Administrative

Spectators are encouraged to attend the 2008 Regolith Excavation Challenge. There is no fee to attend, and no registration required.

The event is taking place on the campus of California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo at Building 7 Advanced Technology Labs and the surrounding engineering plaza. A preliminary schedule is listed below. Adjustments to this schedule may be made in order to meet logistical requirements.

August 2, 2008
• 7:00 AM - Excavator Inspections Begin
• 9:00 AM - Exhibits Open
• 12:30 PM - Luncheon Break
• 1:30 PM - Excavation Attempts Resume
• 3:00 PM - Exhibits Close
• 7:00 PM - Excavation Attempts Conclude (for the day)

August 3, 2008
• 7:00 AM - Excavation Attempts Resume
• 12:30 AM - Lunch Break
  

Press Releases:

• Posted 7/2/08: Regolith Excavation Challenge Moon Diggers Get Space Water (PDF)
• Posted 6/18/08: Moon Digging Contest Hits Groundbreaking Number of Teams in Quest for NASA's $750,000
• Posted 3/10/08: 20 Teams Competing in Regolith Challenge (PDF)

Wil Simon is an advisor for media events. He has 16 years experience in print, radio, TV, and Internet formats. He hold a MS in Journalism from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL; he is also an affiliate member in the National Press Club in Washington, DC. He coordinated media efforts at last year's regolith competition that included coverage from Associated Press, The Discovery Channel, BCC Radio and more.

Team Name: McGill LunarEx Team

Excavator Name: rEx

Team Leader: Stephen Hopkins

City, State: Cincinnati, OH

Team URL: http://lunarex.mcgill.ca

Team Background:
The McGill LunarEx Team is a group of undergraduate engineering students from McGill University collaborating to construct a fully automated lunar excavator. The team is composed of students from different branches of engineering and includes mechanical, electrical, computer engineers. With this diverse mix of students we have a wealth of innovative ideas and the engineering know-how to create the simplest working solution to the challenge.

Team Name: Next Step Robotics

Excavator Name: AME (Autonomous Mobile Excavator)

Team Leader: Marc Ciupitu

City, State: Houston, TX

Team Background:
The Next Step Robotics team was loosely formed in the summer of 2007, shortly after the completion of the last Lunar Regolith Challenge competition. Creating an autonomous robot to excavate lunar regolith, with a nice prize for a successful run, sounded like an interesting challenge, and the team members began meeting, talking and conceptualizing ideas in the fall of that year. The decision to formally enter the competition was made in the spring of 2008.

Team Name: Paul's Robotics

Excavator Name: Moonraker

Team Leader: Paul Ventimiglia

City, State: Worcester, MA

Team Background:
I am a Robotics Engineering student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). I am involved heavily with Battlebots and FIRST robotics all year long. My sponsor, Tom Gravel at Hydro-Cutter.com, has proven essential in producing many 2D parts with a waterjet. I am the principal designer and fabricator, but have several close friends assisting me with the electrical and programming aspects of the robot.

Why did your team decide to pursue the Regolith Excavation Challenge?