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NASA Announces Prize for Digging Moon Dirt
space.com ^ | 09/19/05

Posted on 09/20/2005 7:30:22 PM PDT by KevinDavis

NASA announced Tuesday a $250,000 prize for the team that can win a lunar dirt-digging contest that will take place here on Earth.

The competition will pit robots to see which can excavate the most lunar regolith (a fancy word for soil) and deliver it to a collector. The challenge will be held in late 2006 or early 2007.

(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...


TOPICS: Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: nasa; space; spaceprizes
I don't mind seeing robots and humans in space together..
1 posted on 09/20/2005 7:30:25 PM PDT by KevinDavis
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To: RightWhale; Brett66; xrp; gdc314; anymouse; RadioAstronomer; NonZeroSum; jimkress; discostu; ...

2 posted on 09/20/2005 7:31:06 PM PDT by KevinDavis (the space/future belongs to the eagles --> http://www.cafepress.com/kevinspace1)
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To: KevinDavis

They can send some prototypes to my house and I'll test them in my litter trays.


3 posted on 09/20/2005 7:32:29 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... "To remain silent when they should protest makes cowards of men." -- THOMAS JEFFERSON)
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To: KevinDavis

Taking a page from X-Prize I see. Good move NASA.


4 posted on 09/20/2005 7:32:47 PM PDT by Archangelsk (Handbasket, hell. Get used to the concept.)
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To: KevinDavis

Um, how can it be lunar regolith if it's here on earth?


5 posted on 09/20/2005 7:32:49 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: KevinDavis

If the prize is a quarter mil, no telling how much it's really worth to NASA.


6 posted on 09/20/2005 7:33:56 PM PDT by mtbopfuyn (Legality does not dictate morality... Lavin)
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To: Archangelsk; All

I agree. I'm not the biggest fan of NASA.. I'm fan of space exploration and I prefer that we should get private industry involved.. However, they are doing it right...


7 posted on 09/20/2005 7:38:02 PM PDT by KevinDavis (the space/future belongs to the eagles --> http://www.cafepress.com/kevinspace1)
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To: KevinDavis

Robotic spacecraft are not very romantic, but they also don't eat, sleep, breath, pee, crap, and generally do not need to be accomodated like humans do. If you take a sober look at the knowledge gained from the space program in the last 30 years, almost all of it came from unmanned craft. IMHO, the only thing the Space Shuttle taught us is that building and operating a reusable space plane is a whole lot harder than anyone thought.


8 posted on 09/20/2005 7:38:36 PM PDT by beef (Who Killed Kennewick Man?)
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To: mtbopfuyn
If the prize is a quarter mil, no telling how much it's really worth to NASA.

Any substantial weight of lunar soil is worth well over 1/4 million.

A smart company would extract lunar soil and return it to the earth for their own profit, not let the government take credit for their work.

9 posted on 09/20/2005 7:39:42 PM PDT by SteveMcKing ("I was born a Democrat. I expect I'll be a Democrat the day I leave this earth." -Zell Miller '04)
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To: beef; All

Humans are going to be in space and for the last time space is not about science only..


10 posted on 09/20/2005 7:45:23 PM PDT by KevinDavis (the space/future belongs to the eagles --> http://www.cafepress.com/kevinspace1)
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To: beef

Additionally, "human work" in space is often limited to cumbersome, custom-designed tools that require months of training, very dedicated in purpose and utility.

A space tool is often a robot unto itself, making its human operator highly redundant. There are no such fine manipulations like tying a shoe -- more like threading a cable or bumping some array that got stuck; actions that could well be done with robots.


11 posted on 09/20/2005 7:46:07 PM PDT by SteveMcKing ("I was born a Democrat. I expect I'll be a Democrat the day I leave this earth." -Zell Miller '04)
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To: KevinDavis

And I thought our tax dollars went to NASA so "they" could design these little robots?

Pretty sad when NASA has to have a contest to steal ideas they should be coming up with on their own.

That is very telling on what is going on inside that place.

I wonder who approved this type of spending of taxpayer money ....Congress?


12 posted on 09/20/2005 7:46:58 PM PDT by Peace will be here soon (Liberal definition of looting: " Self-help Humanitarian Aid.")
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To: KevinDavis
"...excavate the most lunar regolith (a fancy word for soil)...."

Except that regolith is not soil -- it doesn't have any organic matter. Science popularizers should try to not distort the information, while making it accessible.
13 posted on 09/20/2005 7:47:56 PM PDT by USFRIENDINVICTORIA
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To: KevinDavis

14 posted on 09/20/2005 7:48:38 PM PDT by Zuben Elgenubi
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To: KevinDavis

Hey what about that NASA reads FR!

To: melt
Exactly!
As a matter of fact I think we should hold a National Telethon to raise Prize Money for the

Ralph Kramden Memorial
"Bang! Zoom! Straight to Da Moon!"
Trophy!

And just let the Guv pick up the tab for Katrina.

131 posted on 09/19/2005 11:12:31 PM EDT by Boiler Plate
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1487609/posts?page=131#131


15 posted on 09/20/2005 7:51:21 PM PDT by Boiler Plate
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To: KevinDavis

Demorats win hands down. They are the best at digging up dirt.


16 posted on 09/20/2005 7:52:23 PM PDT by taxesareforever (Government is running amuck)
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To: USFRIENDINVICTORIA
>>"...excavate the most lunar regolith (a fancy word for soil)...."

>Except that regolith is not soil -- it doesn't have any organic matter. Science popularizers should try to not distort the information, while making it accessible.

I'm confused. Isn't that then the reason why they call it "reglolith" instead of "soil"?

17 posted on 09/20/2005 7:53:31 PM PDT by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: KevinDavis

Rather than a quarter million for the best robot that can dig here on earth, how about, say $50 million for 100# of the REAL stuff delivered BACK here to earth?

We all know, becasue private industry would do it, and FASTER, BETTER, CHEAPER, than NASA can dream of.

With NASA, it's FASTER, BETTER, CHEAPER, PICK ONE.

Private industry can do all three at once.


18 posted on 09/20/2005 8:19:30 PM PDT by Balding_Eagle (God has blessed Republicans with really stupid enemies.)
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To: mtbopfuyn
"If the prize is a quarter mil, no telling how much it's really worth to NASA."

$250,000 to an enthusiastic team of space exploration fans or $100,000,000 to Boeing... Which makes better space sense?
19 posted on 09/20/2005 8:46:49 PM PDT by JeffersonRepublic.com (There is no truth in the news, and no news in the truth.)
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To: Archangelsk

Exactly. I spoke with Sen Hutchinson's NASA coordinator and he said this "Prize" money can be offered by the NASA Administrator to foster commercial space activities! In this copycat is GOOD!


20 posted on 09/21/2005 4:15:35 AM PDT by Young Werther
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