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NASA Plans Moon Voyages with Robonaut

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation,

We were watching an episode of “60 Minutes” this week that featured NASA getting back into moon and Mars voyages because people were just not all that excited about us being in space anymore. One of the things they have planned to include is the Robonaut that will be sent to do jobs that men can do with dexterous manipulation. Plans include setting up a moon colony to practice hanging out there for up to a month. Look for the project to begin around 2020 because right now there is not enough funding. Maybe NASA should contact Richard Branson for a monetary jump start.

Moon in my Room mini-moon nightlight

Posted by Jenny Lewis Categories: Smart Home, Misc. Tech, Science,

Description Have a future astronaut at home? Or maybe you just like the, um, “comfort” of a little extra moonlight in the room with you at night? Check out Moon In My Room, a remote controlled nightlight with a detailed lunarscape that displays 12 phases of the moon. The light sensor makes sure that there’s always a little moonlight around, and the three hanging angles make sure that your view is perfect. Included with your purchase are lunar phase calendar and an audio CD with a lesson in moon-ology and space. The lamp measures 10” in diameter and requires 4 AA and 2 AAA batteries (we’re guessing the AAAs are for the remote).

Armadillo Fails Lift Off

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science,

Armadillo Lunar Lander We don’t really like to look at the down side of things, but we wanted to commiserate a bit with Armadillo Aerospace. In an attempt to win a prize of $350,000.00 in NASA’s X Prize Cup, their lunar lander module caught fire when launched in new Mexico. Fortunately, there were no injuries. This was their fourth attempt at the Level 1 challenge, in which a rocket must ascend 50 meters, move to another pad 100 meters away and stay there for 90 seconds. Total trip time must be within 150 minutes.

There is a total of $2 million up for grabs in the contest with its Level 2 which is designed to promote more capable space exploration vehicles, but Armadillo says they are done for the year. Here’s hoping they get back to the drawing board successfully.

Google Offers $30 Million Bounty for Private Moon Landing

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Google, Misc. Tech, Science,

Google Moon We suppose that Google is not satisfied with its new Sky, but then again maybe they have just gone a tad space loony. The company has offered a $30 million reward to the first private company that sends a robotic rover to the moon and sends back a gigabyte of images.

Partnered with the X Prize Foundation, who hosted the contest that sent non-astronauts into space, Google says that the rules involve the device traveling at least 1,312 feet across the surface and having high-def video and still cameras to send self-portraits, panoramic views, and near-real time videos. More details will become available during the WIRED Nextfest in LA this week.

Rugs Vividly Portray Earth and Moon

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Smart Home, Science,

Instead of projecting our planet and moon on your ceiling, why not walk all over it? These rugs are created out of virgin wool in six colors. The Earth Rug has a diameter of 98.5-inches with a huge price of $2752.80 while the Moon is 47.25-inches and can be yours for $824.60. At prices like that, perhaps it would be best to offer the rugs to traveling aliens who are looking for souvenirs to take back to their planets instead of the usual t-shirts.

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