Japan's lunar explorer robot successfully runs on dunes

Japan's lunar explorer robot successfully runs on dunes

HAMAMATSU, Japan - A lunar explorer robot developed by Hakuto, the only Japanese team competing for the Google Luna XPrize that is led by Tohoku University Professor Kazuya Yoshida, makes a successful test run on the Nakatajima Sand Dunes in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Dec. 18, 2014. A total of 18 teams are competing in the contest, with a grand prize of 20 million dollars for the first team to land safely on the lunar surface, move 500 meters, and transmit high-definition images and video back to Earth.

Kite fighting festival in central Japan city

Kite fighting festival in central Japan city

Men hold on firmly to kite strings at a kite fighting festival on the Nakatajima Sand Dunes in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on May 5, 2015. One wins a kite fight by tangling their kite strings and cutting the strings of another to bring that kite down. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Kite fighting festival in central Japan city

Kite fighting festival in central Japan city

People from 174 towns and districts of Hamamatsu city, central Japan, fly kites altogether at a kite fighting festival on the Nakatajima Sand Dunes in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, on May 3, 2015. One wins a kite fight by tangling their kite strings and cutting the strings of another to bring that kite down. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Japan's lunar explorer robot successfully runs on dunes

Japan's lunar explorer robot successfully runs on dunes

HAMAMATSU, Japan - A lunar explorer robot developed by Hakuto, the only Japanese team competing for the Google Luna XPrize that is led by Tohoku University Professor Kazuya Yoshida, makes a successful test run on the Nakatajima Sand Dunes in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Dec. 18, 2014. A total of 18 teams are competing in the contest, with a grand prize of 20 million dollars for the first team to land safely on the lunar surface, move 500 meters, and transmit high-definition images and video back to Earth. (Kyodo)