• Related Links
    • Related Videos
  • USA Updates
  • Home
  • Nepal Updates
    • Advisers
    • Students
    • Donors
  • Sign In My Account
Menu

Nepal Robotics Project

Street Address
City, State, Zip
(703) 965-6362
An International Collaborative Robotics Project

Your Custom Text Here

Nepal Robotics Project

  • Related Links
    • Related Links
    • Related Videos
  • USA Updates
  • Home
  • Nepal Updates
  • Collaborators
    • Advisers
    • Students
    • Donors
  • Sign In My Account

From Drones at Everest to Robots on the Moon!

October 9, 2018 Michael Kronmiller
groupphoto.jpg
thelegend.jpg
collaboration!.jpg
handoff.jpg
book!.jpg
disc.jpg
disc2.jpg
plaque.jpg
groupphoto.jpg thelegend.jpg collaboration!.jpg handoff.jpg book!.jpg disc.jpg disc2.jpg plaque.jpg

Kapil, Samjhana, and I visited the Astrobotic High Bay, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where work is being done on the commercial lunar lander, PERRIGRINE, and on advanced quadcopters.  We received a fascinating briefing from the Lunar Mission Director, Sharad Bhaskaran.  At the local museum, where a full mockup of PERREGRINE is on display, I presented to my adviser and Astrobotic General Counsel, Justine Kascnica, and Mr. Bhaskaran, the Nepal Robotics payload, which includes a fragment of Everest Summit rock. In the rock are fossils of sea lilies dating from the ocean floor 400 million years ago, that rose up to the Everest Summit some 40-50 million years in the past.  Soon, those fossils will evidence, forever on the Moon, an ancient lifeform from Earth!  This payload complements the one developed at Kanjirowa. Kapil, Samjhana, and I also had a meeting at The Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University with William (“Red”) Whittaker, “The God of Robotics,” where we discussed STEM activities at Kanjirowa and plans, there, for the future. That was thanks to Justine and Nepal Robotics adviser and U.S. Navy pilot and NASA Astronaut Bill Readdy.   To complete our mission, we visited the Citizen Science Lab, where its President and CEO, Dr. Andre Samuel, told us about the Lab’s STEM program, which includes drones, and we briefed him on Kanjirowa’s activities. 

 

In Washington, D.C., after I returned to college for exams, Kapil and Samjhana met with Sean O’Keefe, former Administrator of NASA, Professor at Syracuse University, and Director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.  Like Red Whittaker and Andre Samuel, Mr. O’Keefe was genuinely interested in STEM work at Kanjirowa and he made some great suggestions for how that effort might be enhanced. 

 

The next day, Kapil had a productive teleconference with Mr. Bryan De Bates, Vice President for Education at the Space Foundation about the organization’s outstanding STEM programs.  This followed hours-long, preparatory conversations that I had with Bryan.

 

Finally, Kapil met with Aliyah, to continue planning for a five-day 2019 Teachers Take Flight seminar to be organized and hosted by Kanjirowa. I participated by Skype. The Kashmir World Foundation program, which follows similar ones in 2016, 2017, and this year, will instruct teachers how to design, construct, program, and operate drones, so that these skills can be passed along to students throughout Nepal. 

 

We have high hopes that important, new, U.S.-Nepal STEM programs will eventuate from our mission to Pittsburgh, the meeting in Washington, the teleconference, and the Skype call.

 

Some background:  The Astrobotic lunar landing mission is planned for 2020.  PERRIGRINE will be launched from Kennedy Space Center on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, which has a perfect record of successfully lofting more than one hundred commercial, civil, and national security missions.  I’ll be there, when Atlas V lights up the launch pad, and I’ll bet my friends from Kanjirowa will be there, too!

 

The Astrobotic websites are here: https://www.astrobotic.com/ 

https://www.astrobotic.com/moon-box

 

A terrific video animation of the mission is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL27UCNd9Iw

 

