Credit: NASA
NASA looks for young engineers to help design a brand-new robotic concept for an excavation mission on the Moon. The Lunabotics Junior Contest is open to K-12 trainees in U.S. personal and public schools, along with home-schoolers.
The competition, which is a cooperation in between NASA and Future Engineers, asks trainees to design a robot that digs and moves lunar soil, called regolith, from a location of the lunar South Pole to a holding container near where Artemis astronauts may explore in the future.
As part of the Artemis program, NASA will land the very first female and very first person of color on the Moon and establish long-lasting lunar science and exploration abilities that will act as a springboard for future exploration of Mars. Lunar regolith is crucial in this development and could be used to develop lunar concrete, decreasing the quantity and cost of materials that need to be transferred from Earth.
” Extracting resources in deep space will need innovation and imagination, and trainees are some of the most imaginative thinkers,” said Mike Kincaid, NASAs associate administrator for the Office of STEM Engagement. Ten semifinalists will receive a Lunabotics Junior prize pack and four finalists from each category will win a virtual session with a NASA subject matter specialist. The winner from each classification will be announced March 29, 2022, and will be granted a virtual chat for their class with Janet Petro, director of NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
To get in the contest, students should submit entries, which must include a picture of the robot design and a written summary discussing how the style is planned to operate on the Moon, by January 25, 2022.
” Extracting resources in deep area will require development and imagination, and students are some of the most thinkers,” stated Mike Kincaid, NASAs associate administrator for the Office of STEM Engagement. “The next generation always brings new point of views, inventive ideas, and a sense of optimism to the difficulties NASA puts in front of them. Im really looking forward to seeing the styles they submit to Lunabotics Junior.”
While trainees are not charged to construct a robot, they are asked to visualize a robot style that is no bigger than 3.5 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet and that addresses three primary style functions: how the physical style of the robot will allow it to scoop/dig and move the lunar regolith; whether the robot will operate by moving big quantities of dirt per trip or by transporting less dirt over more journeys; and how the style and operation of the robot will fulfill the big difficulty of lunar dust that is stimulated and can “stick” to surface areas when lunar regolith is moved.
10 semifinalists will receive a Lunabotics Junior prize pack and four finalists from each category will win a virtual session with a NASA subject matter expert. The winner from each classification will be announced March 29, 2022, and will be granted a virtual chat for their class with Janet Petro, director of NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA and Future Engineers likewise are seeking volunteers to assist evaluate the entries from around the country. U.S. homeowners thinking about offering around 5 hours of their time over a 10-day period can register to be a judge at:
https://www.futureengineers.org/registration/judge/lunaboticsjunior
Artemis Student Challenges create distinct chances for a varied group of trainees to add to NASAs work in exploration and discovery while celebrating their creativity and innovation.