Rover Supplier - Ono Denki

Ono Denki (denki being Japanese for "electronic") is known well among the Japanese robotic community and has produced several prototypes for leading researchers.

In mid-January 2011 White Label Space asked Ono Denki to produce the suspension sub-assembly of the team's prototype rover, currently under development at Tohoku University's Space Robotics Laboratory. The work was delayed by the Sendai Earthquake which affected certain parts suppliers, but Ono Denki successfully completed hardware by the 11th of April. The final delivery and inspection took place during a visit by WLS Chairman Dr Andrew Barton and Professor Yoshida of Tohoku University, who is responsible for developing the team's rover.

The photo (left) shows the suspension sub-assembly that Ono Denki produced. The body of the rover interfaces to the block in the middle. The rest of the rover prototype is now being integrated and WLS will hold an unveiling ceremony in mid-2011.

Ono Denki was founded in 1938 and has a long history. The company's CEO is Mr. Ono (pictured right). He is the third generation of his family responsible for the business. A key strength of Ono Denki is the capability to support the entire process from design, machining, assembly, board, wiring, and software development all the way through to final testing and evaluation. The company has several engineers specialized in each of those phases. Thanks to the close communication among engineers involved in each process, Ono Denki provides very high quality to its customers.

Ono Denki has also provided space development-related equipment for JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) and many others. In 2010 in an article by Diamond Weekly, a popular business magazine in Japan, Ono Denki's activities in the space industry were highlighted.

A common belief in Japan these days is that that small companies are in danger of disappearing due to a lack of people interested in carrying on the business. This leads to a fear that the nation's technology level will get suffer due to the loss of know-how. However, steady stream of excellent young engineers who are receiving guidance and mentoring from skilled personnel ensures that Ono Denki will continue to thrive into the future.

***

Greatest Space Ads - Renault Staff Prepared for Mars

In 2010 Chevrolet's ad compared its newest model to the golden time of American rocket science. In 2011, on the other side of the Atlantic, Renault is training its scientists for Mars!!



Although the video is in French, below is very good description of the add provided by the website EnjoySpace;

"The French car manufacturer Renault has already used the space exploration theme by showing its Megane on the Moon, not to mention a Clio that attempted to blast off like a space shuttle. This time, it promotes the merits of its special offers for March by showing that its employees have undergone training for Mars (a play on words as the word for the planet and the month are the same in French!). In the advertisement ... you will notice the numerous allusions to well-established stereotypes from the space industry and, more particularly, the training with a centrifuge, a pool for spacewalks and a simulator. Worthy of note towards the thirtieth second of this commercial is the clear allusion to the great classic “The Right Stuff” with the men and women from Renault walking towards the camera against a white background just like the astronauts from Mercury in the 1983 film. Then, in the next shot, don’t miss the Renault building obviously inspired by NASA’s symbolic VAB at the Kennedy Center in Florida!"

***

Behind The Scenes of WLS at Rio Tinto

This video shows some of team's activities before and after the Rio Tinto Field Trials in April. The first part of the video shows the disassembly of the lander mock-up and packing in the shipping box. The second part of the video shows the unpacking of the mock-up after the shipping container returned from Rio Tinto.

ESA Article on Rio Tinto Field Trials

The ESA website has just published this great post about the recent Rio Tinto field trials. This photo shows our White Label Space lunar lander mock-up in the background along with ESA's Eurobot rover being driven by an astronaut a Mars spacesuit prototype by the Austrian Space Forum (OEWF).

Andrea Gini

Andrea Gini, who formerly conducted a student project with White Label Space, has now joined the team as a permanent member. Andrea will be responsible for the integrated testing of the rover and lander. For this work he will call upon his experience working on the rover control software at Tohoku University in Japan as well as his role supporting the field testing of the lander mock-up last month in Rio Tinto, Spain.

Andrea is an IT professional with a long experience in journalism and communication of science. Andrea is Chairman of the IAASS Information and Communication Committee, and chief editor of the association newsletter.

He collaborated for over 10 years with Mokabyte.it, the major Italian web portal on the Java language, and with Imola Informatica, an IT consulting company, as an IT consultant and as a teacher in corporate IT training. He wrote over 50 technical articles on various IT related topics, is and coauthor of two successful books on the Java language, which have been used in corporate and academy training.

Andrea holds an MSc from the International Space University at Strasbourg (MsC 2010), a Master in Science Communication from International School for Advanced Studies (2009) and an MSc in Computer Science from Università degli Studi Milano Bicocca (MSc 2005).

***

Wanted: Marketing and Public Relations Volunteers for our Mission to the Moon

When you think of space you’re probably thinking of rocket scientists, astronauts with the right stuff, rovers roaming on Mars, or maybe just you’re thanking the weather and GPS satellites that give you important guidance on what to wear (will it be sunny or rainy tomorrow?) and how to navigate around town. Once it was the ‘sciences’ that had to get creative to launch the space race and make our lives easier, now the world of communications and media is getting creative to carry us to the next step: Thanks to the Google Lunar X PRIZE (GLXP), space is a lot closer than you think.

Teams from all around the world are competing in the GLXP and White Label Space is making significant progress in building the right know-how and new and exciting equipment for our mission, like our own rover from our Japanese Team, and a moon lander, pioneered and currently undergoing testing by our design team in Europe.

WLS is now looking for bright marketing, public relations and creative sparks who see the potential of space and wish to participate. If you share the vision of WLS and can share it with potential sponsors and news outlets, then we want to hear from you.