The Nepal TV reports are here:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY_3gE3SY7w

https://youtu.be/UNz3LYSP6Bs

I want to thank Astrobotic CEO, John Thornton; Board Member, distinguished NASA astronaut and Naval aviator, Bill Readdy; and distinguished attorney, Justine Kasznica, for making all this possible.  Former NASA Astronaut, Dr. Scott Parazynski, inspired the Nepal Robotics lunar lander payload, by taking a moon rock to the Everest Summit, as reported on scene by Mr. Keith Cowing.  Moon pioneer, Buzz Aldrin -- my personal friend, of so many years -- and Charlie Bolden, former NASA Administrator, carried the message of space exploration and STEM on visits to Nepal from America, thank you!  Remember, Bill, Justine, Scott, and Keith are on the Nepal Robotics Advisory Board, and I cannot imagine how the robotics project could have happened without them and the other Advisers: in the USA, Dr. John Langford, Dr. Sandy Magnus, Dr. Athina Balta, Dr. Mark Patterson, Dr. Mary Lynne Dittmar, Dr. Ruth Wittersgreen, Dr. Ronald Pandolfi, Princess  Aliyah Pandolfi, Mr. Michael Lowell, J.D., Mr. William Dranginis, Mr. Robert Johnson, and of course, my brother, William Rory; and in Nepal, Mr. Kapil Regmi, Mr. Puspa Regmi, Mr. Jeewan Khadka, Ms. Samjhana Kharel, Mr. Umesh Acharya, and Mr. Abhisekh Dewan. 

 

I am grateful, as well, to heroic mountaineer and distinguished Board Member, Ang Tshering Lama, who carried the payload rock down from the Everest Summit and donated it for the Nepal Robotics lunar lander mission.  Remember, too, Ang plans to take my CAD-designed, 3-D printed drone, assembled and programmed by Kanjirowa students, to Everest Camp 3, and maybe higher, for flight tests. 

 

I thank Prem Thapa, my friend and guide, who has been with me in Nepal, from the very start, and who is working with me on a soon-to-be-completed, ambitious book, Drones of Everest:  The Garuda Project. And, of course, I thank Kanjirowa for allowing me the singular privilege of such a wonderful, truly far reaching, STEM collaboration. 

 

I remember, with deepest respect, the late Gene Cernan, the last man on the Moon, whose friendship with me and historic achievements have been at the very heart of the Nepal Robotics Project. 

 

Sic itur ad astra!

MCK

 

In USA Update Tags drones, pittsburgh, cmu, nepal, moon, astrobotic

Guardian Construction (Wiring the flight computer and Motors)

February 1, 2016 Michael Kronmiller
View fullsize IMG_1945.JPG
View fullsize IMG_1952.JPG
View fullsize IMG_1954.JPG
View fullsize IMG_1962.JPG
View fullsize IMG_1963.JPG
View fullsize IMG_1969.JPG

Due to the historic levels of snow I was trapped in my house. I spent about 20 hours on the project, much of which is reflected in the timelapse. I attached the motors to the newly installed ESCs. When the snow finally melted Dr.Pandolfi came over to help me wire up the flight computer. Mrs.Pnadolfi also came over to talk about funding and logistics for the project. Overall it looks like I should be ready for my March deadline if I keep up the pace

In USA Update Tags drone, gaurdian

Guardian Construction (installing ESCs and PixMini)

January 26, 2016 Michael Kronmiller
View fullsize IMG_1894.JPG
View fullsize IMG_1891.JPG
View fullsize IMG_1892.JPG
View fullsize IMG_1893.JPG

 

You know you've spent a long time on something when your timelapse is 11 minutes... Another 8+ hours and another big step in drone construction. The electronic speed controllers are soldered and installed, and the flight controller is functional. Took me forever to install everything because of how small the holes are in the airframe (if you watch you'll see me pull out a drill a few times). The Pix Mini flight controller is responsive to the GPS and arming switch. I expect another 20 hours before this drone is flight capable but in the meantime it allows me to catch up on audio books...

In addition Guardian and all other drones are now registered with the FAA and can be seen in the first picture.

In USA Update Tags Guardian

Building Garuda pt.1

January 4, 2015 Michael Kronmiller
DSC_1011.jpg
DSC_4389.jpg
DSC_4390.jpg
DSC_4391.jpg
DSC_4394.jpg
DSC_4395.jpg
DSC_4396.jpg
DSC_4398.jpg
DSC_4401.jpg
DSC_4403.jpg
DSC_4406.jpg
DSC_4407.jpg
DSC_1011.jpg DSC_4389.jpg DSC_4390.jpg DSC_4391.jpg DSC_4394.jpg DSC_4395.jpg DSC_4396.jpg DSC_4398.jpg DSC_4401.jpg DSC_4403.jpg DSC_4406.jpg DSC_4407.jpg
In USA Update, Garuda
View fullsize Logo with name.png
View fullsize logo.png
View fullsize Kashmir+Robotics++Alpha.png
View fullsize kwf logo.gif