The fascination with the Moon and extraterrestrial territory is something that we have all carried over from childhood. The exploration of alien territories, however, is not a dream for some lucky few. William Whittaker hopes to win the $25 Million Google Lunar X Prize and explore the Apollo landing site in 2011.

Whittaker, a roboticist at Carnegie Mellon, has developed a prototype rover which may get to study the materials used by the Apollo 11 on the Moon. Developed for Astrobotic Technology, the lunar rover has two motors within its body and hidden away from possible damage through exposure to heat and dust. Interestingly, the rover is designed with an asymmetric body with a flat radiator exposed to the sky on one side and a panel of solar cells on the other side. The solar panel would power the wheels of the rover as well as charge the transmitter that would send data back to Earth.

The bicycle-like wheels driven by its own motor and using a chain drive are made with the lunar territory in mind and have been tested in a vacuum chamber to make sure that it does not yield to cold welding.

Via: BoingBoing