Servo - August 2012

The Third Annual Lunabotics Competition by Morgan Berry

Knowledge STEMs from Hands-On Experience

Just this last May, a few hundred college students converged on Cape Canaveral — a town situated on the eastern coast of Florida. They spent the week forming memories with friends, making late night runs to the store, and frequenting the beach. Although this might seem like a typical college student spring break getaway, it was actually far from it. The students didn't go to Florida to party. They came to compete in the third annual Lunabotics competition hosted by NASA at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Complex.

The goal of the event is to encourage STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education among college students, while also helping NASA develop an actual lunar rover prototype. The teams design and build a lunar rover that mines a simulated version of the regolith soil found on the moon. All those trips to the beach? They were doing last minute mining tests on their Lunabot. Those late night store runs? They weren't for beer. They were for replacement parts as teams prepared for the competition. These teens are some of the best and brightest in their academic fields, and NASA is taking full advantage of their talents.