Servo - September 2015

years to perfect the mechanics and nuances of driving and mining, and were now able to focus on the programming.

“We have a full 24 x 12 ft pit full of masonry sand” stated the sponsor. A pit of their own is actually more than many teams had. The UCF team who were in their first year of the competition used a local beach volleyball court to practice. Although UCF didn’t place this year, they’re encouraged for next year, when they’ll be able to perfect their auger method.

Being a rookie team in this competition is very challenging, but the teams that have returned come back with a full year’s work and knowledge with them. Alabama’s practice pit is state-of-the-art, and although they couldn’t fill it with BP-1 — which is actually synthesized moon dirt — they did fill it with pure masonry sand, “which is actually finer than the BP-1 material,” stated an Alabama University student. “We have more traction here than we do back home. If we can drive there, then we can drive Alabama boasted the added benefit of having students in nearly every scientific discipline you could think of: So, another year of innovation has come and gone at NASA. This year was certainly eventful and useful. Before going and seeing the competition, I really had no idea what to expect. When I got there, I was surprised by the sheer volume of people, rows and rows of robots, and teams repairing them. A tent filled with machinery noise, saws ripping through metal, people trying to talk over those saws, then more people trying to talk over those people trying to talk over the saws.

However, I didn’t need to hear anyone to see what this competition was all about. I didn’t need to hear the almost rehearsed sounding answers to “How long have you been practicing, oh and how’s your mining method doing, and how are your wheels holding up?” to understand the importance of this competition.

Not only is NASA gaining new ideas and solutions to problems they may face in space and seeing firsthand trials of potential technologies, but they’re also bringing out the best in a huge group of some of the smartest young adults in the country. They’re letting these students express their ideas and exercise their critical and analytical thinking skills through real life practical situations, and then rewarding them for it.