NASA Challenges Students To Design Tools For Moon Rovers
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Grey Hautaluoma/Ashley Edwards
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668/1756
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ashley.e...@nasa.gov
Keith Henry
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
757-864-6120
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RELEASE: 08-248
NASA CHALLENGES STUDENTS TO DESIGN TOOLS FOR MOON ROVERS
WASHINGTON -- A new NASA contest challenges college-level students to
design tools or instrument packages that could be used on the next
generation of human-driven moon rovers. Student will have the
opportunity to engage in NASA's return to the moon by designing
equipment that will help astronauts accomplish tasks on the lunar
surface.
Moon explorers will need to navigate in darkness around the moon's
south pole and collect lunar regolith, or moon dust, for on-site
analysis and radiation detection. They will need to communicate with
Earth, a lunar outpost and spacecraft orbiting the moon. Moon
inhabitants also will conduct video surveys of the moon's surface for
transmission back to Earth, and practice rescue and the safe return
of astronauts to their outpost from sorties.
Moon dust has the potential to serve as an on-site resource for
building materials, water and oxygen. However, because of its
structure, the dust can damage space suits, rovers and other
equipment. The particles have sharp, jagged edges and contain
microscopic shards of glass. Tool or instrument designs that can
withstand the sharp-edged particles could help future astronauts and
might earn students an internship at a NASA facility.
The contest is open to full-time students enrolled in accredited
post-secondary institution such as universities, colleges, trade
schools, community colleges and professional schools in the United
States or its territories. Individuals or teams may apply, and
interdisciplinary teams from across departments and institutions are
encouraged.
NASA plans to invite contest winners to the next set of lunar
technology mission tests planned for the summer or fall of 2009. Paid
internships also are planned as student awards. The contest continues
NASA's tradition of investing in the nation's education programs and
ties into the agency's goal of strengthening NASA and America's
future workforce.
To participate in the contest, students must submit a notice of
intent
to NASA by Dec. 15, 2008, with final papers due May 15, 2009.
Specific details about how participation in the NASA University
Design Contest in Exploration Systems, including submission
requirements, can be found on the Web at:
http://moontasks.larc.nasa.gov
The contest is sponsored by NASA's Exploration Systems Mission
Directorate. For more information about the directorate, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration
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