New solar-powered rover has hi-def TV and internet node

Developed by Dr. William Whittaker who is a roboticist at Carnegie Mellon, the solar powered rover has been fine tuned for its mission which will involve in examining how materials used by Apollo 11 mission have weathered on the moon. This new rover has some unique engineering features too. The Astrobotic lunar rover has two motors inside the body of the robot where they are safeguarded from heat as well as lunar dust. The fundamental innovation is the asymmetrical shape of the vehicle. There’s a flat radiator angled up to the black lunar sky as well as a vertical panel for the logos of the corporations sponsoring the expedition. On the hot side, a half-cone of solar cells generates ample electrical power to power the wheels, run the computers and energize the transmitter beaming back stereo HD video to Earth. Another notable innovation is the lunar-specific drive train.
[Boingboing]