Kentucky Space

Euroluna: Cubesat for Moon effort?

In September, Euroluna posted this update of its efforts in the Google Lunar X-PRIZE, describing the use of a Cubesat to launch and test systems that would be used on ROMIT, its lunar craft. In its latest video, however, the idea seems to has evolved and the team speculates about a four unit, or 4U Cubesat, that would incorporate command and control, ion propulsion, descent and roving functions as an alternative to the 30 - 50 kg craft it had originally conceived. President of Euroluna, Palle Haastrup, mocks up the idea after the 6:00 minute mark.

Wayne

CubeSat, Kentucky Space, Space

Masten wins $1 million lander challenge

Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace have claimed the first and second place prizes, respectively, in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X PRIZE Challenge. The qualifying flight that ultimately lead to the the Level Two first place award can be seen here:

Awarded as part of NASA's Centennial Challenge, the prizes are designed to reward "citizen inventors" in the space technologies.

Wayne

Masten "rocketcam" video from Xombie

Masten Space Systems recorded yesterday's Northrop-Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge attempt from its on-board "rocketcam". Check it out.

Alan Boyle at Cosmic Log also has a nice write-up.

Wayne

Space prize roundup

Space Prizes has a series of posts this month on a variety of space-related competitions and awards. Check it out.

Wayne

Space

Video of MIT testbed for lunar lander technology

Via Space Prizes, here is some video of some of a testbed for guidance, navigation and control systems that may find their way into the Next Giant Leap entrant into the Google Lunar X PRIZE. The prize is a worldwide competition awarding $20 million to the first privately-funded team to land and move a robotic vehicle 500 meters across the lunar surface. Source: MIT TechTV

Wayne

Heinlein prize winner to test medical applications in microgravity courtesy of SpaceX

The University of Texas has won a ride in SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft for its winning submission, “Decoupling Diffusive Transport Phenomena in Microgravity," in the Heinlein Trust Microgravity Research Competition.

The prize illustrates the growing importance of space as a laboratory for biological research.

From the announcement:

The results of the proposed experiment will have a direct impact on the development of drug delivery systems for medical applications. Dr. Ferrari's group is focused on development of the science and technology for implantable devices for controlled, long-term drug release—research which could yield important treatment means for a variety of illnesses, including cancer.

The accomplishment comes with a $25,000 prize an an extended stay for the research payload. The proposal is here.

Wayne

Moon flower

Complete with picture, Odyssey Moon has unveiled a miniature greenhouse prototype that could fly on its "Google Lunar X PRIZE lander and grow a flower". Key question: how will Arabidopsis grow in 1/6 gravity?

Wayne

New lunar competitor announced: Synergy Moon

A new team has joined the Google Lunar X-Prize. From the team's homepage:

InterPlanetary Ventures, the Human Synergy Project, and Interorbital Systems have joined forces to become SYNERGY MOON, the newest team to enter the Google Lunar X PRIZE race to the Moon. With working groups in 15 countries, the SYNERGY MOON team actively promotes international cooperation in space exploration and development. SYNERGY MOON will use a lunar-direct launch of an Interorbital Systems’ modular NEPTUNE rocket to carry a lunar lander and at least one rover to the surface of the Moon before the end of 2012.

Phoenix Mars Lander mission wins Swigert Space Exploration Award

The Phoenix Mars Lander team has won the Swigert Award for space exploration "in recognition of the technical developments that led to one of the most startling and meaningful discoveries of the new millennium," according to The Space Foundation. In its five month mission, the Phoenix team confirmed the presence of water ice on the Red Planet.

The award is named in honor of Jack Swigert, the command module pilot for the the Apollo 13 mission, which successfully returned to Earth despite a crippled spacecraft, and will be presented at the foundation's 25th National Space Symposium to be held in Colorado Springs, Colo., on March 30.

This YouTube describes the descent of the craft to the surface of the planet. In a first, the craft was also spotted by the orbiting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, marking the first time a human craft has been photographed on descent to another planet.

Wayne

Moon competition a proving ground for microtechnologies

Kentucky Space students, Richard Speck at Micro-Space has been posting regularly to the Google Lunar X-Prize forum on his efforts, many of which feature plenty of engineering details about getting a very, very small craft on the moon. His latest post is on cubesat (or similarly-sized craft) attitude control. Others have described Laser Interferometer capabilities developed by Micro-Space. Check them all out.

Wayne