NASA Invites Reporters to Second Annual Lunabotics Competition

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May 11, 2011, 02:09 ET

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., May 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Forty-six teams of undergraduate and graduate students from the United States, Bangladesh, Canada, Colombia and India will participate in NASA's Lunabotics Mining Competition May 26 - 28 at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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The student teams have designed and built remote controlled or autonomous robots that can excavate simulated lunar dirt. During the competition, the teams' designs, known as lunabots, will go head-to-head to determine which one can collect and deposit the most simulated lunar dirt within 15 minutes.

The event is designed to engage and retain students in the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, disciplines critical to NASA's missions. For more information on the competition and a list of participating teams, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/lunabotics

For information about the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit:

http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com

For information on NASA's education programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education

SOURCE NASA