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Jul 20, 2009 9:28 pm US/Eastern
'Red Rover' To Roam Moon's Surface
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
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In 22 months, Red Rover, a robot developed at Carnegie Mellon University, could be roaming the moon's surface.
KDKA
On the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11's landing on the moon, a local company is hoping to get back there.
In 22 months, William "Red" Whittaker, a roboticist at Carnegie Mellon University, wants a robot to make the trip.
He and the astrobiotic team have developed and tested the Red Rover and have gone through a redesign all while depending on Rover's own landing pad to get it there safely.
"The last things that occur are to spread some legs so that it won't tip over," he said.
From there, Red Rover will roll off its pad, its cameras searching the horizon and sending back live images to earth in high definition and 3-D – all while recharging in the two-week cycle of the lunar sun, hoping to survive the two-week cycle of the frigid lunar night.
"Exploration requires risk. There are no guarantees in exploration anymore than there are guarantees in life," Whittaker said.
Like Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins 40 years ago, Red Whittaker and the CMU reputation are on a chase to the moon and to a specific spot that Red thinks of every time he looks towards the moon.
"I'm conscious of this robot rolling right up to Apollo 11 and having the whole moon to itself," he said.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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