NASA Hosts National Lunar Robotics Moon Excavation Competition
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WASHINGTON -- Reporters are invited to attend the 2009 Regolith
Excavation Challenge Oct. 17-18 at NASA's Ames Research Center at
Moffett Field, Calif. The $750,000 prize challenge is a nationwide
competition that focuses on developing improved handling technologies
for moon dirt, known as lunar regolith.
Part of NASA's Centennial Challenges Program, the competition will see
23 teams use robots they designed and built to excavate simulated
lunar soil. Teams will test their robots in a box approximately 13
feet square and one-and-a-half feet deep that contains eight tons of
simulated moon soil.
To qualify for a prize, a robot must dig up at least 330 pounds of
regolith and deposit it into a container in 30 minutes. Trophies will
be presented to the top three teams.
The two-day event also will feature exhibits and speakers highlighting
hands-on education projects, robotics and space exploration.
NASA and California Space Authority Inc. of Santa Maria, along with
its sister organization, the California Space Education and Workforce
Institute, are co-hosting the competition in collaboration with the
NASA Lunar Science Institute. Also supporting the competition are
Diani Building Corp. of Santa Maria, Calif., and Empirical Systems
Aerospace of Pismo Beach, Calif.
For a complete schedule of events, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/
To follow the event on Twitter, visit:
http://www.twitter.com/
To watch videos and for more information about the Regolith Excavation
Challenge, visit:
http://www.regolith.csewi.org
For more information about NASA's Centennial Challenges, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/
For more information about the California Space Authority, visit:
http://www.
