November 1, 2009:
2:00PM PT/22:00 UTC: Unreasonable Rocket had a difficult morning as they battled a control problem that caused oscillations during the tether test. On the fourth and final test, the oscillation caused the vehicle to swing around the crane, severing the tether and causing the vehicle to land on it's side. The peroxide tank was punctured by one of the legs, leaving no opportunity for repair of the vehicle today. 
We are so impressed by the effort of the Breeds, and congratulate the team on an impressive showing at their first NGLLC attempt. As mentioned before, they are only the third team to successfully fly the flight profile of the competition, so they have much to be proud of.
This concludes the 2009 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X PRIZE Challenge. We will have another summary post for you tomorrow, along with more videos within the next two days. The awards ceremony will take place in Washington D.C. this Thursday, November 5, 2009.
11:00AM PT/17:00 UTC: The Unreasonable Rocket "Blue" vehicle became the 3rd vehicle in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X PRIZE Challenge to complete the Level I flight profile. Congratulations to the father-son team, Paul Breed Jr. and Paul Breed Sr., for successfully achieving this challenging feat.
The Blue vehicle shot up into the air from Pad A, translated to over Pad B, but ran out of propellant about 5 meters above the pad. The vehicle sustained some damage to the legs and some other equipment, preventing the vehicle from making the return flight to Pad A and ending Unreasonable Rocket's attempt at the remaining Level I prize. 
(Photo credit: Andrew Jones, NASA)
By the end of the day, Unreasonable Rocket had their Silver vehicle on the pad and tethered to a crane, ready for it's 45 second qualification test. Those tests are taking place this morning, although UR is experiencing some control issues after about 10 seconds of tethered flight. Representatives from Team Masten are here and helping them troubleshoot. Once the test is complete, the Silver vehicle will be ready to make it's Level II attempt at the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X PRIZE Challenge this afternoon.
As for all other attempts this week, we will webcast the event at http://bit.ly/ngllc09, and post updates at http://www.twitter.com/ngllc09.
October 31, 2009: Today the X PRIZE crew is out at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) site in Cantil, CA. It is about a 45 minute drive from Masten's site, on some rough dirt roads. The remote site is perfect for testing rockets, however.
The Breeds, the father-son team that makes up Unreasonable Rocket, have built a blue Level I, monopropellant (peroxide) vehicle and a slightly larger silver rocket for Level II. After some issues with an old catalyst pack yesterday, the Breeds worked overnight to repair the vehicle, then replaced the catalyst pack this morning. Some low-pressure tests were run to "warm up" the new cat pack, but unfortunately the results of those tests were not satisfactory. Currently, the team suspects that the peroxide was not warm enough this morning and that was the cause of the poor performance. The peroxide tanks are covered in black blankets and are lying out in the sun to warm up while the UR team works on their Silver vehicle. We expect that the team will be ready to test the Blue vehicle again early this afternoon, perhaps by 1PM PT.
We are live broadcasting at Ustream: http://bit.ly/ngllc09. Or you can follow updates on Twitter at @ngllc09.
Online video chat by Ustream
October 30, 2009 - Team Masten Space Systems made their second official attempt at Level II of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X PRIZE Challenge today, after fixing several issues on their Xoie vehicle overnight. We at X PRIZE are extremely pleased to announce that they were successful in both flights today, and have qualified for the $1 million dollar prize purse.
In a great example of the camaraderie between teams in this competition, members from rival teams pitched in to help Masten complete their repairs last night so that they could fly their final attempt today. As Randall Clague of XCOR commented on Twitter, "Community is AMAZING. [Masten Space System] rivals repaired Xoie. When she qualified, 1/2 of Masten went to cheer on Unreasonable Rocket."
Masten completed two beautiful flights with good landing accuracy, although maintained nail-biting levels of anticipation as they came up against the clock at the end of the attempt (2 hours and 15 min are allotted for each attempt). Here are a few photos:
These are the spray paint marks made around the feet after landing. Look at the repeatability:
After the Masten qualifying flight, the X PRIZE crew, FAA, NASA, and some Masten folks left immediately for the Friends of Amateur Rocketry site to watch Unreasonable Rocket make their debut in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X PRIZE Challenge. They made a fantastic first attempt with the "Blue Ball" vehicle, flying for Level I.
While they were not successful today due to some hardware issues, everyone can agree that the speed with which this father and son team can turnaround their rocket and have it ready to fly is quite impressive. The team also finished repairs to their vehicle this evening and will have it ready to fly tomorrow, Saturday, October 31st. The team expects to open the window at about 9AM PT/16:00 UTC. We will be webcasting the event at http://bit.ly/ngllc09.
Congratulations again to Masten and Unreasonable Rocket today! The excitement is not over yet!
