Lunar Lion

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Mitch Hastings and Cassie Hannigan stand next to Lunar Lion test equipment

Lunar Lion team recruits geosciences students to create science plan for moon

10/27/16

When you look into the night sky a few years from now, you might be saying to yourself, "There’s a vehicle built by Penn State students on the moon right now." That voyage to the moon is the focus of the student-run Lunar Lion team’s efforts, and they recently brought on two new team members — both geosciences majors — to help plan the team’s lunar research.

Alex Patin

Computer scientist’s 'Musical Minds' earns him fellowship

7/26/16

Alex Patin, a rising Penn State junior studying computer science and engineering, was recently selected for the Slavin Fellowship, which offers support, mentorship and a scholarship to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing potentially world-changing entrepreneurial projects, according to the Slavin Family Foundation website.

Penn State Lunar Lion Team logo

Penn State Lunar Lion keeps eyes on the Moon

8/31/15

Penn State's Lunar Lion team has announced that it is withdrawing from the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition -- however, the program continues with the goal of landing a spacecraft on the Moon within the next decade. The program, with private sponsor support, over time has evolved into an organization comprising hundreds of students from a wide range of disciplines including engineering, business, information sciences, communications and astronomy.

Lunar Lion HQ opening 9_3_14-001

Lunar Lion team inaugurates new headquarters

9/3/14

The Lunar Lion team celebrated the opening of its new headquarters in Research West Building, a move that allows the interdisciplinary group to consolidate and expand its operations in an easily accessible part of University Park campus.

Lunar Lion Team Logo

New alumni group forming to support Lunar Lion team

3/31/14

Penn State students, staff and members of the commercial space industry are seeking to establish a new Alumni Interest Group within the Penn State Alumni Association to serve as a booster organization for the Lunar Lion team.

A simulated rendition of the Lunar Lion craft touching down on the surface of the Moon.

Roaring to the moon, Lunar Lion pays launch reservation fee

11/25/13

The Lunar Lion, a moon lander being designed and built by the Penn State Lunar Lion team, the only university-led team in the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition, will be sent into space as part of a multiple spacecraft effort coordinated by a new player in the space industry, Team Phoenicia LLC, of Menlo Park, Calif. The Lunar Lion team's fully refundable launch reservation fee, paid to Phoenicia, is a significant project milestone.

Michael Policelli, of the Lunar Lion team, working on a test plate at the Applied Research Laboratory.

Lunar Lion students rocket toward aerospace’s cutting edge

10/2/13

In 2015, Penn State’s Lunar Lion team plans to put an unmanned spacecraft on the moon. In 2013, the ambitious project is putting cutting edge NASA equipment in students’ hands.

Through a recent agreement between the University's Applied Research Laboratory and NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, students will be able to test bipropellant rocket thrusters powered by liquid methane and liquid oxygen – the type that will play a crucial role in putting Penn State’s spacecraft on the moon’s surface in the race for Google Lunar XPRIZE.

Lunar Lion Team Logo

It's rocket science at Penn State's Applied Research Lab

9/4/13

Rocket engines will soon be blazing away in a series of tests at Penn State's University Park campus, enabling students to gain a better understanding of rocket performance and share some of their knowledge with NASA, according to an agreement reached between the University's Applied Research Laboratory and NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

Penn State Lunar Lion joins Google Lunar X PRIZE competition

2/7/13

The Penn State Lunar Lion team today joins 28 teams in the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE Competition. The team, composed of engineers and scientists from across the University, aims to land a vehicle on the moon and videotape two distinct locations.

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'BTN LiveB1G' to spotlight Penn State on Feb. 5

1/29/13

BTN's new series, "BTN LiveB1G," continues Feb. 5, with stories highlighting how the Penn State community is making an impact in State College and around the world. The program will air at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time.

The Penn State-focused episode will highlight the College of Agricultural Science's Turfgrass Science Program, which is researching ways to increase the resilience of athletic playing surfaces to help reduce the number and severity of head and leg injuries. Also, Penn Staters have created a free mobile app, downloaded by farmers around the country, called DairyCents, which tracks feed costs and income information to help them with financial planning. The episode also will feature the Lunar Lion team, a group of Penn State students, faculty and engineers throughout the University who are involved in a competition to build a spacecraft to land on the moon. Additional segments include men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers and THON.

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