NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

For release: 12/10/03
Release #: 03-210

'Moon race' on Earth will challenge students in NASA's Great Moonbuggy competition April 2-3, 2004, in Huntsville, Ala.

High school and college teams nationwide are gearing up to compete — and learn — in NASA's 11th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race April 2-3, 2004, in Huntsville, Ala. Students are working on their designs now, will build and test their human-powered "buggies" over the next few weeks and then race against the clock over lunar-like terrain at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. The competition is inspired by the NASA team that designed and built the actual Lunar Roving Vehicle used by astronauts on the Moon.

What: For the 11 th consecutive year, high school and college students will compete in NASA's Great Moonbuggy Race. In an engineering and creative challenge, students will race human-powered “moonbuggies” over a half-mile of simulated lunar terrain at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville , Ala.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville sponsors the educational program and competition. The annual event was inspired by the NASA team that designed and built the Lunar Roving Vehicle used by Apollo astronauts to travel over tough terrain on the Moon. Students face real-life design, engineering and building challenges in getting their moonbuggies ready to race.

Who: High school students will race Friday, April 2; the college student competition will be Saturday, April 3. In 2003, 55 teams from 20 states and Puerto Rico competed. Prizes are awarded not only for the fastest vehicles, but also to the teams with the best technical solution for the engineering problems involved in navigating a simulated lunar surface.

More information about the competition is available at:

http://moonbuggy.msfc.nasa.gov

When: Friday and Saturday, April 2-3, 2004

Where: U.S. Space & Rocket Center , One Tranquility Base, Huntsville , Ala.

For more information:
Note to Editors
2003 high school photos
2003 college photos

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