Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Free Spirit: NASA's stuck rover marks 2,000 days on Mars]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/19/free-spirit-nasas-stuck-rover-marks-2-000-days-on-mars/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/19/free-spirit-nasas-stuck-rover-marks-2-000-days-on-mars/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/19/free-spirit-nasas-stuck-rover-marks-2-000-days-on-mars/#commentsFiled under: ,



Quick -- what's got six wheels, lives on Mars and has been stuck in a sand trap named Troy since May 1 of this year? If you answered, "NASA's Spirit Rover," pat yourself on the back. Spirit, along with its twin rover Opportunity, was only supposed to provide three months of Martian exploration. Incredibly, both Spirit and Opportunity are still kicking, having lasted over 20 times longer than initial NASA projections. In fact, Spirit just passed a major milestone as a result of it having landed on the Red Planet before its twin: 2,000 days on the job. Longer than that, actually, as Martian days (called "sols") take longer than our earth days. To wit, Spirit had been on Mars for 2,000 earth days a few weeks ago, but yesterday marked 2,000 sols.

Sadly, reports indicate that Spirit has been stuck in sand for the last several months. One of its wheels has died and there appears to be a rock jutting up into the robot rover's belly pan. Worse, Spirit's downhill facing wheels have spun so much that they've buried themselves in the loose sand. Luckily, Martian winds have been potent enough to blow most of the dust off Spirit's solar arrays and the robot has plenty of power.

Back here on Earth, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists have been working with a replica of Spirit in a sand box, trying to duplicate its sticky predicament and devise a solution. They did this four years ago when Opportunity became mired in a sand dune named Purgatory, then - as now - using techniques you might use to free your car from a snow drift. If all goes well, the scientists will be able to send freeing instructions to Spirit during the second week of September.

You can follow all of Spirits ups and downs as well as the earthbound rescue planning on NASA's cleverly named Free Spirit website.

[Source: MSNBC Cosmic Log]

Free Spirit: NASA's stuck rover marks 2,000 days on Mars originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>JPLNASANASA Mars RoverNasaMarsRoverOpportunityOpportunity Mars RoverOpportunity RoverOpportunityMarsRoverOpportunityRoverSpirit RoverSpiritRoverWed, 19 Aug 2009 14:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Andrew J. Feustel: Astronaut, Hubble mechanic, car guy ]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/14/andrew-j-feustel-astronaut-hubble-mechanic-car-guy/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/14/andrew-j-feustel-astronaut-hubble-mechanic-car-guy/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/14/andrew-j-feustel-astronaut-hubble-mechanic-car-guy/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Sometime today, astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis are scheduled to begin fitting the Hubble telescope with three new gyroscopes. But why does Autoblog care? Well, apart from the fact that the whole mission is super cool, one of the galactic grease monkeys wielding a wrench today will be Andrew J. Feustel. He's one of us car guys who really wanted to be an astronaut and found a way to make it happen.

His official NASA bio reads like your typical lab-coat-wearing science geek. He graduated from Purdue with an M.S. in geophysics and from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario with a Ph.D. in geological sciences. Under "Organizations" he lists membership in the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the American Geophysical Union and, to top it off, the BMW Car Club of America.

ABC's World News Tonight interviewed Feustel in his garage as he worked on his M3. In the background is the 1966 Austin Healy he gave his wife. To help pay for his college education, Feustel restored old cars. His son races karts. In short, Feustel is one of us. He's a car guy. And today, he'll be looking for 4mm sockets several miles above the planet.

Good like Andrew. If you get time, we'd love to get our first comment from outer space.

[Source: ABC World News Tonight]

Continue reading Andrew J. Feustel: Astronaut, Hubble mechanic, car guy

Andrew J. Feustel: Astronaut, Hubble mechanic, car guy originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 May 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Andrew FeustelAndrewFeustelastronautastronautsaustin healyAustinHealyM3nasashuttleThu, 14 May 2009 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[BMW working on regenerative exhaust system... with NASA?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/10/bmw-working-with-nasa-on-regenerative-exhaust-system/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/10/bmw-working-with-nasa-on-regenerative-exhaust-system/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/10/bmw-working-with-nasa-on-regenerative-exhaust-system/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Baby steps. That's how BMW expects to improve the efficiency of its vehicles - not by revolutionizing the automobile or replacing the internal-combustion engine, but by improving it. The Bavarian automaker's Efficient Dynamics program includes a roster of fuel-saving technologies like regenerative braking and start-stop engine management, but the second generation of the initiative looks to the heavens for inspiration. Specifically, to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

NASA's satellites are powered by thermo-electric generators (TEDs) which derive electricity from the heat generated by radioactive materials. BMW has no intention of putting plutonium in your car, but is working with NASA to adapt the TEDs to hook up to the car's exhaust system and provide some 200 watts of what would otherwise be (and until now has been) wasted energy. Capturing the heat to power auxiliary systems like climate control, BMW says the system could improve fuel economy by 5%. Not a revolutionary figure, but more than the contribution of both regenerative braking and start-stop combined.