For more information, contact our Commercial Manager: simon.drake@whitelabelspace.com

***

White Label Space East Meets West

April 2001 - The Chairman of White Label Space, Dr Andrew Barton, visited Tokyo to participate in a number of events with the White Label Space Japan team members. The video embedded below shows footage from three particular events; a team strategy meeting, a social event at an Izakaya (traditional restaurant) and a visit to the supplier of the rover's mobility subsystem.

Opening Space Up to Small and Medium Sized Businesses

Many small parts make the whole, and assembling a mission to compete in the Google Lunar X PRIZE requires the combination of many high-tech parts, in-house developments (like the rover developed by White Label Space in Japan) and sponsorship.

White Label Space recognises that the foundations of nations’ economies rely not on large corporations, but on the millions of Small to Medium Enterprizes (SMEs).

If you want to associate your SME with a truly exceptional 21st century endeavour, then for as little as €100 (tax deductible in some countries), you can sponsor White Label Space, become part of our mission, and receive a Certificate documenting your contribution.

Naturally larger sponsor packages and exposure are available, yet for a small amount you can be part of something great - the next Space Race.

Take a look through our website to learn more about us and how we're assembling our Google Lunar X PRIZE mission - your sponsorship contribution to White Label Space will leverage awareness of your brand far higher than anything on earth.

Sponsorship via a Pay Pal donation can be made HERE.

Our Promotional Video:

A Presentation about Sponsoring White Label Space:

***

WLS Team at Rio Tinto!

The Rio Tinto Mission was successful and a great experience to test WLS equipment and operations. Andrea and Carmen stayed in Rio Tinto between the 17 and 20 of April. Vasco stayed for 18 and 19. We had rain for the entire 19, and for the major part of the 20; the rain caused problems and delays to the simulation, and required us to cover the Lander mockup for most of the time. The guys from the Austrian Space Forum were really nice with us, and offered us equipment and support as soon as their busy schedule allowed them. During the 18, we had the chance to perform some tests using the Phileas rover with our camera onboard. Maarten came on 19: given the rain, we moved the Lander under a tent, and we filmed an interview with him. On the next day, even if Martin was working for Discovery Channel, he took some time to film our operations with the Dignity rover and the involvement of the WLS Lander during a simulated EVA.

Despite the problems caused by the broken glass of the camera, the resulting images from the tests offer a good idea of what the final result could be. We shoot various test pictures, and then we shoot a sequence with the camera at various distances from the Lander (1m, 5m, 10m, 15m, 20m, 30m and 40m). The Lander can be used as a landmark up to 40 meters: at this distance, even with the plastic cover, the metallic features of the Landers are still detectable with naked eye in the picture, and could be easily enhanced with image processing.

We shoot a 5 minute movie while moving the Phileas rover around. The rover was damaged during transportation to Rio Tinto, and so we were not able to move on its own wheels. Fortunately we had the permission to carry it around by pulling it with a tether.

On the April 20 we were allowed to use the Dignity rover to test a damage inspection scenario around the Lander. The dignity rover is similar, in size and dimension, to the White Label Space. So we performed damage inspection, exploration of the surrounding and sample manipulation. The operations were executed using the remote control in proximity of the rover. We also performed some remote manipulation from the Control Center using the rover camera: unfortunately the system was experiencing interferences and bandwidth problems, and so we were not able to perform safely remote movement.

The Lander was also used by the Austrian Space Forum for a damage inspection performed by the suited astronaut. The entire sequence was filmed by the media present.

The following video is from our test with the Lander and Dignity rover inspection, simulating the first minutes of operation of the rover after landing.

Video of Testing at Rio Tinto

This is a video by the Austrian Space Forum (OEWF) shows some testing activities at the Rio Tinto Mars Analog Testing earlier this week.

The video shows an astronaut in the Aouda.X mars spacesuit driving ESA's Eurobot rover. The White Label Space lander mock-up is also visible nearby at the end of the video.

White Label Space Japan fund raising for Disaster Relief

A message from White Label Space Japan

First, we would like to express our sincere sympathy to all those affected by the Tohoku-Pacific Earthquake, Tsunami and following disasters.

We have started collecting relief donations from 7th April 2011via “JustGiving”, UK’s first online fundraising service, for the affected people in Japan by the series of disaster. White Label Space Japan is the only team participating in the Google Lunar X PRIZE from Japan, which will award a total of $30 million in prize money to the first privately funded teams to land a robot on the surface of the Moon and operate specific missions.

As a representative of Japan, we are leveraging our GLXP network with 29 teams participating from around the globe and collecting relief donations not only from Japan, but also the whole world. We will donate all collected funds to CIVIC FORCE, a non-profit association that provides prompt and effective disaster relief to large scale natural disasters in Japan.

■ Term of donation:

from 7th April 2011 to 31st May 2011 (tentative)

■ Where you can donate:

"JustGiving"http://www.justgiving.com/WhiteLabelSpaceJapan

■ The organization where the donations go:

Public interest incorporated association in Japan "CIVIC FORCE"

※What is Google Lunar X PRIZE ?

A total of $30 million in prizes are available to the first privately funded teams to safely land a robot on the surface of the Moon and have that robot travel 500 meters over the lunar surface and send images and data back to the Earth.

※What is White Label Space Japan LLC ?

