Rochester Triumphs In NASA Great Moonbuggy Race

MOON DAILY

Speeding across a simulated lunar surface, the Rochester Institute of Technology team from Rochester, N.Y., rumbles to victory in the college division of NASA's 14th annual Great Moonbuggy Race in Huntsville, Ala. (NASA/MSFC/D. Higginbotham)

by Staff Writers
Huntsville AL (SPX) Apr 17, 2007
Speeding across a simulated lunar surface, the Rochester Institute of Technology of Rochester, N.Y., rumbled to victory in the college division of NASA's 14th annual Great Moonbuggy Race in Huntsville, Ala.

Finishing with the fastest time in a field of 22 college teams from across the continental United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, they raced their original moonbuggy design at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, the annual host of the race.

Sponsored by Northrop Grumman Corp., the Great Moonbuggy Race is inspired by the original lunar rovers that traversed the moon during the last three Apollo missions in the early 1970s. Since 1994, the Great Moonbuggy Race has inspired tomorrow's engineers with the annual design and racing competition that takes place adjacent to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, where engineers built and tested those first lunar rovers.

The challenge faced by the students is similar to that faced by the original lunar-rover engineers - create a vehicle that is compact, light, flexible, durable and able to withstand the rigors of the grueling lunar surface. For today's students, the hands-on experience may inspire them to pursue careers in math, science and engineering and could lead them to participate in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration of returning to the moon, reaching Mars and destinations beyond.

The Rochester Institute of Technology team finished the course in four minutes and 38 seconds, nine seconds ahead of the second-place team from the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao. Pittsburg State University of Pittsburg, Kan., finished in third place.

The Rochester Institute of Technology team received a cash prize from Northrop Grumman and a trophy depicting NASA's original lunar rover vehicle. The second- and third-place teams received plaques honoring their achievement, and individual members of all three teams received medals.

The award for "Best Design" went to the Pittsburg State University for best solving the engineering problem of navigating the lunar surface. Murray State University of Murray, Ky., was awarded "Most Unique Buggy" in the college division. A special "Pits Crew Award" for ingenuity and persistence in overcoming problems during the race was won by Morningside College of Sioux City, Iowa. Carleton University of Ontario, Canada, was recognized for braving the most spectacular crash on the brutal, "lunar" terrain.

The University of Utah in Salt Lake City earned the "Rookie Award" for posting the fastest first-year time in the competition and also won a special safety systems award. The "Most Improved" award went to returning race competitors from Pittsburg State University.

Other college racers, listed alphabetically by state, were Alabama A and M University in Huntsville; Southern Illinois University in Carnbondale, Ill.; the University of Evansville in Evansville, Ill.; Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, In.; Southern University in Baton Rouge, La.; Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio; Rhodes State College in Lima, Ohio; Cameron University in Lawton, Okla.; the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga; Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn.; Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro; the University of Tennessee in Knoxville; Tennessee Technology University in Cookeville; and the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

In the high school division race Friday, the Huntsville Center for Technology of Huntsville, Ala., outraced 25 teams with a time of three minutes and 34 seconds, 10 seconds ahead of the second-place team, which also hailed from the Huntsville Center for Technology. Lafayette County C-1 in Higginsville, Mo., finished in third place

The moonbuggy racing tradition began in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Eight college teams participated that first year, and in 1996 the race was expanded to include high school teams.

Many volunteers from both the Marshall Center and the space industry ensure the success of the event. This was the second year Northrop Grumman Corp. sponsored the Great Moonbuggy Race. Other contributors included the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA); ATK Launch Systems, Inc.; CBS affiliate WHNT Channel 19 of Huntsville; Jacobs Technology; Morgan Research Corp.; Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC); the Tennessee Valley Chapter of the System Safety Society Inc.; and the United Space Alliance, LLC.

Email This Article

MOON DAILY

Shanghai Vies To Win Battle Of Moon Rovers

Beijing (XNA) Apr 03, 2007
Shanghai has developed a prototype lunar rover it hopes will be chosen for China's first landing on the moon in 2012, researchers said over the weekend. The remote-controlled vehicle was unveiled on Saturday at a China-United Kingdom space technology seminar at the Shanghai Aerospace System Engineering Institute in Minhang District in the city's south.

SPACE TRAVEL Earth Magnetic Field A Hazard For Lunar Astronauts Facing Tanning Booth Cancer Risk Merlin Secures NASA SEWP IV Contract With Potential Value Of Over USD 5 Billion Bill Gates Eyes Flight To Space	MARSDAILY Investigating The Dark Streak Of Victoria Crater A Close Up Look At Martian Rocks From The Comfort Of Your Couch Through A Telescope Darkly Report Reveals Likely Causes Of Mars Spacecraft Loss
NUCLEAR SPACE Could NASA Get To Pluto Faster? Space Expert Says Yes - By Thinking Nuclear NASA plans to send new robot to Jupiter Los Alamos Hopes To Lead New Era Of Nuclear Space Tranportion With Jovian Mission Boeing Selects Leader for Nuclear Space Systems Program	EXO WORLDS Red Supergiant Cauldrons Let Off Steam NASA Shows Future Space Telescopes Could Detect Earth Twin Water Identified In Extrasolar Planet Atmosphere Some Earth-Like Worlds May Have Foliage Of Colors Other Than Green
NANO TECH Researchers Use Smallest Pipette To Reveal Freezing Dance Of Nanoscale Drops Cornell Researchers Develop Virus-Size Nanolamps ORNL Helps Develop Next-Generation LEDs Test Finds Manufactured Nanoparticles Don't Harm Soil Ecology	SPACE MEDICINE NASA Image Fusion Will Help Doctors Examine Astronauts' Hearts In Space Individual Differences In A Clock Gene Predict Decline Of Performance During Sleep Deprivation India Poised For Big Growth In Telemedicine Whole Body Regeneration From A Blood Vessel
LAUNCH PAD Indian Space Agency Set For First Commercial Launch Of Foreign Satellite Russia To Launch Four US Satellites In May PSLV-C8 To Be Launched On April 23 ILS Proton Successfully Launches Anik F3 Satellite	ROCKET SCIENCE SpaceX Completes Primary Structure Of The Falcon 9 First Stage Tank KSC Hosts Private Jet Suborbital Pathfinder Flights Boeing Submits Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle Upper Stage Production Proposal Orbital To Provide Abort Test Booster For NASA Testing

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement