Media Invited to Watch Teens Finalize Robots for Competition

HAMPTON, Va., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- How many teenagers does it take to build a robot? Find out the answer on Tuesday, Feb. 16, as a team of 20 students puts the finishing touches on its very own robot that will compete in the FIRST Robotics Challenge regional tournament in Richmond next month.

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The NASA Knights team of New Horizons Regional Education Center in Hampton has spent nearly every waking minute building and programming a robot that will compete in a soccer-like tournament called "Breakaway" where the robots battle on a 27-by-45-foot field with bumps, attempting to earn points by collecting balls in goals.

NASA Knights are the second oldest team in Virginia and got started with the help of NASA's Langley Research Center in 1997. The team has made it to the national competition every year since 1998.

"For NASA Langley, this is one of the ways we can encourage students to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)," said Jeff Seaton, NASA Langley employee and FIRST Robotics champion.

Media are invited to watch the NASA Knights build their robot at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16, at New Horizons Regional Education Center at 520 Butler Farm Road in Hampton. Interested media should contact Amy Johnson at 757-864-7022 or 757-272-9859.

For more information about the NASA Knights, visit:

www.team122.org

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SOURCE NASA