Regal Tribune

Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Log in
  • National News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Science
  • Health
  • About Regal Tribune

Pages

  • About Regal Tribune
  • Body of Woman Discovered in Gwinnett Place Mall Identified
  • Compulsory Vaccines for Children
  • Contact Us
  • High Tides Are the New Danger in U.S. States
  • Homepage
  • Our Team
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Terms of Use

Recent Posts

  • Canadian Teen Dies on School Trip from Toxic Shock Syndrome Jun 29, 2018
  • Unesco Removes the Belize Coral Reef from Its List of Endangered Sites Jun 28, 2018
  • Tonight, the Blood Moon Coincides with the Longest Lunar Eclipse of the Century Jun 27, 2018
  • People Are Paying Hundreds of Dollars Just to Own Official Fortnite Disc Copies Jun 27, 2018
  • Researchers Reassess the Fermi Paradox, Showing We’re Probably Alone in the Universe (Study) Jun 26, 2018
  • The Latest Xbox Update Might Bring Keyboard and Mouse Support on the Console Jun 26, 2018
  • Researchers Invent Miraculous Plaster that Effectively Treats Oral Ulcers Jun 25, 2018

Audi Lunar Quattro Vying for Google Lunar XPRIZE

Jan 17, 2016 By Jose Buttner Leave a Comment

Email, RSS Follow

Audi Lunar QuattroAudi Lunar Quattro is now vying for the Google Lunar XPRIZE, becoming the latest newcomer in the race to develop a robot that can easily land on the Moon and broadcast reconnaissance data back to Earth.

The Google Lunar XPRIZE, also known as Moon 2.0, first revealed its dazzling challenge in September 2007, at Wired’s Nextfest event held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Basically, in order to seize the top prize, amounting to $20 million, contest participants must be the first to complete a successful lunar landing using a robotic spacecraft, by December 2017.

They must also ensure that the probe they are sending into space will descend right on a specific spot close to Apollo 17’s landing site (in the vicinity of the Littrow crater and of the Taurus Mountains).

After reaching that target, the vehicle will then have to move for at least 1,640 feet across the Moon’s surface, and capture high-resolution images and videos which will then be relayed to ground controllers.

For the runner-up team that will achieve the same goals, rewards will consist in just $5 million, which is still quite a hefty sum, but it doesn’t compare to the glory and publicity that can be achieved after being crowned the winner.

So far, just two competing teams have managed to secure a contract for a lunar take-off: Mountain View, California-based company Moon Express and Israeli nonprofit organization SpaceIL.

Now, it appears that Audi is also willing to try its luck at developing a robotic vehicle destined to explore the moon, although its focus has always been on manufacturing luxury automobiles.

It seems like an unusual departure from its day-to-day operations, but the German car-maker has already unveiled the rover it plans to use so as to aid a team called the Part Time Scientists in being declared the ultimate winner of the Google Lunar XPRIZE.

Known as “Audi Lunar Quattro”, the vehicle is currently rather bulky, weighing approximately 77.2 pounds despite being built out of material known to be relatively lightweight: aluminium.

As a result, its developers have been toying with the idea of incorporating magnesium into the probe’s structure as well, in order to reduce its weight even further.

Currently, the vehicle can’t exceed velocities of more than 2.2 miles per hour, but this isn’t necessarily a downside, given the fact that the lunar surface must be navigated with great care, if the team wants the rover to complete its mission without experiencing any technical mishap or accident.

The robot runs on 4 wheels that can freely rotate in every direction (at 360 degrees), and this unparalleled mobility is coupled with state-of-the-art imaging equipment.

A set of 2 digital cameras will be used for recording 3D footage, while a third one will have the role of exploring the Moon’s landforms, while capturing panoramic images.

The Audi Lunar Quattro also boasts a solar panel capable of adapting its position in order to derive as much energy as possible from the Sun, and harness it so as to power itself.

It remains to be seen how the Part Time Scientists will fare in this competition, while being aided by Audi’s latest technology, as well as by NVIDIA and by aerospace engineer Jack Crenshaw, who was in charge with guiding NASA’s Apollo missions in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

The ethnically diverse team, whose members come from 3 continents, also benefits from the support of the Austrian Space Forum, and of the technical universities of Berlin and Hamburg.

