Moon News  
Students Race To The Future In NASAs Great Moonbuggy Race

A "moonbuggy" from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., wins the college division of NASA's 9th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race.
by Staff Writers
Huntsville AL (SPX) Mar 17, 2006
It's not common knowledge, but high school and college students across the country know it is quite possible to ride across the surface of the moon without leaving Earth. Fifty-eight high school and college student teams are putting the finishing touches on designs of their very own lunar vehicles.

Teams from the United States and Puerto Rico are competing in NASA's 13th annual Great Moonbuggy Race. The event, which is open to the media and public, runs April 7-8 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The race was inspired by the lunar rover vehicles astronauts drove on the moon during three Apollo missions. Students will race their human-powered vehicles in time trials across a simulated moon surface.

Teams have spent countless hours working on their designs. They had to find parts, manufacture and fine-tune their vehicles to ensure they survive the rough terrain of the race's half-mile obstacle course. Along the way, students learned valuable lessons about teamwork, engineering and overcoming challenges to reach goals.

"The competition draws the next generation of scientists and engineers," said Jim Ellis, manager of the Academic Affairs Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. "The lessons they learn here can be carried on into their future studies and eventually to their careers. These students may become our next explorers, carrying out the Vision for Space Exploration to return to the moon and travel to Mars," he added.

Moonbuggies don't race side-by-side, but against the clock. Awards are given to the top three teams in both high school and college categories that complete the course with the best times. Awards are also presented for unique; most improved and best overall designs. There's also a new category this year, an award for the team that designed its moonbuggy with safety in mind.

The first Great Moonbuggy Race was in 1994. It commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Eight college teams participated the first year, and in 1996 the race was expanded to include high school teams.

Email This Article

Related Links
Marshall Space Flight Center
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

SMART-1 Tracks Crater Lichtenberg And Young Lunar Basalts
Washington DC (SPX) Feb 06, 2006
This image, taken by the Advanced Moon Imaging Experiment on board ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, illustrates a special pointing mode, the so-called target-tracking mode.







  • NASA And New York City Museum Bring Universe Down To Earth
  • Integral Looks At Earth To Seek Source Of Cosmic Radiation
  • Omega World Travel Targeting Emerging Space Tourism Opportunities
  • Russia Signs Space Cooperation Deal With Europe

  • Scientist Posits Non-Water Source For Some Martian Gullies
  • Years Of Observing Combined Into Best-Yet Look At Mars Canyon
  • Building The First Martian Map Of The 21st Century
  • Mars Rover Update: Opportunity Captures Panorama At Payson

  • 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

  • Giant Earth-Like Planets Could Outnumber Jupiters
  • Planets In The Vortex
  • Modeling The Giant Cores Of Extrasolar Planets
  • Glass Chip Cancels Starlight To Reveal Exoplanets

  • Nano World: Carbon Nanotube Capacitors
  • Method Developed To Assess Safety, Health Risks Of Nanomaterials
  • Carbon Nanotubes That Detect Disease Causing Mutations Developed By Pitt Researcher
  • New Theory Explains Electronic And Thermal Behavior Of Nanotubes

  • Florida Tech, FSRI Receive $1.3 Million Federal Grant For Space Research
  • Researchers Make Long DNA Wires For Future Medical And Electronic Devices
  • One Small Step Means Giant Leap For Spinal Cord Research
  • Tiny Self-Assembling Cubes Could Carry Medicine, Cell Therapy

  • ICO North America To Launch GEO Sat Using ILS Atlas V
  • ST5 Launch Aborted At Last Minute
  • Prep Begins For Next Ariane 5 Launch
  • Weather Forces Postponement For ST5 Launch

  • LockMart: Close Match Between APKWS II Sims And Results Of Guided Flight
  • Russian Kliper Space Plane Design Completed
  • Blackstar: False Messiah From Groom Lake
  • Rocketplane And Kistler Announce Merger

  • 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