Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Moon Bot

Astrobotic Technology Inc. (a spinoff of Carnegie Mellon University) are building a robot that will go to the moon's north pole to search for ice. Polaris is equipped with a drill to test the rocks and a fin of solar cells, which are vertical so they can capture the low-lying sun's rays. A lunar day lasts 14 Earth days, and the scientists say only 10 of those are bright enough to prospect for water at the dark poles.