The tank-like treads used by Upuaut-2 and Pyramid Rover had left scuff marks on the shafts.There is an old adage that cave explorers use—take only pictures, leave only footprints.But apparently he was not entirely convinced with what he saw and decided to open the project up to competition.In 20 Tomb Trekker would have to face off with a competing team from Leeds University for the right to explore the pyramid shafts.The next robot would need to be able to look up and down and from side to side, as well as take a look at the back of the blocking slab.One of the most curious features of the shafts is the copper pins in the two blocking slabs.
What appeared to be cracks could just as easily be tool marks, mason’s lines, flaking, or just shadows.Larger, more structural questions presented themselves as well. Did the shaft continue on the opposite side, or come to an abrupt end against the core masonry of the pyramid? Zahi Hawass, the Secretary of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, had some decisions to make.Was the block inserted into the shaft like a cork, or did it sit flush against the end of the shaft like a lid? Initial planning for the next mission into the Queen’s Chamber shafts began soon after the conclusion of the Pyramid Rover Project, and at one point it seemed that a team from Singapore University had been selected as early as August, 2004. Hawass talked as if the Singaporean mission was a done deal.To accomplish these objectives, the mission would have to meet certain criteria as well.The tube-mounted camera on Pyramid Rover was unable to look around the inside of the chamber and the light quality was not fully up to task.