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The X PRIZE Foundation and Google have created the Google Lunar X PRIZE, a new, private race to the
Moon that is engaging and exciting the global public while enabling the commercial exploration of
space and dramatically reducing its cost. The Google Lunar X PRIZE is expected to increase the
connection that individuals around the world feel to space exploration, science, and education
by taking advantage of new tools for the rapid and targeted distribution of information. By
igniting a race to the Moon, the Google Lunar X PRIZE is intended to engage a new generation,
making lunar exploration not just a historical accomplishment, but a tangible reality.
To further this purpose, the X PRIZE Foundation (XPF) and LEGO System A/S (LEGO) are administering
'MoonBots, a Google Lunar X PRIZE LEGO MINDSTORMS Challenge'. MoonBots is designed
to challenge teams of adults and children (9 years and older) to develop innovative systems
made from LEGO MINDSTORMS kits that are capable of performing a simulated lunar mission. The
Challenge is considered a 'game of skill' and is designed to help teams learn about robotics
and team building, while also providing excitement about the new Moon race.
To win the MoonBots Challenge, teams of adults and children (9 years and older) must first
develop a simulated lunar robot with design software and then build and test this robot with
a LEGO MINDSTORMS kit. They also must provide written and video essays about their participation
in the Challenge and about the importance of exploration of the Moon.
Team Picture:
Team Members: Brandon Dale Mike Chris Joe Holly
The "Apollo 11" MOONBOTS team is made up of students from two Midwest First Lego League teams.
Over the past two years we have competed against one another at Regional and State tournaments.
The MOONBOTS competion gave us an opportunity to work together as one group on the same side.
Robot Design Proposal:
Click on an individual image below to display a larger view.
May 2 2010: Initial team registration, calling team members and coaches.
May 3 2010: First meeting with entire team. Brainstormed on video, field setup,
rules and basic machine design. Generated more questions that we started with. This is 'as usual'
harder than it looks. The problem is in the details.
May 4 2010: Started prototyping drive designs. The best design for this mission we found is a .............
You can read about it on May 29th :)
May 5 2010: Started video brainstorming.
May 7 2010: Tired....Played with the website, something easy to do.
May 8 2010: Started to work on the video. Working on the script.
Basically have our machine design and started on proposal. Still lots to go.
May 9 2010: Mother's day. If we play robots too much today, we will be in BIG trouble.
May 10 2010: 3 hour team meeting. Video ready to be shot. Organized the team on who says what.
Tried out another two design ideas. We think we have the design we will use for the proposal. Unless another
better one comes along.
May 13 2010: The start (intro) of video is complete. Loaded first youTube Video.
May 14 2010: Waiting for Lego parts to arrive. Worked on website.
May 16 2010: Finished script for video.
May 17 2010: Order lego parts arrived. We can move on with the design.
Shot the rest of the video.
May 18 2010: Cleaned up all the video footage and stiched it all together.
We all threw in our $.02 in and are all happy with the result. Video is now finished.
Under maximum video essay time limit by 1 second. (Cut that close!)
May 19 2010: Starting to complete remaining mechanical design problems with
the robot. That will take a couple of days.
May 20, 21, 22, 23 2010: Moonbots development department was shut down for the
Science Olympiad National Torunament (SONT). The 2010 SciOly nationals were held at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Moonbots member Holly placed 5th in the nation for optics in the
plysics division. WHOOO HOOOO!
May 25 2010: Putting the final touches on the design proposal.
May 26 2010: Uploaded videos. Made final changes to website.
will be ready to live with final website containing completed challenge requirements on Friday.
May 27 2010: Taking the day off.
May 28 2010: Final website goes live with completed challenge requirements.
PHASE 1 COMPLETED !!!!!!!!! Now We Wait !!!!!!!!
Possible Machine Designs:
Moon Facts:
The Diameter of the moon is 3476 km.
The density of the moon is 3.34 g/cm3.
The mass of the moon 7.15 x 1022kg.
The composition of the moon is iron core, silicate silicate surface.
The surface area of the moon is 14,658,000 square miles or 9.4 billion acres , about 1/4 the size of the Earth.
The moon rotates at 10 miles per hour compared to the earth's rotation of 1000 miles per hour.
The moon has no global magnetic field.
There is no wind on the moon.
The atmosphere of the moon is some hydrogen and helium.
The average distance from earth to the moon is 384,400 km.
Only 59% of the moon's surface is visible from earth.
From Earth, we always see the same side of the moon; the other side is always hidden.
Moon Trivia:
When Neil Armstrong took that historical step of "one small step for man one giant step for mankind" it would not have occurred to anyone that the step he took in the dust of the moon was there to stay. It will be there for at least 10 million years.
When Alan Sheppard was on the moon, he hit a golf ball and drove it 2,400 feet, nearly one half a mile.
The multi layer space suits worn by the astronauts to the moon weighed 180 pounds on earth, but thirty pounds on the moon due to the lower gravity.
How close can you get without completely running out of gas? Apollo 11 had only 20 seconds of fuel left when they landed on the moon.
Apollo 15 was the first mission to use a lunar rover. The top speed that was ever recorded in this 4-wheeled land vehicle was 10.56 miles per hour.
It is possible to have a month without a full moon. This occurs in February, but either January or March will have two moons.
In China, the dark shadows that are on the moon are called "the toad in the moon"
The Apollo missions brought back 2196 rock samples weighing 382 kg in total
The moon is not a planet, but a satellite of the Earth.
When a month has two full moons, the second full moon is called a blue moon. Another definition of a blue moon is the third full moon in any season (quarter of year) containing 4 total full moons.
The dark spots we see on the moon that create the image of the man in the moon are actually craters filled with basalt, which is a very dense material.
The moon is the only extraterrestrial body that has ever been visited by humans. It is also the only body that has had samples taken from it.
The first space craft to send back pictures from the moon was Luna 3 (built by the Soviet Union) in October 1959.
Click on a patch for more information on the Apollo mission.
Picture Gallery:
The Moonbots Apollo 11 team would like to give a special thanks to
the staff at the Challenger Learning Center in Northwest Indiana for their help and patience, and allowing us to use their facility to
create our Moonbot team video.
Last modified January 9, 2012
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