Jerry Berg
Media Relations Department
(256) 544-0034
Jerry.Berg@msfc.nasa.gov
RELEASE: 00-045
More than 40 teams, representing colleges and high schools from
across the country and Puerto Rico, will roll into Huntsville, Ala., April 7-8
for the 7th annual Great Moonbuggy Race at the U.S. Space & Rocket
Center.
The race is inspired by development of the first lunar roving vehicle,
which was designed and tested at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight
Center in Huntsville. The event challenges students to design and build
a human-powered vehicle to address engineering problems similar to
those faced by the original Marshall Center lunar rover team.
For instance, prior to the race the unassembled vehicle must occupy a
space no more than 4 feet high, 4 feet wide and 4 feet long. During the
race, each vehicle is powered by two team members, one male and
one female, over a half-mile obstacle course of simulated moonscape
terrain.
Winners in each category — high school and college — are determined
by the fastest vehicle assembly time plus time through the course. An
additional prize is awarded to the team with the best technical approach
to solving the engineering problem of navigating the “lunar” surface.
The event is sponsored by the Marshall Center, the U.S. Space &
Rocket Center, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics.
Event details, including the rules, information on the course and photos,
can be found at the Great Moonbuggy Race Web site at:
http://moonbuggy.msfc.nasa.gov
Individuals with questions about the event may phone Frank Brannon,
the Marshall Center’s university relations coordinator, at (256)
544-5920, or e-mail him at
Frank.Brannon@msfc.nasa.gov.