The only team participating in GLXP from Japan, WLSJ is participating in the White Label Space team, founded in the Netherlands. WLSJ is in charge of development of the team's Lunar Rover and PR in Japan.

※About CIVIC FORCE

Civic Force provides prompt and effective disaster relief to large scale natural disasters in Japan. Currently it is transporting relief goods and experts by helicopter and trucks to the affected areas.

この度の東日本大震災において、亡くなられた皆様に深く哀悼の意を表します。被災された皆様へ心よりお見舞い申し上げるとともに、被災地の一日も早い復興をお祈り申し上げます。

民間企業による月面探査を競う総額3000万ドルの賞金レース「Google Lunar X PRIZE（グーグル・ルナー・エックス・プライズ）」に参加するホワイトレーベルスペース・ジャパンは、2011年4月8日（金）よりグローバルな募金活動を展開するファンドレイジング・サイト「JustGiving」を活用した「東日本大震災支援金」の募金活動を実施いたします。

ホワイトレーベルスペース・ジャパンは世界から29チームが参加するGoogle Lunar X PRIZEの日本代表チームとして、独自のネットワークを活用し、日本国内のみならず広く海外からの募金活動（通貨はユーロのみ）を行います。集められた募金は「東日本大震災支援金」として、被災地で支援を行う公益社団法人「CIVIC FORCE」に寄付いたします。集められた寄付金は「CIVIC FORCE」を通じて、被災地の皆様のために活用されます。

■ 実施期間

2011年4月8日（金）〜5月31日（火）（予定）

■ 募金サイト

「JustGiving」URL：http://www.justgiving.com/WhiteLabelSpaceJapan

■ 寄付先

公益社団法人「CIVIC FORCE」

以　上　

※Google Lunar X PRIZE (GLXP／グーグル・ルナー・エックス・プライズ)について

Googleがスポンサーとなり、X PRIZE財団によって運営される月面探査を競う総額3000万ドルの賞金レース。ミッションは、2015年12月31日までに月面に純民間開発の無人探査機を着陸させ、着陸地点から500m以上走行し、指定された高解像度の画像、動画、データを地球に送信すること

※合同会社ホワイトレーベルスペース・ジャパン（WLSJ）について

日本から唯一GLXPに参加するチーム。欧州宇宙機関（ESA）等で経験を積んだ若手たちがオランダで立ち上げたホワイトレーベルスペースと共同でGLXPのミッションに挑戦しており、主に月面探査を行うローバー開発と日本での広報活動を担当している。

※公益社団法人「CIVIC FORCE」について

被災者の視点を重視し企業・行政・地域とも連携。スピードと質の高い支援を提供している団体

Day one at Rio Tinto

Day one at the Austrian Space Forum Mars Analog mission. The White Label Space team had an early start with the unpacking and reassembling of the lander mock-up, and also with preparing the omnidirectional camera and setting up the software to process video and images collected. During the day we moved the Phileas rover around and took some pictures and videos near the lander - this time a "Mars" landing site.

Tomorrow we'll be trying to deal with some issues related to camera stability, image quality, Mission Control, Rover remote connection, and probably more...

Rio Tinto Mars Analog Event Rehearsal Wrap-Up

This week our friends at the Austrian Space Forum (OEWF) are holding a Mars Analog event at Rio Tinto in Spain, and there will be a substantial contribution by White Label Space.

Check out this blog post on the OEWF site summarising the results of the recent rehearsal for the event. Note the White Label Space lander mock-up, which got the chance to meet a Mars-bound astronaut.

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Rover Mobility Assembly Delivered

This photo of the White Label Space rover prototype's mobility assembly was taken earlier this week during a final delivery meeting at the supplier in Tokyo. The mobility assembly will now be integrated with the main body of the rover and testing of the rover protoype will start soon thereafter.

***

Lightcurve Films

Lightcurve Films is White Label Space's partner for video production.

Lightcurve Films is a small film production company specialised in films about science and technology. The company has worked for institutes and agencies across Europe in the space sector (European Space Agency, Italian Space Agency, German Space Agency, French CNRS, European Planetology Network, Paris Observatory), medical sciences (VU Medical Centre Amsterdam, Dutch Thoracic Society) as well as for Discovery Channel Canada.

Lightcurve Fillms received its first television credit with the broadcasting of the documentary Spiral Galaxy, in 2009.

See also:

• Selection of videos by Lightcurve Films
• Collection of films related to planetary science

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Rio Tinto Dress Rehearsal - April 1-3, 2011 @ Innsbruck, Austria

Thursday 31-03-11

I arrived to the Austrian Space Forum on Thursday afternoon. The Spacesuit team gave me a warm welcome, and gave me an update about the preparation for Rio Tinto Dress Rehearsal. The Lander Mock-up and the rover were not here yet; they were expecting them to arrive the next day. There was a good and a bad new: the omnidirectional camera was here already, but unfortunately the glass tube was broken during its way from Canada to Innsbruck. The surface of the mirror had some scratches because of the glass pieces so it was polished. We needed to improvise using plastic sheet to replace the broken glass. Martin Seebacher was really helpful to have this solution ready by the end of the night. Glue and tape was used to fix the plastic sheet into the tube rings. We worked our best to minimize the visibility of glue lines or tape on the pictures taken after this implementation.

Friday 01-04-11

Some tests were done with the camera to fix the field of view of the lens. Pictures of the broken glass were sent to John Walker in order to ask for insurance. The Lander mock-up arrived during the morning and the first thing I noticed was that only one orange belt was around the gray container. The belt was damaged, what it means that there were some issues during the transportation.

