NASA to Demonstrate Moon Rover 98
coondoggie writes "NASA will this week demonstrate its lunar robot rover equipped with a drill designed to find water and oxygen-rich soil on the moon. NASA said the engineering challenge of building such as drilling system was daunting because a robot rover designed for prospecting within lunar craters has to operate in continual darkness at extremely cold temperatures with little power. The moon has one-sixth the gravity of Earth, so a lightweight rover will have a difficult job resisting drilling forces and remaining stable.The project is just one demonstration of the collaboration NASA is utilizing to bring together its next moon shot. For example, Carnegie Mellon was responsible for the robot's design and testing, and the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology built the drilling system. NASA's Glenn Research Center contributed the rover's power management system. NASA's Ames Research Center built a system that navigates the rover in the dark. The Canadian Space Agency funded a Neptec camera that builds three-dimensional images of terrain using laser light, NASA said."
the real challenge... (Score:3, Funny)
Aliens (Score:3, Funny)
Good question. I'm more interested in if they're going to ask observers to wear "alien" costumes while they film it. A few years from now, after the "landing" on the moon, they show their footage of the moon "landing" with the "aliens" who happened to be there and tell Congress that they need more money to investigate these "aliens". After all, NASA has learned their lesson from the first fake...I mean the first landing.
heh. (Score:5, Funny)
I can see it now... "mission controller! we did not find any hydrogen, but we picked up large amounts of refined titanium, gold and radioactive isotopes! aliens!"
meanwhile in another room perplexed and gloomy tech monitor their screens in woe and confusion, whilst listening to the cheers next door...
Ah, here's the real plan! (Score:2, Funny)
Moooon Roverrrr! (Score:3, Funny)
I'm crossing you in style someday
You dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you're going I'm going your way
Two drifters off to see the world
Theres such a lot of world to see
Were after the same rainbows end
Waiting round the band
My huckleberry friend, Moon Rover
And me
From the Monsanto corporation (Score:1, Funny)
We carry a harpoon.
But there ain't no whales,
So we tell tall tales,
and sing our whaling tune.
No, it's... (Score:2, Funny)
We carry a harpoon.
But there ain't no whales So we tell tall tales And sing our whaling tune...
Proof! (Score:5, Funny)
Gotcha! They just admitted that they have never put people on the more before. That whole 1969 bit was just a hoax.
And if that doesn't work try 6th graders......... (Score:1, Funny)
I'm not sure 5th graders are going to be heavy enough. Besides, they'll probably bitch and moan all the way to the moon.