May 6 2013
From The Space Library
MEDIA ADVISORY: M13-069 - NASA INVITES MEDIA TO ANNUAL LUNABOTICS MINING COMPETITION --CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Fifty teams of undergraduate and graduate students from around the world will demonstrate their lunar excavator robots May 20 - 24 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Practice sessions for the fourth annual Lunabotics Mining Competition will take place May 20 - 21, followed by the official competition. The 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 machine can collect and move the most simulated lunar dirt within a specific amount of time. The competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields by expanding opportunities for student research and design. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could potentially be applied to future NASA missions. Although the competition is for college students, the event offers many opportunities for students of all ages. NASA is hosting a college recruitment fair for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors showcasing STEM education opportunities available at top colleges and universities across the nation.
MEDIA ADVISORY: M13-070 - NASA TO MARK 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF SKYLAB AND LIFE OFF EARTH --WASHINGTON -- NASA will commemorate the 40th anniversary of America's first space station Monday, May 13, with a televised roundtable discussion featuring Skylab astronauts, a current astronaut and agency managers planning future space missions. The discussion, open to NASA employees and the public, will begin at 2:30 p.m. EDT in the James Webb Auditorium of NASA Headquarters at 300 E St. SW in Washington. The event will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website. Participants will include: -- Owen Garriott, science pilot, Skylab 3 -- Gerald Carr, commander, Skylab 4 -- Kevin Ford, commander, International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 34 -- D. Marshall Porterfield, director, Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications Division, NASA Headquarters -- Jason Crusan, director, Advanced Exploration Systems, NASA Headquarters NASA launched Skylab on May 14, 1973. It was the nation's first foray into significant scientific research in microgravity. The three Skylab crews proved humans could live and work effectively for long durations in space. The knowledge gathered during Skylab helped inform development and construction of the International Space Station, just as the research and technology demonstrations being conducted aboard the ISS will help shape a new set of missions that will take Americans farther into the solar system.
