The Robotics Alliance Project website will host an online course for college students on Aug. 6. The course prepares students to design space communication in the inner solar system. Experts in academia and government will provide over a dozen lectures. The format includes live web broadcasts, chat windows for Q and A, collection of mathematical communication programs, archival of events, student bulletin boards, and online finals. The students ask questions in chat windows and a robotics expert answers these questions globally through the web stream.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Automated Drilling Field Demonstrations Exceed Goals, Go "Naked" in Haughton Crater 2006 DAME Tests

To look for ice or especially organics on Mars, we will need to drill below the oxidized and irradiated surface, probably at least 1-2m. Hardened subsurface ice layers aren't going to be addressed with lightweight scoops on manipulator arms, drills will be needed. But drilling is an art form on Earth, even "automated" offshore oil drilling platforms have control rooms full of people watching and adjusting the drilling.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)