Students to Compete in NASA's Human Exploration Rover Challenge; Media Invited

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., April 5, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Media are invited to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Friday, April 13, and Saturday, April 14, for NASA's Human Exploration Rover Challenge.

More than 100 teams are expected to participate, including teams from 23 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and several countries, such as Brazil, Germany, India and Mexico.

The competition, hosted by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, challenges high school and college teams to design, build and test human-powered roving vehicles inspired by the Apollo lunar missions and future exploration missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Teams will arrive in Huntsville for on-site registration April 12, with the competition taking place 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT both April 13 and 14. Media interested in attending should contact Angela Storey in the Office of Communications at 256-544-0034 or [email protected] no later than 4 p.m., April 12.

Entering its 24th year, the rules and challenges for Rover Challenge have been redesigned in 2018 to better simulate a real exploration mission. Once focused on the fastest time, this year's competition will challenge teams to complete 14 obstacles and five tasks throughout the 0.50-mile course, with a six-minute supply of "virtual" oxygen.

The obstacles will simulate the terrain found throughout the solar system, and the tasks will challenge teams to collect and return samples, take photographs and plant a flag. Teams must decide which tasks and obstacles to attempt or bypass before their clock expires.

The competition, managed by Marshall's Academic Affairs Office, is one of many NASA initiatives to encourage students to study the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and to inspire the next generation of explorers.

The two-day event and awards ceremony will be broadcast live on a variety of streaming platforms, including Facebook Live, Periscope and Ustream.

For more information about the 2018 Human Exploration Rover Challenge, visit: NASA.gov/RoverChallenge

SOURCE NASA