NASA Asks College Students to Develop Technology

Watch as 50 college teams from across the globe gather at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, May 20-24, to compete in NASA’s fourth annual Lunabotics Mining Competition, a university-level competition designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Lunabotics Mining competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate program that challenges teams to design and build remote controlled or autonomous robots that can excavate simulated lunar dirt. Eighty-one judges and hundreds of spectators will be present to watch the teams’ designs, known as lunabots, go head-to-head to determine whose machine can collect and deposit the most simulated lunar dust within a specific amount of time. The competition provides an opportunity for student engineers to develop innovative ideas and solutions that could potentially be applied to future NASA missions.

Viewing opportunities of the competition and practice sessions will be available daily from designated viewing areas, which include the official viewing tent, LunArenas, and LunaPits in the Rocket Garden and the Show Pit in NASA Central. Competition viewing opportunities are included in regular Visitor Complex admission.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex guests can also participate in NASA’s STEM College Recruitment Fair on Friday, May 24 from 1– 4 p.m. The fair is for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors interested in STEM education opportunities available at top colleges and universities across the nation.

For more information on the 2013 Lunabotics Mining Competition or to purchase tickets, call 877-313-2610 and visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com or www.NASA.gov/Lunabotics.