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Subscribe to RSSNASA says it'll buy up to $30.1 million worth of data about robotic lander projects - basically doubling the potential impact of the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize.
The space agency said its Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data program would pay a minimum of $10,000 for each data contract relating to the design and demonstration of a lunar landing mission. "This includes data associated with hardware design, development and testing; ground operations and integration; launch; trajectory correction maneuvers; lunar braking, burn and landing; and enhanced capabilities," NASA said in today's news release.
Such data could help NASA design its own landers for robotic as well as human missions to the moon, Mars, asteroids or elsewhere. The program also provides an extra financial incentive for the 21 teams chasing the Google Lunar X Prize, which would richly reward the first team to land a privately developed rover on the moon. Ramin Khadem, chairman of Odyssey Moon Limited, told me last year that data purchases were part of the financial model for his venture's Lunar X Prize effort.
Today another front-running Lunar X Prize team, Astrobotic Technology, hailed NASA's data-purchase announcement. "NASA is turning to companies like Astrobotic and SpaceX to bring down the costs of space exploration," Astrobotic's president, David Gump, said in the news release. "Along with lower costs, the private sector can create innovative events and promotions that involve the public, which is one of the factors that the NASA data buy wants to measure."
NASA's purchases can be made through 2012, which is also the deadline for winning the Google Lunar X Prize program's maximum prize of $20 million. After that, the top prize shrinks to $15 million - and it goes away altogether if the money isn't won by the end of 2014. (Subsidiary prizes account for the competition's other $10 million.)
Are private-sector lunar missions the way to go? How about commercial lunar colonies? Let your imagination fly free and share your views in the comment section below.
Video: Astrobotic Technology
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Pay only for results and data. Good. If anything, it's overdue.
Where is the science in this mission?
What instruments will it use to answer important questions about the composition and origin of the Moon in order to be able to conduct ISRU and to settle the Moon in the future.
Is this space exploration, or is this just a toy?
Give it time. Besides, even mobile hi-res imagery alone will telll you a great deal about places you've never imaged at close range before...
please stop the .
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that is annoying
No, excessive boldface/caps, and claiming every idea but the wheel, is annoying...
I'm with Nelson Birdwell on this. All though a great idea to get the privet sector in a position to where they can foresee a possible profit to be made in such explorations what if anything are these robots expected to do?
In this case, a rover with instruments would be nice, but unnecessary. if the robot discovers something we havent learned yet, then send another expedition.
This is just a proof of concept experiment. Soon we will shoot probes to mars on a regular basis. IF you were to ge really sophisticated and to be a truely professional and prepared exploration agency, NASA should develop robots which build on the Martian surface. We send the robots and needed supplies, and then operators on earth build the structures with these robots and ready them to recieve the astronauts. We could have most necessary systems built by 2025 Id imagine. The inflatable structures would work best id imagine. The less work the astronauts have to do when they get there the better.
I would say, that WHEN we discover significant mineral deposits on Mars we could begin colonization within 20 years. This should happen before 2025, sy by 2050 we should have a working colony on Mars
This reminds me of the tv show salvage one , that ran in the early seventies. The inovater built a space ship that was built form junkyard parts,and a old cement truck. The mission was to retrive all the high dollar stuff that was left on the moon by nasa, and bring it back to earth, if you could pull that off today you may see the stuff on ebay for big bucks. or on the road show.
Interesting article Alan. All this private moon shot rover landing prize stuff will do is have a bunch of teams reinventing the same wheel NASA invented back in the 1960's. Just seems like a waste of money for a publicity stunt. We should be going back to the moon in a big way to establish permanent bases there so we can learn how to live off the land on other solar bodies in preparation to go to Mars eventually.
Firstly, it's not a waste of money; it's kick-starting a commercial lunar industry, which is what we need if we're ever going to get off this rock. Yes, NASA did the same thing decades ago, and that's how it should be -- first the government proves (at great risk and expense) that something is possible, and then industry comes in and figures out how to do it sustainably. (That thing you're reading this on? That's just a commercial version of something the government built in the 1950s... except vastly smaller, cheaper, and more powerful. Is that just a publicity stunt too?)
Second: even if it were a waste of money, so what? It's Google's money. They've got so much of it they probably use it for toilet paper. If they want to spend some of that trying to generate interest in (and experience on) the Moon, we should thank them for it.
The moon is only a few days travel from Earth. Mars takes YEARS to reach. Logistically speaking, we need to develop a colony on the Moon first.
