Astrobotic creates robot to win NASA Moon excavation competition | Astrobotic Technology, Inc

By Alex Gutierrez, Posted 07/07/09

Link: http://astrobotictechnology.com/2009/07/06/astrobotic-creates-robot-to-win-na...

Astrobotic Technology Inc. announced today that it has begun testing a robot designed to win a NASA competition for excavating simulated Moon dirt. The NASA Regolith Excavation Challenge, set for Oct. 17-18 at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, will award $500,000 for the robot that can dig and dump the most simulated lunar dirt during a 30-minute workout. (“Regolith” is the technical term for the soil covering a planet, moon or asteroid.) Future use of lunar regolith for processing into habitats and other useful applications on the Moon is anticipated if robots can do most of the work.