by Staff Writers
Pittsburgh (UPI) Oct 10, 2012
U.S. scientists say they've built a full-size prototype of a solar-powered robot designed to search for potentially rich deposits of water ice on the moon.
The rover, dubbed Polaris, is being developed by Astrobotic Technology Inc., a spinoff company of Carnegie Mellon University that develops robotics technology for planetary missions.
Intended for an expedition to the moon's northern pole, Polaris would launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle, a university release said Wednesday.
The test prototype will allow researchers to test and improve the robot's computer vision, navigation and planning software, and another software program than can plot the rover's position on the moon to within 10 feet.
Ice on the moon could be a source of water, fuel and oxygen for future expeditions.
"It is the first rover developed specifically for drilling lunar ice," said William "Red" Whittaker, head of Astrobotic and founder of the Field Robotics Center at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute.
Polaris can move at about a foot a second on 2-foot-diameter composite wheels and can carry a drill and science payload of up to 150 pounds, the researchers said.
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more
Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.
NASA sees 'gateway' for space missions
Washington (UPI) Sep 24, 2012
NASA has proposed a candidate for its next major mission, a "gateway" spacecraft on the far side of the moon as a staging base for moon and Mars missions. The spacecraft would hover in orbit on the far side of the moon, support a small permanent crew and function as "stepping stone" for missions to the lunar surface and possible flights to Mars. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden ... read more
|The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2012 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement|