Monthly Archives: July 2009
Rover to retrace Apollo’s footsteps
Sun-powered robot will examine lunar junk after four decades; Boiling noons and cryogenic nights will prove two of the hells inflicted upon a sun-fueled rover when it retraces Neil Armstrong’s first steps across the moon in 2011, beaming home high-definition footage along the way.
Oakland firm refines rover designed to land on lunar soil, collect $20M
By Mike Cronin TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, July 21, 2009 Executives of Astrobotic Technology in Oakland believe they are a bit closer to winning a $20 million race to the moon. Company Chairman William “Red” L. Whittaker, a Carnegie Mellon University robotics professor, and his colleagues on Monday showed off their third prototype of a robot they… {read more}
‘Red Rover’ to roam Moon’s surface
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — On the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11′s landing on the moon, a local company is hoping to get back there. In 22 months, William “Red” Whittaker, a roboticist at Carnegie Mellon University, wants a robot to make the trip. He and the Astrobotic team have developed and tested the Red Rover and… {read more}
New design overcomes intense lunar heat
The third prototype for Astrobotic Technology’s lunar robot has innovations that will enable it to survive the blistering heat at the Moon’s equator, which is the robot’s destination in 2013 when it will visit the Apollo 11 site. Noon at the equator is hotter than boiling water: 270 degrees F. The robot beats the heat… {read more}
Oakland robotics company shoots for the moon
Friday, July 10, 2009 By David Templeton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Competition might not be the mother of invention, but it certainly has inspired robotic innovation at Astrobotic Technology Inc. The space-age robotics company in Oakland already has announced its intent to win the $20 million Google X Prize by being the first to send a mobile… {read more}
Astrobotic creates robot to win NASA Moon excavation competition
PITTSBURGH, PA – July 6, 2009 – Astrobotic Technology Inc. announced today that it has begun testing a robot designed to win a NASA competition for excavating simulated Moon dirt.
