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Two students travel over bumpy terrain in man-made rover
Two students travel over dirt terrain in man-made rover
Two students travel over rocky terrain in man-made rover

Human Exploration Rover Challenge

The NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) will encourage research and development of new technologies for future mission planning and crewed space missions to other worlds.  

About HERC about Human Exploration Rover Challenge

Event Dates

April 19-20, 2024

Event location

U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL

Eligibility

Open to U.S. and International Students

grade levels

High School, College and University

Calling all future space explorers! Join us for an exclusive look at NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) where teams from schools worldwide design, develop, build, and test their very own human-powered rovers. If you’re a student or educator in high school or college then this STEM competition is right for you!

How To Apply

Competition requirements, timeline, and general information

The NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge Handbook contains information that teams will need to know to participate in the challenge. The handbook includes the following: General Information, Timeline, Competition Guidelines and Regulations, Requirements, Deliverables, Points Breakdown and Allocation, and Course Descriptions and Design. The Handbook may receive periodic updates; please be sure to check back to make sure you are working from the most recent copy.

Please direct questions and inquiries regarding registration, event operations, or logistics to HERC@mail.nasa.gov.

View Handbook
Cover of the 2024 HERC handbook depicting an astronaut in a black suit standing in front of the moon

Join Artemis!

Authentic, hands-on learning experiences give students in middle school all the way through graduate school a chance to flex their design and engineering skills as they build and launch high-powered rockets, design robots capable of mining the Moon’s surface or traversing difficult lunar terrain, create human-powered rovers, and test technologies and tools to assist future astronauts working on the Moon.

Learn More about Join Artemis!
A group of students pose with their project

Contact Us

Please direct questions and inquiries regarding registration, competition operations or logistics to the challenge organizers listed below.

HERC Implementation Team
Office of STEM Engagement
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, AL
HERC@mail.nasa.gov

Members of the news media interested in attending or interviewing participants before or during the event should contact the organizers listed below.

Chris Blair / Taylor Goodwin
Public and Employee Communications Office 
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, AL
256-544-0034
christopher.e.blair@nasa.gov  / taylor.goodwin@nasa.gov