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Chapter 8: Problem 63

The Google Lunar X Prize (http://googlelunarxprize.org) goes to the first privately funded team to send a robot to the Moon. The winning robot must travel some distance on the Moon's surface, and send back pictures, by December 2015 On the website, click on "The Teams" and read about a few of the teams. For each team, consider these questions: What kind of people and companies are on the team? What is their plan to go to the Moon? Aside from this prize, why do they want to go to the Moon; what commercial opportunities on the Moon do they anticipate?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Visit the Google Lunar X Prize website, navigate to 'The Teams', choose a few teams, and summarize their team members, mission plans, and anticipated commercial opportunities on the Moon.

Step by step solution

01

- Visit the Website

Go to http://googlelunarxprize.org. This is the official website of the Google Lunar X Prize.
02

- Navigate to The Teams Section

On the website, find and click on the 'The Teams' section. This section provides detailed information about all the teams competing in the challenge.
03

- Choose a Team to Research

Select a few teams to read about. Each team has its own profile including information on their members, their strategies, and their mission plans.
04

- Identify Team Members and Companies

For each team you've selected, note down the kind of people involved (e.g., engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs) and the companies that are part of the team.
05

- Understand Their Plan

Read about the specific plan each team has to send a robot to the Moon. This might include details on the technology they are using, the design of their robot, and the steps they will take to achieve their mission.
06

- Commercial Opportunities

Look for information on why these teams want to go to the Moon beyond just winning the prize. Identify any commercial opportunities they anticipate, such as mining for resources, tourism, or scientific research.
07

- Compile Your Findings

Summarize your findings for each team. Note the makeup of the team, their plan to reach the Moon, and the commercial opportunities they foresee.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Robotics in Space
Robotics play an essential role in space exploration, especially when it comes to missions like the Google Lunar X Prize. Robots can perform complex tasks in harsh conditions where humans would face significant risks. They can help collect samples, take pictures, and explore areas that are hard to reach. In the context of the Google Lunar X Prize, teams are developing advanced robots capable of traveling on the Moon's surface and transmitting valuable data back to Earth. These robots need to be durable, autonomous, and highly efficient to accomplish their missions successfully.
Lunar Exploration
Exploring the Moon is vital for various scientific and commercial reasons. Lunar exploration helps scientists understand more about the Moon's history and geology. Moreover, it can reveal insights into the early solar system. Teams participating in the Google Lunar X Prize are contributing to this exploration by sending their robots to the Moon. These missions provide opportunities for testing new technologies and collecting new data, which can lead to further discoveries and advancements in space science.
Commercial Opportunities in Space
The Moon holds significant commercial opportunities that teams in the Google Lunar X Prize are eager to explore. Some potential opportunities include:
  • Mining for precious resources such as rare earth elements and Helium-3, which can be used in future energy solutions.
  • Developing lunar tourism, offering unique experiences for humans to visit and explore the Moon.
  • Establishing scientific research facilities that can provide a base for further space exploration missions, such as those aimed at Mars.
These opportunities make lunar missions highly attractive not just for their scientific value but also for their economic potential.
Team Strategies in Space Missions
Each team participating in the Google Lunar X Prize has its strategies for reaching the Moon and accomplishing their goals. These strategies incorporate various elements:
  • The composition of the team, which often includes a mix of engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and sometimes artists to bring creative solutions to technical challenges.
  • The choice of technology and design being used, such as the specific type of rover or lander, and the materials selected for construction.
  • Logistical planning, such as launch schedules, landing sites, and how the mission will be executed step-by-step.
By understanding these strategies, one can see the diverse approaches taken by different teams to solve the same problem.
Technology in Space Exploration
Advancements in technology are critical to the success of space exploration missions. For the Google Lunar X Prize, teams are leveraging the latest technologies in robotics, materials science, and information technology. Some key technological aspects include:
  • Autonomous navigation systems that allow the robots to operate independently on the Moon's surface.
  • High-precision instruments for scientific measurements and data collection.
  • Communication technologies that ensure the data collected by the robots can be effectively transmitted back to Earth.
These technological innovations not only make missions more feasible but also pave the way for future advancements in the field of space exploration.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Geologists can determine the relative age of features on a planet because a. the ones on top must be older. b. the ones on top must be younger. c. the larger ones must be older. d. the larger ones must be younger. e. all the features we can see are the same age.

The object that created Arizona's Meteor Crater was estimated to have a diameter of 50 meters and a mass of 300 million kg. Calculate the density of the impacting object, and explain what that may tell you about its composition.

The International Astronomical Union adopted a plan to have all features on Venus (with a few exceptions for large features discovered earlier) named after historical or mythological women. Categories of features are paired with specific subcategories of women; for example, large craters (greater than about \(15 \mathrm{km}\) ) are named after famous women, smaller craters have female first names, mountains are named after goddesses, and so on. Go to the Venus Crater Database (http://lpi.usra.edu/resources/vc/vchome.html), click on "Craters by Image Map," click on a region to zoom in on, and then select a few craters. For each crater, consider these questions: What is the "morphologic" class of the crater? Is there another crater very close by? What is the crater's diameter? How high is the elevation? Who was the large crater named after (if you didn't get a large one, go back to the starting address and click on "Craters by Descending Diameter")

Earth's interior is heated by a. angular momentum and gravity. b. radioactive decay and gravity. c. radioactive decay and tidal effects. d. angular momentum and tidal effects. e. gravity and tidal effects.

Explain some of the geological evidence suggesting that Mars once had liquid water on its surface.
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