[Source: CAR]

BMW working on regenerative exhaust system... with NASA? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bmwbmw efficient dynamicsbmw nasaBmwEfficientDynamicsBmwNasaefficient dynamicsEfficientDynamicsnasaregenerative exhaustRegenerativeExhaustthermoelectricthermoelectric generatorThermoelectricGeneratorTue, 10 Mar 2009 09:32:00 EST<![CDATA[New NASA Lunar Rover looks ready for Armageddon]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/26/new-nasa-lunar-rover-looks-ready-for-armageddon/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/26/new-nasa-lunar-rover-looks-ready-for-armageddon/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/26/new-nasa-lunar-rover-looks-ready-for-armageddon/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click above for high-res image gallery of the NASA Lunar Rover concept

NASA paraded its Small Pressurized Rover Concept down the streets of the presidential inauguration last week, and it looks like they're fans of Michael Bay. The lunar rover, which is a rear canopy and a couple of struts away from being the Armadillo drilling unit from the movie Armageddon, is about the size of a pickup truck, and has twelve wheels.

NASA has its eyes on the moon in 2020, and this is the vehicle that will host a succession of astronauts, in pairs, as they explore the lunar cheese surface. The pressurized cabin behind the two spacesuits is an RV that can be lived in for two weeks at a time, driven 625 miles on a charge, get up to 6 mph and climb 40-degree inclines. Predicting the technology we'll be using then, the rover contains a plasma energy chamber and comes equipped with a top-mounted pulse laser battle cannon. Ok, not really. But it should... Check out the gallery of images below.

Gallery: Small Lunar Rover Concept


[Source: Engadget]

New NASA Lunar Rover looks ready for Armageddon originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>etcgovernmentlunarlunar roverLunarRovernasatechMon, 26 Jan 2009 16:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Original lunar rover tire helps with next gen development]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/02/original-lunar-rover-tire-helps-with-next-gen-development/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/02/original-lunar-rover-tire-helps-with-next-gen-development/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/02/original-lunar-rover-tire-helps-with-next-gen-development/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click above for image gallery of lunar rovers in action.

About the time Ford was developing the first Mustang, General Motors' Defense Research Labs was working on something more other-worldly. Man was about to go to the moon, and they needed some transportation when they got there. GM was chosen to develop the running gear along with the tires for the three lunar rovers that would travel to the moon.

Now, more than 40 years later, NASA is on a mission to return to the moon and again needs something to cruise the craters. As we've reported before, NASA is developing a new rover design, but wants to improve upon the original rover's wheels. Unfortunately, the original rovers are still on the lunar surface, and, in its infinite Cold War wisdom, NASA made sure nothing from the original design escaped the shredders.

Luckily, NASA called up one of the original rover tire designers to seek his insight. The 80-year-old engineer was more than happy to help, and even offered to bring in the original, 40-year-old lunar rover tire he had squirreled away in his closet. Made out of zinc-coated piano wire, the tire has been sitting in the retired GM employee's closet just waiting for its day to do its patriotic duty. Or end up on eBay.

So the engineer and his 40-year-old moon tire are helping NASA develop a new transportation system for future moon-exploring astronauts. Click here to listen to the NPR story. Check out the gallery for several shots of the piano-wire-mesh tires in action on the lunar surface. Thanks for the tip, Christina!

Gallery: NASA finds old moon buggy tire in engineer's closet


[Source: NPR]

Original lunar rover tire helps with next gen development originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>general motorsgeneral motors defense research labsGeneralMotorsGeneralMotorsDefenseResearchLabslunar roverLunarRovermoon buggyMoonBuggynasaFri, 02 Jan 2009 18:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Off-world off-roading: NASA tests new lunar rover]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/25/off-world-off-roading-nasa-tests-new-lunar-rover/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/25/off-world-off-roading-nasa-tests-new-lunar-rover/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/25/off-world-off-roading-nasa-tests-new-lunar-rover/#commentsFiled under:


Click above for a gallery of the Small Pressurized Rover

This week in Arizona, NASA conducted tests of the new battery-powered Small Pressurized Rover (SPR) it hopes to use when the U.S. sends astronauts back to the moon by 2020. The SPR is a huge leap forward over the original open-air (or is it open-vacuum?) rovers used by the Apollo astronauts. The configuration consists of a pressurized cabin mounted atop a modular chassis that can drive in any direction, thans to wheels that turn 360 degrees. The cockpit leads back to an area housing an airlock that the astronauts can use to transfer from one rover to another, from the rover to a apacecraft, or from a rover to a surface installation and vice-versa.

