Armadillo Lunar Success, Powering Beaming Prep, LEGO, Mars Rover Challenge, Lunar X PRIZE, Dutch CanSat, RegEx and N-Prize Videos

Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

Of course you've heard the big news on Armadillo's flights this weekend:

Armadillo Aerospace did it! - RLV News
Armadillo flight video - RLV News
Dramatic photos from Caddo Mills - RLV News (go to full screen size for these pictures!)

Other teams are also busy:

@mojaverocketguy - Spent most of the day out in the desert helping fly a Xombie. Making progress, but Murphy is extracting his pound of flesh along the way.

@wikkit - The team got in one flight today, again taking off from the ground and landing on the ground. Again on tether. More flights every day.

@http://twitpic.com/heg91 - Did you know that you can make bubbles of molten concrete?

@unrocket - Getting ready to go out to FAR tonight. We will try to teter hover the blue ball for 90 seconds some time Sunday Morning.

At far all nonhazardous setup complete. 87F gusting to30mph humuidity < 20 %

Blue ball 106 sec stable tethered hover!!!

@NGLLC09 - Direct quote from Armadillo's Neil Milburn: "Go, Xombie, go!" Good luck, Masten and Unreasonable!


Space Elevator Games

Climber / Power-Beaming update - The Space Elevator Blog

Quick update - The Space Elevator Blog - A test of the new helicopter/tether scheme was successful, allowing additional steps to be taken towards the Power Beaming competition itself.

Helicopter Testing, Version 2 - LaserMotive - This includes a number of pictures of the testing.

Here's the LaserMotive twitter account.  I added this to the twitter list and latest tweets panel.

Power Beaming Challenge update - RLV News - This also includes a picture of the testing.

Gallery of Photos from 2009 Tether Challenge - NASA Centennial Challenges


Student Competitions

Mars Society opens University Rover Challenge 2010 - Space for All - The 2010 competition includes 2 new rover jobs: Equipment Servicing and Sample Return.

Spacegirls present extraordinary space project at ASTRON - ASTRON - Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy posts about the winners of the Dutch CanSat competition

Since the MoonBots competition involves LEGO, I thought I'd pass along the following post from Maximizing Progress: Beyond The Brick ~ LEGO Toys Renaissance!


Google Lunar X PRIZE

The next 3 are from the Google Lunar X PRIZE Teams page:

Upcoming AIAA Space 2009 Conference - Next Giant Leap will be at the conference

The GLXP Panorama in One Shot - White Label Space on a camera with a curved mirror

TWO SYNERGY MOON X PRIZE TEAM MEMBERS TO FLY ORBITAL MISSION - SYNERGY MOON on a mission that Interorbital Systems plans


N-Prize

@fineri - Successfull Igniter test tonight, had flames, yay!! this is my first bi-prop i guess you could say! video soon....

http://twitpic.com/hjrb7 - Igniter V1.5 test from last night, still from video.

Video of 2nd igniter test, V1.5, http://bit.ly/3U8Bmm


Regolith Excavation Challenge

@paulsrobotics - http://yfrog.com/0b4gpbj

http://yfrog.com/0ah6aj

I uploaded a YouTube video -- Moonraker - First Dig Test http://bit.ly/6Fb6e

@Regolith_Chal - The FAQ has been updated. Posted some new info about the comm link and other info.

For those wondering: revisions to the FAQ can be viewed if you log in.