The Astrobotic team has initiated testing of an experimental inertial measurement unit (IMU) loaned from Intel Labs. (IMUs measure a spacecraft's velocity, orientation and gravitational forces.)
The tiny device provides six degree of freedom orientation data, utilizing a bluetooth wireless connection to a host computer. It contains three accelerometers, three gyroscopes, three magnetometers, and a microprocessor. The 9.8 gram IMU runs for six hours on a single charge.
February 23, 2010 - by Tiny IMU begins Astrobotic testing
February 19, 2010 - by Night survival test succeeds with Intel processor
For the Astrobotic rover to survive hibernation during the lunar night's cryogenic cold, the team must find commercial components that perform to extremes far beyond their published spec sheets. This week an Asus netbook entered the cryo-freezer to see if its Intel Atom processor would bounce back from the ordeal. (See photos below)
February 18, 2010 - by New NASA budget to create faster space careers
NASA’s top education official has noted an important upside to the agency’s revolutionary new budget. Because the new plan fosters entrepreneurial exploration projects, young professionals at these new space companies will take leadership roles far earlier in their careers than they would at old-line aerospace companies. Dr. Joyce Winterton, the agency’s assistant administrator for education, made the comment yesterday at a meeting of the education and public outreach advisory committee of the NASA Advisory Council attended by Astrobotic Technology.
February 15, 2010 - by Demonstrating 3D views of the Moon
The Astrobotic team won "best in show" at the the Society of Women Engineers' Showcase Feb. 15 at Carnegie Mellon's University Center, distributing custom red-cyan glasses to that visitors could enjoy stereo images from the Apollo program -- demonstrating the vivid imagery that will be returned by the Astrobotic lunar rover expedition.
February 13, 2010 - by Motorizing the third prototype
The Astrobotic approach to lunar mobility places the two drive motors in the main rover body where they are protected from dust and from the boiling heat of noontime lunar temperatures. By contrast, Mars rovers and some NASA-designed lunar rover prototypes have motors in each wheel hub, which is not practical for equatorial missions on the Moon. This image shows the exterior of the prototype and two tubes extending down to the front and back right wheels -- a chain drive from the shoulder motor powers the wheels.
February 8, 2010 - by Team moves into Planetary Robotics Lab
The ground floor of the new Gates-Hillman Center for Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon is devoted to the 5,000 square foot Planetary Robotics Lab. The PRL includes a 3,000 square foot high bay with computer controlled crane for engineering and experimentation, along with workrooms for fabrication of robots and their components.
While the Gates-Hillman building was opened for most uses in fall 2009, move-in to the PRL took place last week as the last of the construction company gear and furniture staging areas cleared out.
January 29, 2010 - by Robot arm fashions camera mold
The Astrobotic team at Carnegie Mellon University brought a new computer-controlled robot arm into operation this week by loading up CAD files of the camera unit that will ride atop the mast at the rover's center. The arm carved away foam to create a mold to be used for carbon composite layups to create the framework that will hold two wide-field HD cameras for 3D imagery plus a telephoto zoom HD camera.
In the photo, the mold is approximately 18 inches long and five inches tall.
November 12, 2009 - by Cryogenic Testing of Batteries
A battery is being cryogenically frozen in this cold chamber. It will later operate at remarkable capacity after rewarming to operating temperature. This is part of the testing for functionality after enduring lunar nights. Despite great chamber insulation, note a visible frosting of the chamber. Note also the condensing fog that is visible at bench level.
October 12, 2009 - by Moon Diggers to Compete in NASA Regolith Excavation Challenge
The Moon Diggers team continued development of the Sandra robot that will be entered in the NASA Regolith Excavation Challenge Oct. 17-18. The Moon Diggers are led by Alex Gutierrez, whose day job is business operations manager for Astrobotic Technology Inc., and powered by volunteers from Carnegie Mellon University.
For more information, please visit www.moondiggers.com
For more information, please visit www.moondiggers.com
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