I verified that all the pieces were inside the box, and took them to the roof to proceed with the Lander Mock-up assembly. The roof will be the simulated Moon/Mars field.

During the afternoon, we had a general meeting with all the teams involved in Rio Tinto Expedition. Gernot Groemer explained us the different experiments involved in the mission, and he gave us general announcements which are basically explained in the ‘Mission Manifest’ V1.2 (23Feb2011).

Spacesuit tests started during late afternoon, and I started to test our video application with the omnidirectional camera. The rover arrived, and it was necessary to figure out a way to mount the camera on the rover mast. With the help of Martin Seebacher, a simple rapid prototype holder was designed and printed late night.

Saturday 02-04-11

The camera holder was placed on top of the rover mast. This holder was made of two different plastic pieces, which ones we fix together with glue/gel. We will use the Philleas Rover to test the omnidirectional camera, but unfortunately the rover today presented different problems related with the wheels, and the electronics. People in charge of the rover worked the entire day trying to fix the problems, and at the end the rover was able to move straight, back and forth. A problem with the motor is still present, so hopefully this will be solve by tomorrow morning before the robotic tests.

The application to take pictures and video with the omnidirectional camera was ready, and a request about using a different OS or an extra laptop on board the rover was made.

Today, the spacesuit test included a simulation where the astronaut took a ‘contamination sample’ from the Lander. Two complete simulations were done during the day, improving all the logistic process for the second time. Good lessons learned from today, and for sure this will help to have a successful mission in Rio Tinto.

Sunday 03-04-11

The camera was finally mounted on the rover mast. The camera will be powered by USB, using an extension if necessary. We will wait until the end of the day to see if the problems with the rover’s motor are solved.

The EVA today includes our Lander. Three small pieces of paper with numbers were placed - without using any tape just the paper - in different parts of the Lander. The suit tester will need to search for the papers while simulating an inspection of the Lander for possible damages.

Marco Ostini Talks about Lunar Numbat Throttle Controller

In this video interview Marco Ostini gives some insight into why Lunar Numbat chose to partner with Google Lunar X PRIZE team White Label Space.

He also gives details and on the great work that his team are doing with the Australian Space Research Institute (ASRI) that also benefits White Label Space's Google Lunar X PRIZE mission.

Video Producer Needed - Students Welcome

Are you thinking of a leadership career in the film and media industry?

White Label Space is looking for a volunteer to coordinate the production and editing of video material in support of our Google Lunar X PRIZE efforts. Our team is increasing its output of video content and urgently needs a motivated individual to help maintain a steady flow of video for distribution over the web.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Liaise with team members to obtain raw video input in a timely manner
  
• Direct the editing team, dividing up workload according to resources and availability
• Manage and maintain information system for storing video data at all stages of editing
• Publish the finished video products on the web
• Monitor the audience engagement and follow-up on audience responses
  

We are looking for somebody with a proven track record in coordinating the efforts of volunteer groups.

This role would suit a media or film student, but applications are welcome from people from all backgrounds and ages.

Please send application letter with CV to: careers@whitelabelspace.com

***

Lander Mock-Up Disassembly Instructions

This video shows the process for disassembling the lander mock-up and stowing it in the transport container. Thanks Aad and Marco!

Video of Mock-Up Final Assembly

Aad Eggers and Marco van Duijn have been doing some great work on getting the lander mock-up ready for Rio Tinto. This video is a quick look at what they've accomplished.

Lander Mock-Up En Route to Austria

Below are some photos of the shipping container for our lander mock-up, which is now on it's way to the Austrian Space Forum (OEWF) home base in Innsbruck. After some testing, it will then be transported to Rio Tinto (Spain) to support the field trials (see this earlier blog post).

Dr Andrew Barton to Present at University of Queensland

Dr Andrew Barton, chairman of White Label Space will speak at the University of Queensland next Wednesday on the challenges provided by the Google Lunar X PRIZE, and how his team with help from their partners will meet and overcome them, ushering in a new era of space innovation.

Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Time: 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Location: University of Queensand, Hawken building (Num 50), Room T105, Brisbane, Australia

For more information, contact events@whitelabelspace.com.

***

All Team Members Reported Safe After Sendai Earthquake

After the devastating earthquake in the Sendai area, we are relieved to report that all White Label Space team members in Japan have been contacted and are safe. Below is a message written by John Walker, who was in Sendai at the Tohoku University Space Robotics Lab when the quake struck. He describes his experiences of the disaster.

Our hearts go out to the tens of thousands of people who were more severely affected by this powerful and tragic natural disaster.

Message from John Walker;

Tohoku University Students and Staff at an Evacuation Zone

We are OK in Sendai, as is everyone I know here. Nathan and I were in the lab during the earthquake and Prof Yoshida was abroad.

They are already starting to restore power and water to the city of Sendai.

The earthquake itself was pretty scary but afterwards everything is very well organized; we waited outside after the earthquake and eventually were allowed to grab our stuff from the lab. We left quickly after an aftershock and possible gas leak. At my dorm we are staying together in a group.

Where I am located in the city I don't have running water or power but we are safe with lots of food and water.

Although the shaking was quite violent, there are no buildings in the city itself that collapsed and flooding was confined to the subway system as far as I know. We knew it was serious right away as it was the first time we heard the early warning detection alarm (3 seconds before) and it was impossible to stay standing.

