Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

cIclops · 2007-10-24 12:10:29

In case the purpose of this competition is unclear here is the latest press release:

$2 Million Lunar Lander Competition Prize - 24 Oct 2007

WASHINGTON - During the X PRIZE Cup Oct. 27-28, NASA's Centennial Challenges Program will offer prizes totaling $2 million if competing teams successfully meet the requirements of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. The challenge will take place at Holloman Air Force Base, in Alamogordo, N.M.
The purpose of the lunar lander challenge is to accelerate technology development leading to a commercial vehicle that could one day be capable of ferrying cargo or humans back and forth between lunar orbit and the moon's surface.
To win the prize, teams must demonstrate a rocket-propelled vehicle and payload that takes off vertically, climbs to a defined altitude, flies for a pre-determined amount of time, and then land vertically on a target that is a fixed distance from the launch pad. After landing, the vehicle must take off again within a predetermined time, fly for a certain amount of time and then land back on its original launch pad. There are two levels of difficulty, with awards for first and second place at each level.

Combined with lunar ISRU this could be an important next step towards a sustainable lunar infrastructure.

cIclops · 2007-10-29 13:22:10

John Carmack showing Shana Dale of NASA his Module - 28 Oct 2007

After four attempts to win the Lunar Lander Level 1 Challenge, Armadillo had to withdraw from the competition due to a fire.

cIclops · 2007-10-31 09:39:08

Armadillo update "we failed" - 30 Oct 2007

We put yet another new engine on the module, and headed out for the 12:45 window. Everything went perfectly smoothly up to ignition, then we had the most violent hard start we have seen. The engine jacket was ripped off the injector, and the graphite chamber was completely shattered and thrown over a wide area. We were done. We invited AST out to the pad to inspect the aftermath, and we carefully noted where all the pieces had gone. We found a good sized chunk of graphite stuck in the ground 64 meters from the center of the pad.

Fourth and final attempt - video 53 secs

Stills and more video

publiusr · 2007-11-09 13:50:23

splat.

Bad part suppliers strike again?

SpaceNut · 2007-12-21 21:32:20

This article caught me by surprise in one SpaceDev, launched Prototype Moon Lander Takes Test Flight

The lander prototype has four hybrid rocket motors that contain both solid and liquid fuel — a combination of non-explosive materials that supposedly reduces the chance for accidents. The liquid fuel also permits throttling by controlling fuel flow and acceleration.

cIclops · 2007-12-22 10:50:24

Armadillo update 16 Dec 2007

We are almost finished with our AFRL phase I SBIR, and we are expecting to hear something in the next couple months about a possible phase II. If we get that, we should be building and flying an honest space vehicle in 2008. Note that I am not saying that we would necessarily be all the way through the test process to the point of flying to 100km, but we should be well on the way. We have just gone through all the grief about getting our accounting system and books in order for government work, so there are some costs involved with going this way, but our technical pitch to them is basically the path that we want to be following anyway, so if they want to help out, we will work with them.
We are starting work for NASA involving flying our vehicles on lox / methane instead of lox / ethanol. We are going to initially just convert a module over in a fairly straightforward manner, but our longer term goals involve using self-pressurizing lox/methane combinations at very low tank and chamber pressures for extremely high mass ratio upper stages. Depending on how our testing goes, methane may or may not play a part in our booster strategy.

cIclops · 2008-01-26 06:32:33

Armadillo update - film cooled engine, Vehicle plans - 23 Jan 2008

Assuming the differential throttling works out on the four module system, our commercial vehicle plan is a six module triangular configuration with engines on the side between the tanks, using the base of the bottom spheres as landing pads. This configuration gives us full module-out redundancy, easy vehicle CG determination before launch, no landing gear weight, and it travels in flight orientation without a wide-load permit (just barely). For a cabin, we are going to use a 5’ diameter transparent sphere.

Some view from inside!

cIclops · 2008-02-25 05:16:45

Current Armadillo "six pack" concept for commercial suborbital use

Armadillo update for 24 Feb 2008

When we fired this engine, the Isp was great (we are only doing relative comparisons by comparing chamber pressure with a constant orifice are and feed pressure), but the combustion wasn’t completely stable. The plume jumps around a bit, and there was a high pitched whistle. The pressure transducer graph was absolutely level (until the transducer died late in the test, another good sign of instability), so the instability was well above the transducer bandwidth. After about 20 seconds at full throttle, we saw stainless burning in the plume and shut it down.

see how a stainless steel engine burns here - video 30 secs

cIclops · 2008-04-19 11:41:49

Armadillo Methane Engine test - YouTube video 1:23 mins

SpaceNut · 2018-12-28 12:40:14

another dormant topic that makes you wonder what ever happened to the challenge....

Ah I see now Nasa went one way and the google prize went another....

SpaceNut · 2019-01-20 19:24:54

Space Notebook: Lunar lander arrives in Florida ahead of SpaceX Falcon 9 launch

3080639c-f67f-4215-8484-19150e667e57-Graphic-1-Space-IL.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

400-pound lander (1,300 pounds fully fueled) was flown Friday from Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv to Orlando International Airport.

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#51 2007-10-24 12:10:29

Re: Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

#52 2007-10-29 13:22:10

Re: Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

#53 2007-10-31 09:39:08

Re: Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

#54 2007-11-09 13:50:23

Re: Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

#55 2007-12-21 21:32:20

Re: Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

#56 2007-12-22 10:50:24

Re: Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

#57 2008-01-26 06:32:33

Re: Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

#58 2008-02-25 05:16:45

Re: Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

#59 2008-04-19 11:41:49

Re: Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

#60 2018-12-28 12:40:14

Re: Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

#61 2019-01-20 19:24:54

Re: Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

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