NASA has unveiled plans to put a robot on the moon for a fraction of the cost of sending a human. Engineers claim that in just 1,000 days they can safely build and fire a humanoid-like machine into space and onto our nearest neighbour. It would cost less than $200million (£124million), plus $250million (£156million) for the rocket, substantially less than the $150billion (£93billion) it would be to send an astronaut. The engineers behind it also hope that the sight of a robot walking on the Moon would inspire a new generation of scientists, just as the Apollo landings did 40 years ago. Project M has been considered a ‘guerrilla effort’ by NASA engineers due to the lack of official enthusiasm for returning to the Moon. As a result they have had to use discretionary funds, barter with engineering companies, trade with specialists and persuade NASA units to co-operate. In one case an engineer even went to a hardware store to buy $80 (£49) worth of materials to enable him to test the fuel tank on a prototype aircraft. The driving force behind the project was Stephen J. Altemus, the chief engineer at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston. Faced with shrinking budgets, he wanted something that could be achieved quickly without getting bogged down in red tape. When he shared his idea with colleagues it caught on like 'wildfire' and they have not looked back. The team found that sending a robot to the Moon is far easier than sending a person - it does not need air or food and there is no return trip. (Daily Mail)Wednesday 3 November 2010
Nasa to put a robot on the moon 'in just 1,000 days'
NASA has unveiled plans to put a robot on the moon for a fraction of the cost of sending a human. Engineers claim that in just 1,000 days they can safely build and fire a humanoid-like machine into space and onto our nearest neighbour. It would cost less than $200million (£124million), plus $250million (£156million) for the rocket, substantially less than the $150billion (£93billion) it would be to send an astronaut. The engineers behind it also hope that the sight of a robot walking on the Moon would inspire a new generation of scientists, just as the Apollo landings did 40 years ago. Project M has been considered a ‘guerrilla effort’ by NASA engineers due to the lack of official enthusiasm for returning to the Moon. As a result they have had to use discretionary funds, barter with engineering companies, trade with specialists and persuade NASA units to co-operate. In one case an engineer even went to a hardware store to buy $80 (£49) worth of materials to enable him to test the fuel tank on a prototype aircraft. The driving force behind the project was Stephen J. Altemus, the chief engineer at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston. Faced with shrinking budgets, he wanted something that could be achieved quickly without getting bogged down in red tape. When he shared his idea with colleagues it caught on like 'wildfire' and they have not looked back. The team found that sending a robot to the Moon is far easier than sending a person - it does not need air or food and there is no return trip. (Daily Mail)