Scotland Set to Join Race to the Moon
SCOTLAND has drawn nearer to the final frontier after Glasgow University revealed its ambition to join a race to the moon for a dollars-30 million prize.
Scientists and students working at the space mission analysis design department have put out a call for collaborators to team up with them and snatch the Google Lunar X Prize, which will reward the first private company to land a robot on the moon.
The first 10 teams were announced last week and have until 2012 to complete the mission. Glasgow University threw down the gauntlet on Friday, claiming it has the technological knowhow such an audacious project requires.
The man who would lead any effort, Dr Gianmarco Radice, an expert in space engineering, said: "We are looking for partners to join us we can definitely get to the moon. It is very expensive though, so it’s more a prestige thing than an economic investment. It would be quite a PR stunt, to say the least." The university is already involved in a project organised by the European Space Agency, which will send a craft into orbit around the moon. It is also using its "world-leading strength" in nanotechnology and electronic design to lay the groundwork for a new generation of miniaturised vehicles and satellites that will revolutionise space travel, said Professor Frank Coton, dean of the faculty of engineering.
"Participation in the Lunar X prize competition is an exciting prospect for us, " he said. "With our core expertise across engineering and the sciences, the University of Glasgow is well placed to be a major player in any X prize team. We welcome the opportunity to get involved." To win, a craft must be launched into space and land a rover vehicle on the moon, which then has to travel 500 metres while broadcasting video back to earth. The perils are great as the robot has to survive the heat of leaving Earth’s atmosphere, the vibration of being attached to a rocket and freezing cold space temperatures.
It is hoped the experimental techniques developed during the Google Lunar X Prize will encourage a flourishing of privately- funded space missions.
By opening the doors to competition, the currently prohibitive prices may be driven down to a more affordable level, claimed Professor Colin Pillinger, who led the ill-fated Beagle 2 mission to Mars. He said: "It’s not hugely difficult to do the moon; it was done 40 years ago.
But I’m certain the amount of money you would have to spend to do it would be more than the prize. The X Prize will open up the space race, because at the moment it is only governments that are able to do it" The Scottish government was keen to express its support. A spokeswoman said: "This is a very interesting and innovative idea, and it is commendable that one of Scotland’s universities is involved in the project.
"With such a fantastic prize money on offer the support of Glasgow University could inspire Scottish scientists or students to reach for the stars and become pioneers in the field of engineering and space technology." There is a current resurgence of interest in staging lunar missions. "The moon is a hot destination right now, " said William Pomerantz, director of the X Prize foundation. "There’s an old statement: because God wants us to explore the universe, he gave us a moon. It’s a supremely excellent location for staging exploration of the outer solar system, Mars and beyond."