MSNBC/Space.com - Private Firm Reveals Ambitious Moon Mission Plan

MSNBC/Space.com - A private group planning to launch a moon rover to the famed Apollo 11 landing site in a bid to win a $20 million prize announced an ambitious plan Thursday to send five more spacecraft to explore the lunar poles. The Pittsburgh, Pa.-based firm Astrobotic Technology, Inc., led by Carnegie Mellon University roboticist William “Red” Whittaker, announced plans to launch its first rover to NASA’s Tranquility Base in May 2010 to win the Google Lunar X Prize competition, the company announced Thursday. Astrobotic is one of 14 teams currently in the running for the... [Read more]

Astrobotic announces series of Moon landing missions, expeditions to build lunar data library

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - October 30, 2008 - At a meeting of worldwide Moon exploration experts, Astrobotic Technology Inc. today unveiled its plans for a series of robotic expeditions to build a lunar data library. “Astrobotic will robotically explore the Moon’s high-interest areas on a commercial basis, collecting information required to design future outposts and to answer scientific questions about the Moon and Earth,” said President David Gump. “Our data library also will point the way to utilizing lunar energy and mineral resources to lower the cost of exploration and eventually... [Read more]

False Chill from Lunar Ice Reports

Results from the Japanese lunar orbiter that no ice lakes exist at the lunar poles were what most experts expected it to find. The readings of elevated hydrogen (indicating H2O) at the poles from the US Lunar Prospector satellite in 1998 were at levels that suggested an ice-to-dirt concentration of perhaps 1% with the ice crystals “gardened” into the soil by billions of years of micrometerorite impacts. The international fleet of satellites now gathering at the Moon have a host of sensors to investigate the ice potential, and over the next year a much clearer picture will emerge. Surface... [Read more]

Complex-curved composite

Complex-curved composite Composite layup materials bend easily, so it is straightforward to fabricate geometries like plates and cylinders. These geometries are tractable because they require no warping or stretching of the layup materials. Alternately, layup materials do not warp, shear or stretch easily. Hence, it is more difficult to fabricate bulges and saddles that require in-plane membrane deformation. The mold and layup of the Red Rover’s most complex curve succeed despite the challenges. From AstroboticBlogPhotos  Read More →

Composite craft

Composite craft The weight savings, strength advantages and design qualities that are achievable with composite materials require substantial craft. Simple skills for simple layups are trivial, but mastery of the art requires disciplined process.  Read More →

Glory Shot

Glory Shot The Earth is photoshopped. The robot and terrain are real, taken while testing. This nice shot could almost be a poster. From AstroboticBlogPhotos  Read More →

Satellite Tool Kit

Satellite Tool Kit Astrobotic is broadly applying Satellite Tool Kit as gold-standard software for design and optimization of our Tranquility Trek. The generosity of AGI’s STK gift is only exceeded by their hospitality at last week’s user conference. Thank you, AGI. Pictured left to right are: Paul Graziani (President and CEO, AGI), Alastair Firth (CMU BS ECE ‘10), Jonathan Bidwell (CMU MS HCI), Dan Kane (former VP, AGI) From AstroboticBlogPhotos  Read More →

Field experiment

Field experiment Field experiments are the Astrobotic way. Experiments exhibit system performance beyond the sum of component performances. Good experiments synergize hardware, software and operations with disciplined testing and measured results. Good experiments ground a team in reality. At some point the lander departure, 500-meter trek, remote operations and data transmission become routine, space-relevant and rock-solid. Routine, space-relevant and rock-solid are still a long way off.  Read More →

Threaded inserts

Threaded inserts A composite honeycomb layup cannot be threaded. However, it is necessary to thread screws into composites, so threaded inserts are glued into oversize holes that are drilled through the composite. An insert’s threads are strong, so an insert can receive forces from a screw. The insert distributes the forces from a screw, through the insert, through an epoxy glue, and into the composite. The installation procedure must preclude air bubbles from the epoxy glue. These test samples are sectioned to check for embedded bubbles. From AstroboticBlogPhotos  Read More →

Cold Plate

Mast mockup for wire routing experiment The cold plate completes Astrobotic’s thermal-vac facility. Prior posts have highlighted the chamber, pumps, heating lamps and temperature sensing, but space and lunar conditions cannot be simulated without a means to cool. The cold plate resides in the bottom interior of the chamber. It sinks the heat that emanates from the lamps. Any powered test device like a comjputer or motor generates some waste heat that can be tested by sinking that power into the cold plate. From AstroboticBlogPhotos  Read More →