The Moon Impact Probe (MIP), one of the 11 payloads of Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, successfully hit the lunar surface today at 20:31 hrs (8:31 pm) IST. This is the first Indian built object to reach the surface of the moon. The point of MIP’s impact was near the Moon’s South Polar Region. It may be recalled that the modern Indian space programme was initiated in 1962 when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister of India.

Weighing 34 kg at the time of its launch onboard Chandrayaan-1, the box shaped MIP carried three instruments – a video imaging system, a radar altimeter and a mass spectrometer. The video imaging system was intended to take the pictures of the moon’s surface as MIP approached it. The radar altimeter was included to measure the rate of descent of the probe to the lunar surface. Such instruments are necessary for future lunar soft landing missions. And, the mass spectrometer was for studying the extremely thin lunar atmosphere.

MIP’s 25 minute journey to the lunar surface began with its separation from Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft at 20:06 hrs (8:06 pm) IST. This was followed by a series of automatic operations that began with the firing of its spin up rockets after achieving a safe distance of separation from Chandrayaan-1. Later, the probe slowed down with the firing of its retro rocket and started its rapid descent towards the moon’s surface. Information from the its instruments was radioed to Chandrayaan-1 by MIP. The spacecraft recorded this in its onboard memory for later readout. Finally, the probe had a hard landing on the lunar surface that terminated its functioning.

The Moon Impact Probe hit the moon last November 14 at 20:31 IST near the Moon's South Polar Region. [ISRO]

Smaller, multiple satellite missions are economical and provide redundancy. Instead of launching one big, heavy satellite, launching lots of little is easier. They can orbit Earth in tandem, each doing their own small part of the overall mission. If a solar flare zaps one satellite—no problem. The rest can close ranks and carry on. Launch costs are reduced, too, because tiny satellites can hitch a ride inside larger payloads, getting to space almost free of charge.

The idea sounds great, but I can't help but want to see numbers painted all over these things. [Universe Today via io9]

This is the brilliant idea of the Danish group Copenhagen Suborbitals.

We are currently developing a series of suborbital space vehicles - designed to pave the way for manned space flight on a micro size spacecraft.

Two rocket vehicles are under development. A small unmanned sounding rocket, named Hybrid Atmospheric Test Vehicle or HATV and a larger booster rocket named Hybrid Exo Atmospheric Transporter or HEAT, designed to carry a micro spacecraft into a suborbital trajectory in space.

The mission has a 100% peacefull purpose and is not in any way involved in carrying explosive, nuclear, biological and chemical payloads.

We intend to share all our techninal information as much as possible, within the laws of EU-export control.

Maybe (maybe) this would be bearable if it was just a way to transport you to a space colony of some sort, but for any serious amount of time this would turn into the futuristic version of being buried alive. I can't imagine any sane person would sign up to get into one of these things.

What do you think, would you hop in one of these if it was your only chance to go into space? [Copenhagen Suborbitals via Boing Boing]

For the privately-developed SpaceX rocket project, apparently the fourth time is the charm. After three dismal failures, the fourth launch attempt resulted in the two-stage Falcon 1 streaking into orbit last night after a flawless liftoff at 7:15pm EDT. Even though this orbital insertion occurs 45 years after the first time NASA did it, it's a first for a privately-funded commercial venture.

What's next? SpaceX plans to perfect the design of the vehicle, allowing for re-use of the first stage after a Pacific splashdown, and then launch 1,256-pound payloads atop the 68-foot rocket into low earth orbit. Next summer, the company plans to launch a bigger design called Falcon 9, destined for cargo hauling to the International Space Station. Someday, the company may even compete with Richard Branson and take tourists into space.

Hit Continue to see a video of the launch from the U.S. Army's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Defense Test Site on the Kwajalein Atoll in the south Pacific Ocean.

In addition to transporting various payloads and spacecraft component parts for in-orbit assembly, the space elevator would also transport people, potentially kick starting a new wave of space tourism. Although several organizations around the world have also announced their intention to build such a mechanism, Japan's history of successful technical execution, plus a budget of around ten billion dollars makes the prospect of the space elevator suddenly seem like anything but fiction.

Via Times

“The idea involves encapsulating imaging agents and drugs into a protective ‘mother ship’ that evades the natural processes that normally would remove these payloads if they were unprotected,” Professor Michael Sailor told UCSD News. Professor Sailor teaches biochemistry there.

The nano-sized technology could be used to deliver large doses of medicine to specific regions inside the body, helping do away with far-more-harmful processes such as chemotherapy and radiation.

UCSD News, via io9

We've seen plenty of robot security guards before, but not one quite like this so-called Guardium UGV built by G-Nius, which is apparently just as comfortable going off-road as it is patrolling a parking lot. Unlike some other "robots," this one is also fully autonomous, with it relying on GPS most of the time, and it able to fall back on its own decision-making skills to overcome poor GPS conditions and avoid obstacles. Naturally, the bot can also be loaded up with any number of different payloads to let it take on more ambitious missions, including a hostile fire indicator, a missile approach warning system, chemical snifters, fire extinguishers, and even an "RFID Interrogator," to name but a few. Be sure to head on past the break to check it out in action.

[Via Crave]

Continue reading Guardium UGV robot tears it up to keep watch on trespassers

We've seen plenty of robot security guards before, but not one quite like this so-called Guardium UGV built by G-Nius, which is apparently just as comfortable going off-road as it is patrolling a parking lot. Unlike some other "robots," this one is also fully autonomous, with it relying on GPS most of the time, and it able to fall back on its own decision-making skills to overcome poor GPS conditions and avoid obstacles. Naturally, the bot can also be loaded up with any number of different payloads to let it take on more ambitious missions, including a hostile fire indicator, a missile approach warning system, chemical snifters, fire extinguishers, and even an "RFID Interrogator," to name but a few. Be sure to head on past the break to check it out in action.

[Via Crave]

Continue reading Guardium UGV robot tears it up to keep watch on trespassers