NASA Welcomes the Return of its Human Exploration Rover Challenge

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Apr 17, 2023, 11:55 ET

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., April 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time since 2019, NASA's Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) returns to in-person competition Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22, at the Aviation Challenge camp of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, near NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Media, the public, and families are invited to attend this free event from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. CDT both days, or until the last rover completes the course.

More than 500 students from around the world will attempt to drive human-powered rovers across a half-mile-long obstacle course designed to simulate the geographical terrain of the Moon, Mars, and other distant bodies.

HERC will host 48 teams from 16 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, as well as the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, India, Mexico, Peru, and Singapore.

To conclude the 2023 season and to recognize all students, NASA will host an in-person awards ceremony Saturday, April 22, at 5 p.m. in the National Geographic Theater of the Davidson Center for Space Exploration at the USSRC.

Media interested in attending or setting up interviews should contact Christopher Blair in the Marshall Office of Communications at 256-544-0034 or at [email protected], or Pat Ammons with the USSRC at 256-721-5429; no later than 2 p.m. Thursday, April 20.

The two-day competition and awards ceremony will stream live on NASA's
Marshall YouTube page and NASA's HERC Facebook page.

About the Challenge
Celebrating its 29th year, HERC tasks students from around the world to design, build, and test lightweight, human-powered rovers on a complex obstacle course. In addition, students must also complete mission-focused science tasks, and submit detailed reports capable of passing critical design and safety reviews by NASA engineers.

Marshall hosts HERC with management support provided by NASA's Office of STEM Engagement - Southeast Region. HERC is one of NASA's eight Artemis Student Challenges - a variety of activities providing students access to the knowledge and technology required to achieve the goals of the Artemis Program. Through Artemis, NASA seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, establish long-term lunar science and exploration capabilities, and inspire the next generation of explorers - The Artemis Generation.

To learn more about HERC, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/roverchallenge/home/index.html

SOURCE NASA