At the back of that compartment are two "suitports" that allow the astronauts to enter and exit their EVA (extra-vehicular activity) spacesuits without having to bring them into the vehicle itself. The suit backpacks lock into the ports and open up, allowing the wearer to climb out and work in the pressurized vehicle in normal clothing. Very, very cool stuff here. Since the rover is modular in nature, it can also operate as a non-pressurized vehicle, with all the operators in turrets wearing suits. Top speed is 10 km/h (around 6 mph), and the rover should enable astronauts to go on missions away from base for up to two weeks, covering up to 625 miles, according to Reuters. We've gallerized a pair of high-res images and NASA's fact sheet below, and the NASA Edge blog has more photos you might be interested in checking out.

Gallery: NASA Small Pressurized Rover


[Sources: Reuters, NASA, NASA Edge Blog]

Off-world off-roading: NASA tests new lunar rover originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakinglunar roverLunarRovernasarover testsRoverTestssmall pressurized roverSmallPressurizedRoversprSat, 25 Oct 2008 15:26:00 EST<![CDATA[Out of This World: Goodyear and NASA collaborate on airless tire]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/17/out-of-this-world-goodyear-and-nasa-collaborate-on-airless-tire/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/17/out-of-this-world-goodyear-and-nasa-collaborate-on-airless-tire/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/17/out-of-this-world-goodyear-and-nasa-collaborate-on-airless-tire/#commentsFiled under: ,

click above image for more views of the NASA Chariot rover

Any good article about space exploration starts with "when I was a kid...". So, when I was a kid, my older brother was working on his college thesis. He cooperated with NASA on designing various devices for use in space, the basic premise being that few of the things we take for granted here on Earth would work in a zero-gravity environment. Everything needed for use in space needs to be redesigned.

Recently Goodyear and NASA announced a collaboration in developing a special non-pneumatic tire to be used by vehicles on the Moon, and potentially, on Mars, in support of a 2004 presidential mandate to further exploration on the celestial bodies. This isn't the first time Goodyear has collaborated with NASA to develop special moon-tires, having spent over ten years developing a piano-wire-mesh tire for the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle in the 1960s. However, the new Chariot vehicle (pictured above) is expected to support ten times more weight and travel 100 times longer than the Apollo, so Goodyear's Akron Technical Center and NASA's Glenn Research Center are developing a stronger version by testing and re-testing the Apollo's wheel and tire set-up to determine where they break down. Better here than out there, because as big a pain as it is to change a tire down here, imagine mounting a spare in space.

The researchers expect to demonstrate the Chariot, with its special tires, a year from now at the Johnson Space Center in Texas, after which, they say, the findings could be applied towards the development of new tires for use here on Earth.

[Source: Goodyear]

Gallery: NASA Chariot


Continue reading Out of This World: Goodyear and NASA collaborate on airless tire

Out of This World: Goodyear and NASA collaborate on airless tire originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apollochariotgoodyearLRVlunarmarsnasapneumaticrovertirevehicleMon, 17 Dec 2007 14:56:00 EST<![CDATA[2007 Russo & Steele, Scottsdale: 1967 Gus Grissom Corvette goes for $275,000]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/24/2007-russo-and-steele-scottsdale-1967-gus-grissom-corvette/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/24/2007-russo-and-steele-scottsdale-1967-gus-grissom-corvette/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/24/2007-russo-and-steele-scottsdale-1967-gus-grissom-corvette/#commentsFiled under: ,


Click on the image for a high-res gallery of photos of these cars

1967 Chevrolet Grissom Corvette 427 - #6645

This little red Corvette has quite a pedigree. Although it was originally Lynndale blue, the Rally Red paint was applied 25 years ago. It has just 31,499 documented original miles, a 427/435hp tri-power engine and a 4-speed M-21. It also features the HD suspension, off road exhaust, transistor ignition, leather seats, Strato-Ease headrests, tinted windshield, AM/FM radio, speed warning indicator, telescopic steering wheel, and redline tires. It's had a professional body-off restoration that is documented with the included photos. Another multiple award-winner including NCRS & Corvette Bowling Green. Pretty impressive 'Vette, but obviously it's the fact that NASA astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grissom was the original owner that helped net this car a $232,500 price at auction. Read the whole fascinating back story from the Russo and Steele catalog after the jump.