It was much worse to the West where the ground is different and to the East where tsunamis hit. We weren't aware of how serious things were until we heard news reports.

In the city yesterday, restaurants were giving free food and people were in good spirits, although you can see smoke from fires near the coast and there are smaller fires reported in the city.

Local groups are also making rice and soup for people. Basically the same food we've been eating in our cafeteria, but it is served hot!

Convenience stores were open yesterday, where people patiently lined up in the dark to buy a couple of day's worth of food each. I got food there, and was also given food by the school, as well as flashlights and batteries. Today, as new convenience stores open, people are lined up outside.

Amazingly, a handful of stores and even two bars were by open the main station yesterday afternoon.

There are buildings designated as refuges where people in tall and evacuated buildings can stay.

The international news images are not from Sendai city, they are from surrounding areas. The aftershocks were quite large and frequent until yesterday morning but have subsided now.

The nuclear reactors are not posing a serious risk according to local media, and despite the recent explosion widespread fallout is not a risk for this type of plant and failure. The current evacuation radius is 30km. The total radiation output is 0.5mSv per hour and under control. Normal human absorption from background radiation is 3.5mSv per year. Even the worst-case-scenario is not a risk for short term exposure.

We are not sure when we can go back to the lab. Many experiments were damaged but our rover was OK when we left it.

Our plans to send a camera/mirror system to Europe for testing are snagged but we think we can still put together a similar system using parts we have.

It's possible to find power and Internet. Many business owners are helping people charge phones and laptops. I should be able to update occasionally directly and via friends (email is sporadically working on my phone).

I want to stress that we are OK and in a relatively safe place. As a precaution, Nathan may travel to Yamagata, and I may travel to Tokyo to stay with our friends.

Nathan and I are currently standing in line to for lunch and were able to pre-order dinner. We are going to investigate the possibility of bus travel today, and see if it is possible to retrieve the rover.

John Walker

***

Luke Weston LCA2011 Talk Online

As we posted earlier, Luke Weston from our open source partner Lunar Numbat recently gave a talk at lac2011 (the Linux of Australasia).

You can now watch his complete talk online at this link.

During his talk Luke gave an update on some of Lunar Numbat's ongoing developments, and in particular, his latest progress on the throttle control avionics and radar altimeter.

Lunar Numbat is currently developing hardware for AUSROC 2.5, a sounding rocket of the Australian Space Research Institute (ASRI). After demonstrating the designs on the rocket, space-qualified versions will be developed for use on the White Label Space lunar lander.

***

Rover Prototype Body Complete

John Walker just sent this photo of the completed body assembly of the WLS Rover prototype.

John expects the rover prototype to be driving around and taking photos by early April. The prototype is a full-scale and full-functionality model of the GLXP rover, and will be used for intergrated testing with the WLS lander mock-up.

New Promotional Video

GLXP Lander Mock-Up Construction Video

Getting hardware built is a key goal for our GLXP team.

The video embedded below shows some of the team's early work on a mock-up of the lander - a full scale and accurate representation of the current White Label Space mission design.



The lander mock-up work started in summer 2010 with a simple cardboard design, which soon after was upgraded to a stronger wooden box. Steel legs and mock-ups of the externally mounted equipment were also added in late 2010.

Work is continuing now on adding functionality to the key equipment onboard the lander and integrated testing with our Japanese rover prototype is planned for later this year (the rover appearing in the video is just a placeholder).

***

Adriaan Rijkens

Adiraan Rijkens is the Media Liaison for White Label Space.

Adriaan is a Masters student studying at the Nyenrode Business Universiteit. In 2010 he completed his Bachelor of Engineering in Industrial Engineering & Management at the Professional University of Amsterdam.

Adriaan has a great fascination for the space industry and the commercial space industry in particular. He has set up the Givemeaspaceflight.com foundation and helped with the establishment of the International Space Transport (ISTA).

Adriaan has an entrepreneurial attitude that can underlined by his personal motto: 'Just Do It'.

Members of the media can contact Adriaan at: Adriaan.Rijkens@whitelabelspace.com

***

Jeremy Fielding

Dr Jeremy Fielding is the Lead System Engineer the White Label Space lunar lander.

During his 15 years working as a system engineer in the UK aerospace and electronics sectors, Jeremy worked on numerous advanced engineering projects. Some of his more notable roles included being the lead mission systems engineer for penetrator design studies for the Jovian moons and Mars, as well as managing bids and small studies for lunar and deep space missions.

Jeremy received his PhD in 2004 from the Surrey Space Centre on the topic of Mars exploration possibilities using an airborne VTOL (VTVL) platform.

In 2008 Jeremy reached the Level-3 applicant pool of the ESA astronaut programme selection.

***

emxys Developing Minature Intertial Measurement Unit

Our electronics partner emxys is developing a minature lightweight Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for our mission in the Google Lunar X PRIZE (GLXP). The video embedded below shows a prototype being demonstrated by emxys director, Francisco Garcia-de-Quiros.

The IMU will be a key component for the WLS mission, helping the lander to achieve its soft touchdown on the lunar surface. It is designed to be an accurate and reliable instrument within a minimum volume.

The target performance is to achieve a resolution better than 1º in attitude estimation with a power consumption under 1W. Its minimized mass and volume will enable small satellite missions to achieve unsurpassed attitude estimation capabilities.

The GLXP presents a fantastic technology demonstration opportunity for such technology, and emxys intends to transform the IMU into a commercial product for the space market.

