A robot-driven VW Touareg named “Stanley” completed the 132-mile Mojave Desert course of the DARPA Grand Challenge in six hours and 53 minutes, using its computers and sensors to navigate rough desert and mountainous terrain. “Stanley” was designed by a team from Stanford University, and competed in a field of 23 autonomous vehicles. The prize: $2 million. (DR, 10/05/05)
Building satellites is hard enough on Earth, but a group of companies just received a contract from the U.S. Space Force that could pave the way to building satellites in orbit. Announced March 20, the goal of the $1.6 million award is to demonstrate building a standalone satellite on Earth…