Astrobotic’s initial Moon expedition now is racing for up to $36 million in rewards from NASA, the Google Lunar X Prize and the Florida launch bonus, as documented in today’s edition of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_694317.html
Prototype rover tested on Pittsburgh slag heap
NASA seeks secrets of commercial moon landers
August 9, 2010
By David Shiga
Swallowing its pride, NASA says it wants to learn from future commercial missions to the moon – and it is willing to pay up to $30 million for the privilege.
The space agency wants to take advantage of the flurry of activity sparked by the Google-funded Lunar X Prize
, says Michael Braukus, a spokesperson at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. MORE
By Alan Bolye
MSNBC Cosmic Log
August 6, 2010
Alan Boyle writes:NASA says it’ll buy up to $30.1 million worth of data about robotic lander projects – basically doubling the potential impact of the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize.
The space agency said its Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data program would pay a minimum of $10,000 for each data contract relating to the design and demonstration of a lunar landing mission. “This includes data associated with hardware design, development and testing; ground operations and integration; launch; trajectory correction maneuvers; lunar braking, burn and landing; and enhanced capabilities,” NASA said in today’s news release. More
By Melia Spencer
Pittsburgh Business Times / March 26, 2010
The easy part may actually be getting to the moon.
Surviving there through a temperature swing of a scorching 120 degrees Celsius at high noon to a beyond frigid low of -185 degrees Celsius at night is another story.
But local researchers going after the Google Lunar X Prize think they have solved some key issues in their quest to win the $20 million purse and the prestige of being the first independent team to send a rover to the moon. [More]