Mars is About to Get a Bit Closer

The Austrian Space Forum (ÖWF) is going to Mars, and some of the steps on that journey are taking place here on Earth very soon.

Stay tuned for more information, including how our White Label Space GLXP team will be involved...


Rio Tinto 2011 from Austrian Space Forum on Vimeo.

***

How to colonise the Moon with a 3D printer

IT'S one thing to land on the Moon and trundle a rover around, but another thing entirely to build something when we get there.

If we're to mine the lunar surface for silver or tap its water supplies, we'll need infrastructure.

Considering it's taken 13 years to bolt the International Space
Station together piece by piece, it's not hard to imagine what kind of timeframe we're looking at to establish an entire working community on the Moon.

But here's a thought - can we print everything we need?

Wait, stay with me here.

What can you make with a 3D printer? Up until now, it's been mainly small items. Models, ceramics, small mass-produced components.



But several advances lately strongly suggest 3D printing will be anything but a cottage industry in the future.

In a nutshell, 3D printers work like a regular old-fashioned dot matrix printer, but instead of laying down ink, they lay down particles which build up to form an object.

Some machines start with a solid block of gel or vat of polymer and use lasers to harden it layer by layer into the shape required before washing away the excess.

A couple of years ago, a team at Bowling Green State University created a system which bonded ceramic powders into a type of clay which could be fired.

So how about a 3D printer in which it's big enough to print a brick house or a laboratory?

It certainly cuts down on lugging large amounts of materials to the Moon. Basically, we just need to transport a few tanks of polymer each trip.

Weight's not exactly an issue on the Moon. It could trundle around happily until it found a suitable site, run off off a small neighbourhood and give us a bell back on Earth when it's time to call the removalists.

"Sea of Tranquility, sir? Fine choice. Will that be hi-res or lo-res?"

What about transport? That's been done too. Just last year in the US, Kor Ecologic ran off the first hybrid vehicle ever to be completely drawn by a 3D printer.

Organ-printing's an interesting one that might also come in handy.

Research suggests that our bodies don't take too well to life in microgravity.

Kidney disease and urinary tract problems are among those noted in astronauts and there's an ongoing study into the possibility that bacteria are more resistant to antibiotics in space.

Certainly, bone density is a major issue, but organ printing is already well advanced here on Earth.

Instead of laying down powders, 3D printers deposit living cells onto gel structures, making the possibility of printing entire organs very real indeed.

3D printing our entire lives on the Moon? You know it makes sense.

All we need is someone who knows how to fix the paper jams.

Samsung Success - High Altitude Paper Planes Descend on Germany

Earlier this month we blogged about the Samsung-sponsored Project Space Planes, which among other things, was a low-budget attempt to show that SD Samsung memory cards are tough enough to survive the environment at the edge of space.

Well, as you can see in the picture below, the mission was successful. The balloon was launched from the German town of Wolfsburg and reached an altitude of 37,339m, where it burst and a specially designed bag automatically released its payload of 200 paper planes.

Each plane carried a memory card with user-generated content uploaded via the web during the lead-up to the mission. Some of the paper planes have already been found across Germany.

The balloon and its attached equipment for video, GPS and telemetry was recovered by the launch team shortly after in a forest. The structure holding the equipment was made from foam, glue and duct tape, and thus did not cause a safety risk.

People who find planes are invited to report their find on the project's website at; http://projectspaceplanes.com/ask

Project Space Planes is led by Joel Veitch, a freelance producer of viral web content based in London and owner of the rathergood.com website.

***

Vint Cerf learns what a lunar numbat is

A BIG week for fans of the original open source OS, Linux.

It's been 20 years since the first Linux kernel was written by Linus Torvalds, but that's just one thing that's helped make this year's Australian open source conference linux.conf.au a bit special.

The other is the appearance by a man who it seems cannot be named unless it comes with the prefix "founding father of the internet".

Yes, Google's chief evangelist Vint Cerf, who among other things, gave us email and TCP/IP technology, will be appearing at lca2011, starting with a keynote address today.

And the White Label Space Link? Cerf's here because Lunar Numbat team leader Marco Ostini - wearing one of his many other hats as lca2011's speakers and media manager, invited him.

"Google is a very Open Source friendly company and one of the Brisbane paper's committee members worked at their Mountain View office, so we just asked him nicely," Marco said.

"And Vint said yes, nicely."

"Without the protocols that Vint and his colleagues developed, there may still be no internet.

"Many a good thing has been born of the internet, including Linux. Having Vint Cerf at lca2011 gives us a tangible way to express our admiration, and also to learn from him.

"He brings wisdom, experience and the integrity of his consistently good example."

Lunar Numbat itself was born at lca2009 and this year will have its own place, running the Arduino miniconf and helping out with the rocketry miniconf.

Attendees will get the chance send their own rockets to 5000ft and receive telemetry via Lunar Numbat team member Luke Weston's recently released MobSenDat datalogger kit.

(More about MobSenDat and its brilliant Project Horus debut later this week.)

Luke's giving a Lunar Numbat presentation as well, while Jon Oxer's up for an open hardware related presentation.

Marco said Cerf's presence provides plenty of opportunities for Lunar Numbat at lca2011.

"He's worked a little on the problems of interplanetary TCP/IP (the protocol the Internet runs on) and there are some sober and serious considerations that come from that," he said.

"In no small measure Vint will inspire Lunar Numbat people to do what we do simply and well, to plan ahead and to build on it."