So far, the Part Time Scientists have reached 2 important milestones, after designing the rover and equipping it with its optical devices, but they still have a lot of catching up to do before surpassing the two front-runners, Moon Express and SpaceIL.

Image Source: PT Scientists

Email, RSS Follow

Filed Under: Science

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 11 other subscribers

Recent Articles

Starbucks coffee.

California Family to Sue Starbucks over Drinking Coffee with Blood

Feb 11, 2018 By Benjamin Teh Leave a Comment

uber app

Portland Officials Learned Uber Activated Software to Deceive Ride Service Regulators

Sep 16, 2017 By Jose Buttner Leave a Comment

tesla model s

Tesla’s Free Software Upgrade for Drivers Affected by Irma to Expire on Saturday

Sep 12, 2017 By Jose Buttner Leave a Comment

hurricane aftermath

Companies Assess the Economic Toll of Two Hurricanes Hitting the U.S.

Sep 11, 2017 By Lori Martinez Leave a Comment

chipotle restaurant

Chipotle Announced Nationwide Launch for Famous Cheese Sauce, Queso

Sep 6, 2017 By Lori Martinez Leave a Comment

bitcoin coins

China Is the First Nation to React to Initial Coin Offerings

Sep 4, 2017 By Benjamin Teh Leave a Comment

people sheltering from flood

Best Buy Gives Its Apologies for Water Price Gouging after Hurricane Harvey

Sep 2, 2017 By Graziella Paone Leave a Comment

uber driver

Uber Will Quit Surveillance Feature after Riders End Their Trips

Aug 31, 2017 By Benjamin Teh Leave a Comment

uber car

Uber Introduces New Flexible Driver Benefits

Aug 24, 2017 By Graziella Paone Leave a Comment

mountain view

Interior Department Kills Study on Health Hazards of Appalachian Mountaintop Removal Coal Mine

Aug 23, 2017 By Jose Buttner Leave a Comment

volkswagen minibus

Volkswagen Is Bringing Back the Sassy ID Buzz Minibus in Electric Version

Aug 21, 2017 By Benjamin Teh Leave a Comment

howard schultz interview

Starbucks CEO Speaks out about Charlottesville Violence

Aug 19, 2017 By Jose Buttner Leave a Comment

michael o'leary

Ryanair CEO Opposes Collaboration between Lufthansa and Insolvent Rival Air Berlin

Aug 18, 2017 By Lori Martinez Leave a Comment

aldi logo

Aldi Distances Itself from Competitors with New Grocery Delivery System

Aug 14, 2017 By Jose Buttner Leave a Comment

Related Articles

  • Blood moon appearing big on the night sky

    Tonight, the Blood Moon Coincides with the Longest Lunar Eclipse of the Century

    Jun 27, 2018
  • The Milky Way seen from Earth

    Researchers Reassess the Fermi Paradox, Showing We’re Probably Alone in the Universe (Study)

    Jun 26, 2018
  • Space junk orbiting around Earth

    Researchers Launch the First Satellite that Picks Up Space Junk from Earth’s Orbit

    Jun 25, 2018
  • Stonehenge at the sunset

    The Theorem of Pythagoras Might Have Been Behind the Building of Stonehenge

    Jun 22, 2018
  • Portrait of Barack Obama in the White House

    Newly Discovered Underwater Fossil Gets Named After Obama (Study)

    Jun 20, 2018
  • Chris Hadfield during his traditional astronaut photoshoot

    Astronaut Chris Hadfield Doesn’t Think Humans Will Get to Mars Too Soon

    Jun 18, 2018
  • Opportunity Rover on the surface of Mars

    NASA’s Opportunity Rover Is Struggling with a Severe Dust Storm on Mars

    Jun 12, 2018
  • Planets orbiting around a red dwarf star

    The Kepler Satellite Spots New Solar System with Planets the Size of Earth

    Jun 11, 2018
  • Rocket launching into space from a cosmodrome

    Russian Astronauts Explain Why They Urinate on a Tire Before Getting Launched into Space

    Jun 8, 2018
  • Pluto as seen during the New Horizons mission

    Researchers Spot Interesting Methane Dunes on Pluto’s Icy Surface (Study)

    Jun 5, 2018

Categories

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • National News
  • Nature
  • Science
  • Technology
  • U.S.

Copyright © 2021RegalTribune.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Contact

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.