{"id":7325,"date":"2014-04-13T18:00:58","date_gmt":"2014-04-13T18:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=7325"},"modified":"2014-04-13T18:00:58","modified_gmt":"2014-04-13T18:00:58","slug":"nasa-declares-winners-in-annual-moonbuggy-races-held-in-huntsville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=7325","title":{"rendered":"NASA declares winners in annual Moonbuggy races held in Huntsville"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA held its latest\u00a0NASA Rover Challenge<\/a>\u00a0in Huntsville, Alabama on Friday and Saturday:<\/p>\n

Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology in Reno, Nev., and University of Puerto Rico
\nat Humacao Win Top Honors at First NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

NASA today declared the winners of the first NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge, held April 11-12 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. Student racers from the Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology in Reno, Nev., claimed first place in the high school division; the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao Team 2 won the top prize in the college division.<\/p>\n

\"team4_0fd0612\"<\/a>First place, college race: University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, Team 2.<\/em>
\nImage Credit:\u00a0NASA\/MSFC\/Fred Deaton<\/em><\/p>\n

They raced to victory against 70 high school, college and university teams from 19 states, Puerto Rico, Germany, India, Mexico and Russia. All told, more than 500 students — drivers, engineers and mechanics, plus team advisers and “cheering sections” — took part in the competition.<\/p>\n

The winning teams posted the fastest vehicle assembly and race times in their divisions, with the fewest on-course penalties. The team from the Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology finished the half-mile course in 3 minutes, 37 seconds. The University of Puerto Rico at Humacao Team 2 finished in 4 minutes, 9 seconds. In addition to the winning trophy, first-place teams received a cash prize of $3,000, courtesy of The Boeing Co. of Huntsville.<\/p>\n

\"team9_0fd0644\"<\/a>First place, high school race: Academy of Arts, Careers & Tech, Reno, Nev.<\/em>
\nImage Credit:\u00a0NASA\/MSFC\/Fred Deaton<\/em><\/p>\n

Finishing in second place in the high school division was Team 2 from the Vocational High School Teodoro Aguilar Mora in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. In third place was the International Space Education Institute team from Moscow, Russia. Southern Illinois University Carbondale Team 2 won second place in the college division and Team 1 from the school finished in third place. (For a complete list of additional awards for design, most improved and spirit, see below.)<\/p>\n

Organized by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville and building on two decades of competitive student innovation in the NASA Great Moonbuggy Race (held in the “Rocket City” from 1994-2013), the new event challenges students to design, build and race lightweight, human-powered roving vehicles, solving technical problems along the way just like NASA engineers must do.<\/p>\n

Those NASA engineers are paying attention: Students’ most innovative vehicle and hardware designs could help inform NASA’s own development of rovers and other space transportation systems for future exploration missions across the solar system.<\/p>\n