[Source: Russo and Steele, Corvetteblogger.com]

Related Items:

Gallery: 2007 Russo & Steele, Scottsdale: 1967 Chevrolet Grissom Corvette 427



Continue reading 2007 Russo & Steele, Scottsdale: 1967 Gus Grissom Corvette goes for $275,000

2007 Russo & Steele, Scottsdale: 1967 Gus Grissom Corvette goes for $275,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jan 2007 09:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>astronautChevrolet CorvetteChevroletCorvetteGus GrissomGusGrissomNASASting RayStingRayWed, 24 Jan 2007 09:24:00 EST<![CDATA[VIDEO: Audi A6 ad by Knucklehead's Johnny Green]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/18/video-audi-a6-ad-by-knuckleheads-johnny-green/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/18/video-audi-a6-ad-by-knuckleheads-johnny-green/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/18/video-audi-a6-ad-by-knuckleheads-johnny-green/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Johnny Green, a director with UK's Knucklehead Films, has made this 90-second commercial for the Audi A6. The result is something truly out of this world, showing a mysterious object falling from the sky over the American mid-west and plunging into the deep blue ocean.

The mind-boggling numbers quoted at the end reveal that Audi has actually filed more patents than NASA...for the new A6 alone.

The impressive and stylistic commercial is only the director's second, yet he manages to portray a thoroughly modern automobile in a retro-futuristic space-age style, all while achieving its purpose as a commercial advertisement by projecting a kind of ethereal desirability on the product. (Watch the clip, you'll see.)

[Source: Knucklehead via German Car Blog]

VIDEO: Audi A6 ad by Knucklehead's Johnny Green originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Oct 2006 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a6adaudicommercialgreenjohnnyknuckleheadnasaspaceWed, 18 Oct 2006 10:32:00 EST<![CDATA[Ford Focus gains NASA Spec class]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/30/ford-focus-gains-nasa-spec-class/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/30/ford-focus-gains-nasa-spec-class/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/30/ford-focus-gains-nasa-spec-class/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Sure, the Ford Focus is getting a bit long in the tooth and we're all impatiently awaiting the arrival of the next generation car, but that shouldn't overshadow the successes of the current model. From day one, the current Focus has been lauded as a fun to drive small car. From the base model all the way up to the hot hatch SVT, the Focus has proven itself willing to hike up its side skirts and get a move on at the slightest provocation.

So it's only natural that the National Auto Sports Association has finally awarded the Focus with a racing class all its own, the Ford Focus SPEC class, for the 2006 season. The class is open to all model years and trim levels, which of course includes the SVT, but also the much more ubiquitous model with the 2.3-liter engine. Typical entrants throw about $6,000 to $10,000 into their car to prep it for competition, all for the chance to win $500 for being the best in their region or a cool grand for being the fastest Focus in all the land. Hmm... wonder if there's an Unlimited class. If so, we're showing up in this.

[Source: Blue Oval News]

Ford Focus gains NASA Spec class originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Aug 2006 20:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>FocusNASAracingSPECSPEC classSpecClasstrackWed, 30 Aug 2006 20:06:00 EST<![CDATA[NASA gives Delphi grant to develop new welding process]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/01/24/nasa-gives-delphi-grant-to-develop-new-welding-process/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/01/24/nasa-gives-delphi-grant-to-develop-new-welding-process/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/01/24/nasa-gives-delphi-grant-to-develop-new-welding-process/#commentsFiled under: ,

I figured we'd try something new, and discuss Delphi news that doesn't involve bankruptcy or worker compensation. The company has developed a process called Deformation Resistance Welding, and apparently NASA has some interest in the technology, as it's just anted up another $870,000 to go with the $1.3M it handed out last year to further develop this technique.

I'm not sure why NASA is interested in this (they strike me as the type of folks who'd just bust out the TIG welder), but as far as autos are concerned, this low-cost way to join tubular members has some obvious applications for chassis, suspension components, subframes, and other structures. It's also notable in that it can join dissimilar materials, which would allow engineers to select the optimal material for each component.

NASA gives Delphi grant to develop new welding process originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>NASAweldingweldsTue, 24 Jan 2006 11:30:00 EST