Read more about linux.conf.au here

White Label Space and GLXP in NRC Handelsblad

Major Dutch newspaper, NRC Handelsblad, has published an article about White Label Space and the Google Lunar X PRIZE (GLXP).

The article (right) covers our team's commercial and technical plans, as well as explaining the ways that government finances can (and cannot) be used to support GLXP teams. 

How does your team rate?

A GOOD wrap today on Ars Technica on where the GLXP is at three years in, following the December 31 deadline closure for new registrations.

The report - Fly Me to the Moon: The Google Lunar X Prize Three Years In - includes a refresher on what it's all about, how Google's working to keep interest high in the competition and a link to an interesting blog which attempts to keep a running tally on how each team is faring.

Hosted by Mike Doornbos at evadot.com, who admits it's "completely unscientific", it nevertheless is updated regularly (the last update came just two days ago) and is based, he claims, on "knowledge from interviews, in person accounts, and publicly available information".

As well as overall chances of winning, teams are ranked in nine other categories such as Feeling, Participatory Involvement, Inspiration and Rover/Hopper.

Mike also includes a breakdown of where points can be scored. Check it out at evadot.com/glxpscorecard/if only for an idea on how we're faring from the point-of-view of someone looking in.

He also keeps a pretty nifty blog at http://michaeldoornbos.com/with plenty of GLXP and other space news as well. Worth a look.

Over at space.com, they've started a week-long series about returning to the Moon, starting today with The Case For, which also includes this link to an excellent article last year about why lunar mining should be an irresistible private enterprise proposition.

Read The Case for the Moon: Why we should go back now here

Tomorrow's post - The Case Against - should be equally intriguing.

Greatest Space Ads - Samsung Sends Free Samples From Edge of Space

Using some of the latest paper airplane technology, Samsung is backing Project Space Planes, a scheme to launch 100 paper planes from a high altitude balloon. Each plane will carry a Samsung SD memory card with a payload of data submitted by users on the web. See the embedded YouTube video below.

Project Space Planes is led by Joel Veitch, a freelance producer of viral web content based in London and owner of the rathergood.com website. You might have already seen Joel in the Bacon Rocket Project, an innovative attempt to mix tasty food with rocket science.



Although not technically in space, high altitude balloons give some pretty cool views of Earth and are high enough to excite people about space. Thus, we are very happy to include such endevours in Greatest Space Ads!

See also our previous piece about the Toshiba Space Chair.

***

First look at the WLS rover solar array

The first look at the WLS rover's solar array comes courtesy of our newest team member, John Walker, an engineer who's decided to chase his dream of working in the space industry.

Jump to the end to see the solar array pics

Six months ago, John was working throughout Canada as a consulting engineer, machine designer and project manager in the railroad, lumber and food production industries.

Now, after attending the International Space University (ISU) in Strasbourg, France, he he's been tasked with designing the rover's solar panels and modelling the optics of the camera system,under the supervision of Kazuya Yoshida at Tohoku University's Space Robotics lab.

Welcome to WLS, John. First up, why the move into the space industry?

As a child I wanted to go to space or at least help send people and things into space. After graduation in 2005, I was offered a "normal" job and did not pursue the space industry. I never stopped dreaming about it though, and when I was given a chance to attend the International Space University this past summer, I did not hesitate to go. It's an exciting time to move into the space industry; private companies are gaining new capabilities every day and making space more accesible.

How is working at WLS different from what you've done in the past?

It is fantastic working on something that I am passionate about, and I learn something new every from the people in different fields that I work with.

Are you just with us until the end of your internship? Where do you hope to end up with this change in career path?

I plan to continue working with WLS after my internship. Right now I am applying to positions in the industry as well as aerospace engineering graduate programs.

Are there any special considerations for solar panels that need to operate on the lunar surface?

Yes, there are several aspects of the design that need to be optimized, but they are in conflict with each other. Weight, power output, panel position and radiative cooling ability are parameters that "fight" each other. In addition, the parameters behave very differently at different times of the lunar day.

What about the camera system? What kind of problems do you have to overcome?

We are developing models to simulate the 360 degree panoramic image now. It looks like it will work very will without moving parts. The problem we are solving right now is the exact placement of the main camera and camera mirror. We are using the camera to see the rover itself as well as the landscape. There are trade-offs between visibility of these two things, and between the rover's field of vision and pixel density. Fortunately, we have freedom in the mirror design to give a large field of view, that is also high-resolution in key areas.

UPDATE from John

The camera height and solar panel size have been optimized, and the detailed design of the solar panel mechanism is underway so that prototype panels can be manufactured in spring.

Simulation of the 360 panorama view from the rover's camera, before processing

The solar panels in stowed configuration (for flight)

The solar panels in deployed configuration

Good for SpaceX, good for all

In a big year for space exploration, the first ever successful return of privately owned spacecraft from orbit has probably slipped unfairly under the mainstream media radar.

What with asteroid exploration, water on the Moon, habitable planets and solar storms to contend with, a three-hour orbit and subsequent spalshdown of an unmanned capsule might seem relatively ho-hum in 2010.

But for private space exploration companies, the success of SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster and launch and retrieval of the Dragon capsule last week could be just the spark the fledgling industry needs.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has put his money where his mouth is, and he's got a lot of it, having also founded PayPal and Tesla Motors.

