Dr. Red Whittaker at Carnegie Mellon University created Astrobotic Technology Inc. as a university spin-out to take on the challenge of private-sector lunar robots. Astrobotic is developing robotic scouts to gather knowledge needed immediately as space agencies and contractors make engineering decisions for coming human expeditions. These robots also will deliver payloads, prepare landing sites, test components, generate media content and serve corporate marketers.
The team has built and field-tested two prototype robots with a third version in design, including parts fabrication.
Tranquility TrekTM is the initial mission, planned for May 2011 to win the Google Lunar X PRIZE and send back the first high-definition video from another world. The Trek also will inspect the historic Apollo 11 site, providing data to be sold to space agencies on how four decades of exposure have affected the materials used in that expedition.
The design developed for the Trek, with modest modifications, will power subsequent expeditions. These will generate terrain maps, assay mineral content, determine illumination conditions, seek polar ice deposits, and carry out on-Moon testing of components and materials. The results will be integrated into a lunar data library with tailored data products sold in a licensed fashion to national space agencies, the aerospace contractors who serve them, and academic researchers funded by foundations and governments.
The team has built and field-tested two prototype robots with a third version in design, including parts fabrication.
Tranquility TrekTM is the initial mission, planned for May 2011 to win the Google Lunar X PRIZE and send back the first high-definition video from another world. The Trek also will inspect the historic Apollo 11 site, providing data to be sold to space agencies on how four decades of exposure have affected the materials used in that expedition.
The design developed for the Trek, with modest modifications, will power subsequent expeditions. These will generate terrain maps, assay mineral content, determine illumination conditions, seek polar ice deposits, and carry out on-Moon testing of components and materials. The results will be integrated into a lunar data library with tailored data products sold in a licensed fashion to national space agencies, the aerospace contractors who serve them, and academic researchers funded by foundations and governments.
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