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NASA once again wants help from the private sector

NASA and the X Prize Foundation have made a partnership that will hold the Lunar Lander Analog Challenge.  NASA's Deputy Administrator Shana Dale announced last week that the two organizations will work together on the contest that NASA has put $2 million towards.  Because the last lunar landing was accomplished long ago in 1972, NASA hopes to tap into the many new technologies that have been developed since then.  Teams will have to develop a craft that will be able to launch vertically, hover and land on a target that is 100 yards away.  According to Space.com: 

The $2.5M Lunar Lander Challenge will require a vehicle to simulate a trip between the Moon and low Moon orbit. The competition is divided into two courses. The more difficult of the courses—level 2—requires a vehicle to take off from a designated launch area and elevate to at least 50 meters. It must then fly for at least 180 seconds before landing precisely in an area simulating a rocky lunar surface 100 meters away.

The X Prize Cup will take place in New Mexico in late October.

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What the...
By faiakes on 5/8/2006 12:13:58 PM , Rating: 2
Does that mean that NASA is outsourcing the design and tachnology required?

Is it cheaper for them or is it the case that they are useless at doing it themselves?




RE: What the...
By Lakku on 5/8/2006 2:54:43 PM , Rating: 2
It allows them to essentially get the brightest minds, or at least innovative, together from around the country to compete for millions, rather then spending on employees who get paid already. Plus, it frees up resources for them to do other things.


RE: What the...
By smaddox on 5/9/2006 1:45:03 AM , Rating: 2
No, the idea is to get several people competing for the same prize of only 2 mill (more than 2 mill will end up being spent by the people creating the lander) and at the same time promote developing the cheapest lander possible (because the companies developing the landers will be on much tighter budgets and be much smaller than NASA).

Basically, they save money on research, and they save money because the product will be cheaper to build.

THAT is why they are using the competition.


RC helicopter?
By Discord on 5/8/2006 4:38:56 PM , Rating: 2
RC helicopter: $850
Walking away with the 2.5 million dollar Lunar Landing X-prize: Priceless




RE: RC helicopter?
By Stoene on 5/8/2006 4:42:22 PM , Rating: 2
Last I heard the Moon doesn't have an atmosphere.


RE: RC helicopter?
By faiakes on 5/12/2006 4:39:37 PM , Rating: 2
Actually some of the early moon reports were conflicting because they suggested that the moon had an atmosphere albeit a very thin one.
Check newspapers at the timeof the first landings, it is rather strange.


hmmm
By Orpheus333 on 5/8/2006 2:02:48 PM , Rating: 2
Time to break out the Legos.




what atmosphere?
By procyon on 5/8/2006 8:54:01 PM , Rating: 2
i thought they said - orbit...
on the other hand, whatever profit they'll have out of it, it finally let's the private sector to do some job...




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