Chop chop with the rocket ships already! There's billions being tossed into these programs and the results have not been Earth-shattering to date.
Mars is only months (6 - 7 with chemical) or days (39 - 70 with NTR or VASMIR). We will not really learn anything about living on Mars but try Moon first. The environments are too different. We can mock-up a Mars mission a lot cheaper and with better correlation by simulating right on earth. MDRS, Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS), Mars 500, .... List can go on and on.
You are right though. NASA needs to stop fooling around and develop a Heavy Lift vehicle. NOW!!!
Check my website www.solarsystemexpress.com and www.blazesanders.com
The private sector needs to commit to the moon and make it economically viable over the long-term. NASA on the moon - been there done that. Since government has already done the "basic research" why should they do more?
If there is more government "basic research" to be done on the moon, and no doubt there is, my guess is that it can wait until the private sector has produced the necessary hotel accommodations on the moon that NASA employees might expect in their Earth-bound accommodations.
If the private sector can not make the Moon profitable then we just have not found the right entrepreneurs.
A group of the world's largest hotels might get together and purchase infrastructure development from engineering companies. The engineering companies might establish solar arrays near the areas (the pits perhaps) where the infrastructure would be built. The engineering companies would hire private sector space transportation companies to deliver the solar panel components, to deliver construction robots and eventually deliver required infrastructure construction personnel if any.
Once the electricity, water, sewage and trash infrastructure is in place the hotel engineering staff can begin construction of the first hotel. Once the first hotel is complete the hotels can issue an IPO for a new hotel company. All construction costs to date should be recovered in the IPO and sufficient capital to open and operate the hotel for a reasonable period should be funded. Each hotel company would also retain shares that could later be sold at their option.
The next step is to open the doors, figuratively speaking, to the first 'naut arrivals. In the morning they should be able to walk out their personal "hatch" and get their exploratory activities going. When they return they should be able to skip down the halls of the hotel to the center of the gravity Ferris-wheel where they might spend a few hours eating a meal, watching television, reading, or simply hanging out. How many hours are needed on the gravity Ferris-wheel each day anyway?
As long as visitors keep arriving the hotel should remain in profitable operation.
All future construction starts from this first hotel. Hotel Enterprise. Once there are feet on the ground the manufacturing plants and bowling alleys can begin to sprout.
This contest is for somebody from the private sector to soft-land on the moon, and the Google Lunar X Prize is for somebody from the private sector to travel a set distance on the moon and take video the whole way. So this isn't the government again; it's the private sector now.
I still think all they have to do is boot a small bot out the space station air lock.... then it lands on the moon!! Sure I have left out all the cute stuff...showing you a way to get a rover on the moon for cheap is getting to be a bit of a pain in the ....
My idea!!!....it is DEACADES OLD!!!
Comment on the article, not on the comments, unless you have no thoughts on the article.
I guess you have to walk before you can run, but wish X Prize and NASA would develop a research agenda based on finding real value in space (if there is any, but that's what research is all about). Human and robotic exploration will only take off and become sustainable if there is a value proposition, just as the Jamestown colony seemed doomed to failure until they developed a lucrative cash crop (tobacco). That expedition's initial backers never dreamed that a weed would make their venture profitable and sustainable. Similarly, we need to explore all options (other than harmful adictive substances I suppose) to make space pay. There's a great X Prize idea.
we need to discover high deman minerals on mars/moon
at least this google mission will prove that Nasa did actually go to the moon in the 60's. The animation says they will take photos of the original equipment left there. Bravo to that at least.
Check out tumbleweed's from over a year ago.
Whoopee, and whoopee again! The robotic space entries shown above will, in my opinion, make both SSI and Luna exploration and development a sustainable and achievable goal. We must however, be alert to the runaway financial, environmental and international security concern of all nations -- without this, humanity's ability to sustain the noble goal of expanding their Universe, will turn to dust....
The path to the stars will not be en easy one,hence my vote for the robotics in most all the pioneering effort. They will have to be capable to blast and boar through rock,, have the adroitness of a ballerina, and have the sensitivity of a lover's hand.... They are the one's that will prepare the Spartan accomodations to the brave souls who will follow -- there will be no sweet chocolate laying on their pillow. And, most importuntly...may the Creative force behind our magnificent Universe -- be with them....
Exciting stuff! It's nice to see NASA pitching in a bit with the Google Lunar X-Prize, which I'm still fervently hoping will produce more than viewgraphs and YouTube videos.
looks like a moderator with pms is controlling this board?