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Lunar

Tiny IMU begins Astrobotic testing

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.

See video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1bhchFWufE

Pre-assembled hybrid rover prototype 2

Pre-assembled hybrid rover prototype 2

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)

The team brought the board's temperature down by 1 degree C per minute until it reached -180 degrees C. After 30 minutes there, it was warmed at the same rate to reach room temperature. The Asus then successfully booted up Windows and displayed a Word document. Now that basic functionality is shown, the team will vary the rate and duration of the cold and then subject the Atom to more rigorous tests of proper operation after it is thawed.

New Creative Director - Jessica van den Doel

Jessica joined the White Label Space team to maximize the marketing opportunities for our sponsors by unleashing the full potential of our Google Lunar X PRIZE (GLXP) mission. In this video, Jessica shares her thoughts about working in the White Label Space team.

As Creative Director she is leading the team's creative efforts to attract sponsors, as well as assisting with the marketing of our no-name brand, White Label Space.

After White Label Space finds its major sponsors Jessica will analyze their communications strategies and develop creative approaches that make optimal use of the White Label Space GLXP mission. She will stimulate and consolidate the creative efforts of the integrated team that includes White Label Space members and customer representatives, putting together a clear and coherent branding approach that presents a common theme across all aspects of the mission, while ensuring that the branding fits the requirements and desired image of the various sponsors.

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. Her comment was part of a talk on providing "authentic" opportunities to students to participate in developing space-relevant projects, rather than just simulating an effort.

Visit to Tohoku University Rover Lab

During my recent trip to Japan, I got the chance to drop by Professor Yoshida's Rover Laboratory at Tohoku University, where I recorded these video clips.

Tohoku University is located in the city of Sendai, about 2 hours by bullet train north of Toyko.

Rockets Gain Traction

(Of course, Rockets don't need “Physical Traction” and that allows them to work in Real Space. But they certainly need Financial Traction in “Cypher-Space”, = $Mx10^6 -- $Nx10^9)!

The announcement that Tulsa, Oklahoma will conduct an Air Show April 24, 2010, highlighted with demonstration flights by the “Rocket Racing League” is very good news! It shows that rocket operations are finally gathering some of the attention they deserve! Those who have attended Northrup Grumman, Lunar Lander Competitions know that Rockets are fun to watch. Monstrous flames, accompanied by roaring noise, have always been fun to watch (from a safe distance!). These features of rocket flights have been augmented in recent Rocket Racing developments. Gone is the nearly transparent flame produced by alcohol fuels. Now long bright flames will be standard – reminiscent of the enormous flame behind a Saturn-V Moon Rocket on takeoff! Except that John Carmack, of Armadillo Aerospace – who makes the Racers new Propulsion System – has developed a way to “seed” the combustion and produce bright Red and Green rocket flames to distinguish specific race competitors.

Oklahoma has had a large aerospace industry for a very long time, and would like to increase it. This state has multiple advantages over California – many of them spelled $$$. Oklahoma has already spent quite a bit promoting entrepreneurial space and rocket efforts. These include turning the old “Burns Flat” military airfield into a Spaceport. It was originally a military airbase, then – with its 13,503 foot long runway – it was a primary base for SAC (Strategic Air Command). Now, it is a licensed Spaceport! I imagine that Oklahoma is negotiating to bring the Rocket Racing League headquarters to their state , and is willing to cut better deals than Las Cruces, NM, which insisted on being paid the promised rent.

In any case, these long awaited Rocker Racer flights will be showing up, at last!

Hell yeah, it's rocket science! - PTS in Hamburg

Join us in Hamburg, Audimax 1, for another presentation of your favorite team on Wednesday, Feb 17th, at 1900 MET.

Topics will be:
* About the Team
* An updated overview of the state of development of the FPGAs and the rover
* Lightly modded rover „Assimov jr.“ (take a look at it after the presentation)
* Duration 60 minutes, a relaxed small talk afterwards

Take a look at our Facebook-Event.

greetings,

The Part-Time-Scientists

Hybrid rover prototype 2

Hybrid rover prototype 2

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.