He started SpaceX with $100 million of it in 2002, recognising the ability of privateers to deliver low-cost solutions for space agencies, claiming most of the savings would come from cutting bureaucratic expenses.

Eight years and $2.4 billion in NASA contracts later, Musk is doubling his workforce every year to keep up with the demand.

Obviously, it helps if you've got a couple of billion under your belt to play with, but any success of any private organisation is good news for the industry as a whole.


If SpaceX continues its run of successes, confidence in privateers grows. With that comes increased opportunities for other privateers as space agencies around the world recognise the benefits of contracting out almost every aspect of their space programs.
 
Confidence at SpaceX is growing, too. "This has really been better than I expected," Musk said after the retrieval. "It's actually almost too good."

Universe Today reports they're so pleased with Dragon's success that they're keen to skip several demonstration flights of its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) vehicle and aim straight at the International Space Station. Their biggest NASA contract is a 12-mission one to carry supplies to the ISS as soon as the space shuttle program is wound up in April next year. NASA's reportedly a touch nervous about SpaceX's enthusiasm to get on with the job, but maybe they won't have a choice.

It's pure coincidence, but the irony of SpaceX's success at the same time the space shuttle Discovery was being pulled off the launch pad due to a string of failed attempts to fix cracks associated with its fuel tanks won't be lost on NASA and other government space agencies around the world watching on.

The success of SpaceX is exactly that - it's success. Musk's team continue to deliver while others fall by the wayside. The supply of contracts for the COTS program turned into something of a debacle, with several teams that won initial contracts - big contracts - losing them after failing to secure sufficient private backing.

In March, the other team left to share the COTS contract with SpaceX, Orbital, will launch its Cygnus spacecraft with the Taurus II rocket.

They might be the competition for anyone trying to crack the private space industry, but here's hoping they can replicate the achievements of Musk and Co. It's not like there's not enough space to go around out there.

Rover round-up - The $11.5m bean-bag wheels

What price a pair of lunar wheels? Try $US11.5m.

At least, that is if the rover has been ordered by the Canadian Space Agency and you been tasked to tackle the terrain of the Moon and Mars.

It's a hefty chunk of GLXP prizemoney, but this $US11.5m rover has no ordinary wheels, either.

McGill University mechanical engineering professor Peter Radziszewski and his team plan to base the wheels on a model they're calling the "i-ring".

It's a fabric wheel filled with particulate and it's caught the eye of the CSA for its ability to help rovers climb obstacles larger than their individual wheels.

It’s “like a (metal) bean-bag wheel,” Prof Radziszewski told the Star.

That also means it can travel at higher speeds than a rubber or pneumatic tyre, which bounce easily, or solid wheels, which can turn a rover over on impact.

The "bean-bag" wheels conform with shapes they come into contact with and have superior climbing ability, Prof Radziszewski said.

Read more about the Canadian Space Agency's Lunar Exploration Light Rover contracts here

WLS lander model revealed soon

MORE volunteers on board this week at White Label Space, with Marco van Duijn, a stress engineer with international aerospace experts AOES Group BV, offering to help build a full-size mock-up of our GLXP lander.

Marco's an excellent example of the quality of volunteers attracted to WLS's effort, without which none of what the team is trying to achieve would be possible.

The model of the WLS lander will be finished within a few weeks. Stay tuned for more details and pics as soon as they're available.

Welcome to WLS, Marco. How did you come to join the team?

I know Andrew Barton since he joined AOES. I know of this project due to a presentation he gave about the Google Lunar X-Prize.

Where are you based?
I am based in AOES headquarters in Noordwijk (south of Holland).

What kind of work have you been involved in recently?
I have been involved in projects like Pal-V (FE analysis of the rotor blade connection), Fuselage Design Optimization (non-linear FE analysis, FP7-project), LAPCAT 2 (structural layout FE analysis, FP7-project) and Proba-V (thermo-elastic analysis).

What role will you play in building the mock-up?
There is no real role; we have a short consultation meeting with Aad Eggers/Andrew Barton about what to be done and what should be done in a later stage. After that we act as a team to physically build the mock-up, like drilling holes and attach panel to the structure with bolts and nuts.

What interests you most about the project?
I like to help people in general and besides that, this real physical work is a nice and welcome variation to my daily work which mainly consists of building and analysing FE models with help of computers.

When will you start building/complete the mock-up?
I have already started to build the mock-up and to my latest understanding it should be finished at around mid-December 2010 due to a planned photo shoot of the mock-up.

Why is it being built?
It is being built to show its geometry and sizing; we are then able to see how things are arranged on the inside and outside of the lunar lander.

How do you hope to stay involved with WLS after it's completed?
I hope to stay in touch with many other people involved in this project!

On rovers and a space-faring future

A key element in White Label Space's bid for the GLXP lies in the strength of its global relationships.

Nathan Britton's journey to becoming system engineer for the WLS rover has taken him from the University of Hawaii to the International Space University in France.

Currently, he's in Japan as a research student at Tohoku University Space Robotics Lab.

In this interview with WLS-Japan CEO Takeshi Hakamada, Nathan talks about the challenges he faces in balancing the needs of the rover and his hopes for a future in which space habitation is not only possible, but essential.

"It's pretty clear that the way we live our lives today is unsustainable," he tells Takeshi.

"It's going to require a huge shift in how civilisation works in order to become a space-faring civilisation but I think it's pretty obvious that in order for us to meet our potential as a species we need to push out and start utilising resources from the solar system - starting with the Moon."

Watch the full interview below