Friday, October 30, 2009: Masten Space Systems is making their final attempt at the $1 Million NGLLXPC Level II prize this morning. They've made the necessary repairs to the propellant tanks, lines, and sensor cables overnight. They expect to start the clock at about 9am PT/16:00 UTC. We wish them the best and are streaming the event live on Ustream.tv!
Follow us on Twitter for live updates: http://www.twitter.com/ngllc09
Streaming live video by Ustream
Thursday, October 29, 2009: Masten Space Systems has identified and resolved the technical issue that arose during yesterday's attempt. Testing revealed a faulty electronics board which was constantly driving an actuator; this, in turn, was draining the battery. The drained battery was consequently affecting the communications system, the issue first observed in the field during yesterday's attempt. The faulty board has been replaced, and Masten is optimistic for a successful attempt today.
Masten currently expects to start the clock at about 9am PST/16:00 UTC. We plan to set up an internet link in the field again today and provide a webcast of the event. Catch it at http://bit.ly/ngllc09 (also has chat available with GLXP and a Masten Space representative), or stream it below.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009: Masten's attempt today was no-go, but they will be trying again tomorrow. The schedule will be similar to today's: 6:30am Pacific start time, 9:00am start to the webcast and the competition window, and a first flight somewhere around 9:50am. The webcast will be rolling again, so please be sure to tune in to http://bit.ly/ngllc09!
Through a unanimous decision of the Official Judges of the 2009 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X PRIZE Challenge competition, Masten Space Systems will be able to make another launch attempt tomorrow morning using their remaining Time Period. Unreasonable Rocket will then be on deck to make their first flight attempt in the afternoon.
This scheduling adjustment has been made by the Official Judges in keeping with the letter and spirit of the rules and in the interests of the fairness of the competition.
Masten will begin their final attempt on Friday, October 30, 2009 at approximately 9am PT/16:00 UTC. Webcast will be up and running again at Ustream: http://bit.ly/ngllc09. 
In the afternoon, a new team will be attempting Level I of the challenge: Unreasonable Rocket. They are scheduled to start their window at 1pm PT/20:00 UTC. We will try to webcast that attempt as well.
We wish Masten luck for their attempt tomorrow, and look forward to seeing the Unreasonable Rocket Blue Ball vehicle in action!
Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge
@nasaprize - on the way to california for the final lunar lander attempts of 2009
@dmasten - We have been testing so much our Pad A looks worse than the lunar pad. http://twitpic.com/n5mjn
I think we are ready for #ngllc level 2. All tests are done. Last was a nice stable hover of 195sec in 30+ knot winds.
@mojaverocketguy - In at the shop, bright and surly. At least not 4:50am like last Tuesday.
Bad news: Missed seeing the flight because I someone had to stay for the UPS delivery. Good news: Xoie's fine and I heard it from the shop.
Doing concrete work in 50mph wind gusts--not fun. Good thing I got myself a college edjumacation so I wouldn't have to do jobs like that...
@ngllc09 - #NGLLC news update on The Launch Pad: http://bit.ly/lLWxm
NGLLC 2009: And Here They Come Down the Final Stretch! New post on The Launch Pad: http://bit.ly/I3QSI #ngllc
Tune in tmrw for webcast of Masten Lvl 2 #NGLLC attempt starting at 9am PST/16:00 UTC: http://bit.ly/ngllc09
Unreasonable update - RLV News
BonNova recap - RLV News
Briefs: Speed Up hybrid test; Source of rocket grade H2O2 - RLV News
I'm posting these Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge updates on Wednesday morning:
Unreasonable ups and downs - RLV News
Masten Space Level II attempt - Oct..28.09 - viewing info - RLV News - Using the #ngllc twitter search on this page, you can already see a lot of tweets on the event as people get ready to go, like these:
alias_amanda: Only for a rocket launch could I be up at 4am and be somewhat happy about it #ngllc
ikluft: I'll be tweeting from Mojave today for the @mastenspace flight in Level 2 of the Lunar Lander Challenge #ngllc
Pomerantz: Made it to Mojave (& gave #NGLLC team SpeedUp's Bob Steinke a ride on the way up). Excited for tmrw's @mastenspace flights! Godspeed, Xoie
Space Elevator Games: Power Beaming/Tether Climber
@lasermotive - The designing, building and testing is finally done. Today the packing begins. We are ready.
@segames - Very good - just organized a commentary team for the live cast. (Live video has a lot of boring moments, and while we have some B-roll+ ... material, there's nothing like play-by-play descriptions.)
