New lunar lander prototype being assembled in Huntsville

[eppur_se_muova]

By Lee Roop, The Huntsville Times

HUNTSVILLE, AL - Huntsville rocket engineers are assembling the prototype for a robotic lander that could lead to a new generation of landers for exploring the moon and asteroids.

The propulsion system for the new lander was recently delivered to NASA's Robotic Lunar Lander Development Project at Marshall Space Flight Center.

After being checked out in a series of hot-fire tests, the new propulsion system is now at Teledyne Brown's manufacturing center in Huntsville. It will be intergrated with the lander's structure and avionics to complete the prototype.

NASA hopes to test the prototype at the Army's Redstone Arsenal Test center this spring.

NASA is trying to develop a new generation of small, smart and versatile landers to fly to the moon and other space destinations.
***
more: http://blog.al.com/space-news/2011/01/new_lunar_lander_prototype_bei.html

[n2doc]

1. No one will ever top the Soviet rover

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunokhod_programme

They just don't make em like they used to.

[Dennis Donovan]

2. That looks like something out of a Jules Verne book...

...nonetheless, I agree - it looks cool.

[tridim]

3. The Mars rovers topped that easily.

But it was way ahead of its time.

[jimlup]

4. Actually, I'm fairly sure that was the car which drove out of the lander

Lunokhod!

[ThoughtCriminal]

5. It it had not run out of coal

Brave Soviet Lander would still explore!