possibility lunar orbiters and a lunar penetrator have strongly suggested in recent years.

William "Red" Whittaker, roboticist and research professor
of robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, describes the
Astrobotic lunar lander that his team built in a Pittsburgh lab
before it was crated up to ship to California for additional
testing, last June 15. The team is tweaking its design and has
changed the launch date to May 2015 [Andrew Russell/
Tribune-Review].

"It is high-risk and high-return," Whittaker said.

His team is among 26, including one from Penn State University, that are competing to claim a portion of the Google Lunar X Prize, which will go to the first team to land a robot on the moon, make it travel 500 meters and transmit video to earth.

Prize organizers extended the deadline for the contest several times, most recently to December 2015.

The CMU/Astrobotic team built and tested its lunar lander. Last year Astrobotic signed a contract for a $60 million space shot with the privately owned Space X company. Along the way, the company picked up $610,000 in NASA contracts.

Astrobotic president David Gump said confirming water at the poles would be a major discovery that could point the way to the production of rocket fuel on the moon — water is a critical component — and the use of the moon as a fueling and launching point for further space exploration.

"The big question is: How can you do exploration at an affordable price? The key to that is being off-planet. If we can get propellant for a Mars trip on the moon, it will really make getting to Mars much cheaper," Gump said.

Going to the south pole of the moon means the trip can occur only during a one-month window when the cold, dark region has a small amount of light. Whittaker said the robot will have to be slightly larger and stronger than originally envisioned.

But he's excited about the possibilities inherent in a lunar polar mission.

"There is no more significant deliberate discovery that a robot can achieve in a near-term mission than to confirm the existence of ice at the poles of the moon. ... Given the life opportunity of a landing on the moon, why not make it count?" Whittaker said.

Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

RCSP's "The Spirit of Alabama"

The second Rocket City Space Pioneers Google Lunar X-Prize lunar lander concept, November 2010, "redesigned with fixed legs and monopropellant configuration" [Rocket City Space Pioneers].

Crystal Bonvillian
The Huntsville Times

Pelham, Alabama - A Pelham fourth-grade class has named the lunar lander that Huntsville's Rocket City Space Pioneers hope will become the first privately funded spacecraft on the moon.

The "Spirit of Alabama" is the Rocket City Space Pioneers' entry in the contest for the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize, an international competition that challenges engineers and entrepreneurs to develop low-cost methods of robotic space exploration. The Rocket City Space Pioneers is one of 26 teams around the world vying for the grand prize.

The announcement was made this afternoon to the winning class at Valley Intermediate School in Pelham. The class won a free trip to Space Camp and their teacher, Karen McDonald, won a $500 gift card for classroom supplies.

"We are very excited to congratulate the students of Mrs. McDonald's fourth-grade class," Dr. Tommy Bice, state superintendent, said in a news release. "They came up with a great name and had a lot of fun doing it!"

The naming contest, open to all Alabama fourth-grade classes, was announced Jan. 31 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. The Rocket City Space Pioneers teamed on the project with the Alabama Department of Education and the Alabama Tourism Department.

"We were excited to hear that the 'Spirit of Alabama' was selected as the name of the lunar lander. We think it will represent our great state well in the competition," said Lee Sentell, Alabama Tourism director.

Tim Pickens, Rocket City Space Pioneers team leader, speaks
Jan. 31 during the announcement of a contest allowing Alabama
fourth-graders to name the team's lunar lander. The team also unveiled
the prototype of the lander they plan to send to the moon to claim
the Google Lunar X Prize [The Huntsville Times/Eric Schultz].

Tim Pickens, team leader of the Rocket City Space Pioneers, agreed.

"The word 'spirit' represents the collective enthusiasm, loyalty and dedication of our Alabama team and our state relative to our going to the moon to win this Google Lunar X Prize," Pickens said in the news release.

"Our team name, 'The Rocket City Space Pioneers,' captures the spirit of Huntsville, but naming our lander 'Spirit of Alabama' will excite the entire state about our endeavor," Pickens said.

The Rocket City Space Pioneers is led by Huntsville-based Dynetics and consists of team members Teledyne Brown Engineering, Andrews Space, Spaceflight Services, Draper Laboratory, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the Von Braun Center for Science & Innovation, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Moog, Analytical Mechanics Associates and the Huntsville Center for Technology.

Google may unveil 3D Moon Mapping tool

J.R. Raphael PC World

"The gang at Google is preparing to embark on some new type of mission, and speculation is running rampant that it's going to be a groundbreaking three-dimensional moon-mapping utility. The G-team is keeping quiet for now, but it's not hard to track the signals and see why the moon's on everyone's mind."

"You can largely thank Buzz for all the Google moon map buzz. Google's press department sent out invitations to reporters this week describing a media event at which famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin will be speaking. The event is described as "a very special announcement about the newest addition to Google Earth" -- oh, and it's scheduled for July 20."

Read the article HERE.

Lunar Challenge Underway

Another Google Lunar X-Prize Summmary

By David R. Butcher

The X PRIZE Foundation and Google, Inc. last week announced the first 10 teams in the race for the Google Lunar X PRIZE, a robotic race to the moon for $30 million in prizes.

Last September, Google, Inc. and the X PRIZE Foundation called on entrepreneurs, engineers and visionaries from around the world to return us to the lunar surface and explore this environment for the benefit of all humanity.

Google Lunar X PRIZE teams have until the end of 2012 to land a privately funded craft on the moon’s surface, get it to roam at least 500 meters and transmit images, video and data back to Earth.

The winning team will receive a $20 million grand prize for their effort. Second prize is $5 million for a team that lands its craft successfully but cannot make it travel over 500 meters. An additional $5 million will be awarded if the rover can go beyond 5,000 meters.

Last week, the X PRIZE Foundation and Google announced the first 10 teams in the race for the robotic race to the moon for $30 million in prizes.

The following are the first 10 teams announced.

Read more of this at ThomasNet Industrial News Room

GoogleLunaPlex, The Ultimate Server Farm

GoogleNews

From GoogleNews/LunarJobs, this morning, we learn of this latest job opportunity for top engineers now stumbling through adolesense in post-modern America.

As Captain Mark Time, David Ossman of the Firesign Theater, once said, "for families who like to sleep in tubes and push buttons! - Adventurers like you!"

In the R U 4 REAL? Category, we offer the following:

http://www.google.com/jobs/lunar_job.html

Google is interviewing candidates for engineering positions at our lunar hosting and research center, opening late in the spring of 2007. This unique opportunity is available only to highly-qualified individuals who are willing to relocate for an extended period of time, are in top physical condition and are capable of surviving with limited access to such modern conveniences as soy low-fat lattes, The Sopranos and a steady supply of oxygen.

The Google Copernicus Hosting Environment and Experiment in Search Engineering (G.C.H.E.E.S.E.) is a fully integrated research, development and technology facility at which Google will be conducting experiments in entropized information filtering, high-density high-delivery hosting (HiDeHiDeHo) and de-oxygenated cubicle dwelling. This center will provide a unique platform from which Google will leapfrog current terrestrial-based technologies and bring information access to new heights of utility.

Take off your shoes, for Industry!