NASA Centennial Power Beaming Challenge to Feature Three Teams - The Space Elevator Reference
Games updates - The Space Elevator Blog
Briefs: Power Beaming Challenge; Regolith scraper - RLV News
Regolith Excavation Challenge
@doug_comstock - Check out cool Gigapan images (a nasa spinoff http://tinyurl.com/bm3pl6) from the Regolith Excavation Challenge: http://tinyurl.com/yk45lmf
@paulsrobotics - WPI Reception for the team is currently scheduled for Wednesday at 2PM in HL005 (we think). Feel free to stop by... http://bit.ly/1Y75C
Also see the RLV News link in the previous section for another Regolith Excavation Challenge article.
Google Lunar X PRIZE
@team_selenokhod - The first Selenokhod mockup rollout: http://selenokhod.com/en/node/44
The first Russian private-built-rover at Mission Control Center: http://selenokhod.com/en/node/45 That was amazing!
@nextgiantleap - Nice day for a drive to Louisville, CO, but looks like snow for the way home. ... Looking forward to meetings at SNC tomorrow!
@omegaenvoy - With our rover naming contest coming to an end, will you be the one to break the tie? http://bit.ly/POiyi #GLXP
Notice the new name (with an underscore) on the twitter address for this next one:
@Odyssey_Moon - Odyssey Moon Chief Scientist Dr. Paul Spudis on lunar lava tubes: http://bit.ly/19GDbc
@arcaspace - Octomber 23, 2009 - CONSTANTA The first launch attempt of Helen vehicle will take place starting with October 29... http://bit.ly/2NEU5n
Other Prizes
Economy, rule change ground X Prize plans - Las Cruces Sun: Landeene said the X Prize Cup does spur interest in aerospace among students.
"Ultimately, what I'd like to do is have X Prize-like events at the spaceport and surrounding community," he said.
Spaceport Visitor Center Approved - - KRWG TV: The Board of Directors of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) has voted to establish a welcome center for Spaceport America in downtown Truth or Consequences... A welcome center is also planned for the village of Hatch which is on the southern approach to Spaceport America.
@fineri (N-Prize team) - http://twitpic.com/mzn62 - Plumbing all done, cone needs finishing, electronics and engine need integrating.
@peterdiamandis - Great X Prize Trustees dinner at Elon Musk's home... great crowd, Sergey Brin, Ansari Family, Beyster's, Mike Boustridge, Jim Gianopulos... great to also host Esther Dyson, Peter Bloom, Rob McEwen, Erik Lindbergh and Peter Ferrel
i am searching for a strong Director/Chief of Staff to work with me as CEO of X Prize, MBA desired. LA base @ XPF HQ
It's a high-stakes horse race to the finish line of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X PRIZE Challenge this week, and the winner will claim $1,000,000 in prize winnings.
Armadillo Aerospace successfully flew their Scorpius vehicle in September to become the sole qualifier of the coveted Level II 1st Place Prize purse: $1,000,000. The Level II challenge requires two 180 second flights and landing on a lunar-like pad complete with craters and rocks.
Masten Space Systems flew their Xombie vehicle on October 7th to successfully qualify for the 2nd Place Level I prize purse of $150,000. Level I requires two flights of 90 seconds.
Wednesday, October 28 at approximately 9am PST/16:00 UTC, Masten Space Systems will make their attempt at the Level II prize with their new vehicle, Xoie. The team has successfully flown a 195 second test flight with the vehicle and will be challenging the accuracy of the Armadillo landings (avg. accuracy = .89m). If they succeed, they will overtake Armadillo as the first place qualifiers of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X PRIZE Challenge Level II. Note that if two teams qualify for the Level II prize, the second place winner of Level II will still claim a hefty $500,000.
Another challenger will fly on October 30-31 -- Team Unreasonable Rocket. They will be challenging Masten Space Systems for the Level I purse that they qualified for (with 0.16m avg accuracy), and are working toward a Level II flight on Saturday as well.
Want to watch?
We are going to webcast at Ustream (http://bit.ly/ngllc09) or Qik (http://www.qik.com/ngllc), depending on which connection provides the best video on location at the Mojave. Start time tomorrow (Oct. 28) will be at approximately 9am PST/16:00 UTC.
We will be on Twitter for real-time updates: @ngllc09, @mastenspace, @unrocket
Those of you active on Twitter over the weekend may have already heard this piece of news: Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge team BonNova has had to surrender their chance at winning any prize money this year. Team Leader Allen Newcomb and the rest of the team put in a fantastic amount of effort this year, including a truly incredibly push for the finish line within the last few weeks. However, their testing program is not as advanced as it needs to be, so the team will need to wait and see if any prize money remains after this week.
Al and the rest of team BonNova should be very proud of their work to date. In a competition where everyone is pushing the limits of rocket efficiency, BonNova's rocket stood out as the lightest-weight and smallest vehicle we've seen to date. We at the X PRIZE Foundation have little doubt that once BonNova is up and running, they will find a good amount of demand for their services. We fully suspect that that will happen soon--but it will not be this week.
