May 11 2012

From The Space Library

RELEASE: 12-154 NASA $1.5 MILLION ROBOT COMPETITION ROLLS ONTO WPI CAMPUS JUNE 14-17

WASHINGTON -- Autonomous robots created by 11 teams of engineers from across the country will compete for a NASA prize purse of $1.5 million on the campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), in Worcester, Mass., June 14 -17. The challenge: design and develop the next generation of robots to explore the landscapes of other worlds. The NASA-WPI Sample Return Robot Challenge requires the competing teams to design and build an autonomous robotic system that will locate and collect a set of specific objects from a large area and return the "planetary samples" to the starting zone. The innovative technologies the teams bring forward can help NASA in future exploration of distant planets while also potentially benefiting life here on Earth. Earthly benefits could include areas such as disaster recovery and mitigation and remote exploration and mapping of hazardous terrains. The NASA-WPI Sample Return Robot goals are to discover innovative new technologies to advance robot navigation and sample collection without human control, and demonstrate robotic transportation over varied terrain without the aid of GPS or other Earth-based systems. The competition also will empower educators and people of all ages by introducing robotics and how they work, where they work, and real-world applications of how robots will be used the future. The competition's roving area includes open rolling terrain, soft soils, a variety of rocks and immovable obstacles such as trees, large rocks and water hazards. Teams will be given maps with appropriate orbital resolution, including the location of the starting position and a pre-cached sample, but will have no control of the robots during the competition. Robots will have to identify and collect samples and return them to their starting point. Samples will have different point values. Prizes will be determined based on the scores for the number and point value of samples collected and returned to the starting location. During the first phase of the competition, a robot must autonomously navigate and retrieve a pre-cached sample within 15minutes. Teams will compete for portions of a $50,000 total prize purse, with a maximum winning value of $5,000 per team. In the second phase, a robot must autonomously navigate and retrieve pre-cached samples as well as other, more difficult samples distributed over the roving area within two hours. Teams will compete for up to $1.5 million during this phase, with awards depending on the amount of points scored and number of successful competing finalists. WPI is the first university selected as host and manager for one of NASA's Centennial Challenges Programs, which promotes technical innovation through novel prize competitions. NASA chose WPI to run this Centennial Challenge because of its proven experience managing robotics competitions, its academic expertise in robotics engineering, and its leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematic education. NASA uses prize competitions to establish important technical challenges without having to specify the approach that is most likely to succeed, while only paying for successful results. These competitions increase the number and diversity of individuals, organizations and teams that are addressing a particular problem or challenge of national or international significance. These challenges stimulate private sector investment many times greater than the cash value of the prize. Media wanting to attend the NASA-WPI Sample Robot Return Challenge should contact Tom Bradley of WPI at 860-967-5357 or at tbradleypr@yahoo.com for press credentials.

MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-084 UPDATED COVERAGE FOR NASA/SPACEX LAUNCH AND MISSION TO STATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The second SpaceX demonstration launch for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) has been rescheduled for a liftoff on Saturday, May 19. The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule will occur from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. There is a single instantaneous launch opportunity at 4:55 a.m. EDT. NASA Television launch commentary from Cape Canaveral begins at 3:30 a.m. During the flight, SpaceX's Dragon capsule will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including the capability to rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station (ISS). The primary objectives for the flight include a flyby of the space station at a distance of approximately 1.5 miles to validate the operation of sensors and flight systems necessary for a safe rendezvous and approach. The spacecraft also will demonstrate the ability to abort the rendezvous. Once these capabilities are successfully proven, the Dragon will be cleared to berth with the space station. FALCON 9 LAUNCH PAD PHOTO OPPORTUNITY Friday, May 18 (L-1 day): A photo opportunity of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule on the launch pad will be available for the news media. Spokespeople from SpaceX will be available to answer questions. Media will depart from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Press Site by government bus at 9 a.m. for Space Launch Complex 40. Media will be returned at approximately 11 a.m. SpaceX security regulations require that media attending this event be U.S. citizens. REMOTE CAMERA SETUPS Friday, May 18 (L-1 day): Media will be able to establish sound-activated remote cameras at the launch pad. The location is within Space Launch Complex 40 on the east side of the pad inside the perimeter fence. Media who want to participate in remote camera setup will depart from Kennedy's Press Site by government bus at 9 a.m. in association with the launch pad photo opportunity and will be returned to the press site separately after remote camera set-up is complete. SpaceX security regulations require that media participating in this activity be U.S. citizens. PRELAUNCH AND POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCES Friday, May 18 (L-1 day): The prelaunch news conference for the NASA/SpaceX launch will be held at the Kennedy Press Site at 1 p.m. NASA Television will provide live and streaming Internet coverage. Participants in the prelaunch news conference will be: - Phil McAlister, Acting Director, NASA Commercial Spaceflight Development - Alan Lindenmoyer, Manager, NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo Program - Gwynne Shotwell, President, SpaceX - Joel Tumbiolo, Launch Weather Officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Media representatives can participate in the news conference in-person at Kennedy or via a phone bridge by calling NASA's Johnson Space Center newsroom at 12:45 p.m. at 281-483-5111. Saturday, May 19 (Launch day):A postlaunch news conference will be held at Kennedy's Press Site at approximately 8:30 a.m. Audio of the launch and the prelaunch and postlaunch news conferences also will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, directly accessible by dialing 321-867-1220, 1240, 1260 or 7135. The briefings will be streamed live on the agency's website. Saturday, May 19 (Launch day): A delegation from the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) will be at the Kennedy Press Site and available for interviews and experiment demonstrations between 3 and 4:30 a.m. The students represent three of the experiments that will launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon as part of the International Space Station NanoRacks 9 platform. A sign-up sheet will be available in the newsroom for those media representatives wanting to talk to the students.