This development underscores the difficulty of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. This is not an easy competition.
For now, attention will turn to Masten and Unreasonable Rocket, who both have attempts scheduled for later this week. Masten, as you'll all recall, performed the Level One job admirably just a few short weeks ago, putting the team in position to claim the $150,000 Level One, Second Place prize purse unless their performance is matched or exceeded by Unreasonable on Friday or Saturday of this week. Masten's accuracy score makes it so that Unreasonable would need a mean landing accuracy in the single-digit centimeters in order to bump Masten down to a (no-cash-prize) Third Place slot. Masten won't be wasting much bandwidth worrying about that for the next few days, though, as they are only a few days away from their Level Two attempt. Testing of their brand-new Level Two vehicle, Xoie, has been going smoothly, and the team seems confident. Masten's attempts are scheduled to kick off on Wednesday morning with a 6:30am safety briefing, a scheduled 9:00am NGLLC window start, and a first flight around 9:50am or so (all times are local to Masten's test site in Mojave, CA. Their flight window should begin around 16:00 UTC.) Masten has reserved both Wednesday and Thursday, so they have a second day available for flights if necessary.
Just after Masten's attempts, Unreasonable Rocket will make their first ever attempt to claim part of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. The two Paul Breeds are scheduled to fly the Level One mission on Friday and the Level Two mission on Saturday--Halloween, the final day of the 2009 Northrop Grumman Lunar Challenge window. Of his odds, the senior Paul Breed writes: "Our [tests] say we have a chance to tie Masten in the 90 sec contest, but beating them outright would require some significant luck. Our 180 Second vehicle is going to go down to the last minute. ... If we can fly for 180 seconds we can beat Armadillos accuracy, so it becomes a risk reward game.... IE On Saturday morning if we have a vehicle that would cost 50K to reproduce that has a 10% chance of success and a 90 % chance of destruction do we make the attempt? (0.9 * -$50K) vs (0.1 *$1M ) The calculus changes a little bit depending on Masten's result."
Also, it's worth noting that the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge has received some good press lately, notably pieces from New Scientist and the Economist!
Please join us in wishing the best of luck to Masten and Unreasonable, and in congratulating BonNova for their progress this year!
Unreasonable progress - RLV News
Briefs: Unreasonable progress; NGLLC in The Economist - RLV News
@NGLLC09 - Two Moon related prizes - the @NGLLC09 and the @Regolith_Chal - get write-up in the Economist! http://bit.ly/2o9Xii
Briefs: Masten propellant tanks; BonNova on NGLLC stage - RLV News
From Seeking a Human Spaceflight Program Worthy of a Great Nation (PDF) (i.e. the Augustine Committee's final report):
All three variants [of the Committee's Flexible Path option] also include a hybrid lunar lander that is smaller than the Altair. (See Figure 6.2.2-2.) The ascent stage is developed by NASA, but the descent stage is assumed to be commercially developed, building on the growing industrial capability pursuing NASA’s Lunar Lander Challenge and the Google Lunar X-Prize.
@wikkit - This year it didn't rain before the wind picked up, so we worked in a dust storm for most of the day. Going to be a gray shower tonight.
@mastenspace - RT @rbranly: Designing educational payloads to fly aboard Masten Space Vehicles.
Preview of final week of NGLLC 2009 - RLV News shows a press release from the X PRIZE Foundation on the week of events.
Update (Sunday evening):
Armadillo flies higher - RLV News
NGLLC: BonNova bows out; Unreasonable update; Masten update - RLV News
@nasaprize - No Lunar Lander Challenge attempts on Mon or Tuesday but Masten and Unreasonable Rocket are still on for Wed-Saturday attempts
Update (Monday morning):
@wikkit - If you're interested in coming to our LLC flights this week or other tests, send me an email at ben@masten-space.com .
@mastenspace - RT @rbranly: The MSS payload capsule demonstrator project includes a multispectral imager as a flight option.Aiming 4 imager mass of 500g
Power Beaming Challenge ready to shine - RLV News - This has a lot of essential links for the games, including links to the teams. It also gives an overview of what the status is for the games.
LaserMotive is doing a countdown ... note that this one was from Oct 22:
@lasermotive - T minus 9 days until we leave town for Dryden.
Pre-competition update from the Kansas City Space Pirates - The Space Elevator Blog shows some of the testing the KC Space Pirates are doing.
Space Elevator Games - Current Status (10/24) - The "Current Status" is in box on the right side of this site; the link I've given is to the overall site. Here's the currrent status:
One week to go... Everything on schedule so far. Flying to Washington to prep the helicopter on Thursday, then driving to Dryden to meet the teams on Sunday. Setup begins Monday morning.
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