San Luis Obispo – Twenty-five teams from across the country will be evaluated by seven experienced industry and NASA leaders as they compete for a $750,000 purse at the 2008 Regolith Excavation Challenge to be held this weekend at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The competition for the top prize is expected to be fierce and pressure on the judges is expected to be intense.
“I am pleased that so many teams have signed up for the competition this year, and I am proud that we have assembled a listing of high-caliber judges to join me in evaluating and monitoring the performance of the excavators and their teams,” stated Dr. Jack Gregg, Executive Director of the California Space Education and Workforce Institute (CSEWI) and the Head Judge for the competition. “Our panel of judges are comprised of leading space enterprise industry members and advanced NASA scientists. Their expertise and experience will be put to the test during this important task, and we thank them for their service.”
Biographical sketches of each judge can be seen here.
“This competition is not only challenging for the contestants, but also for the judges as the rules and prerequisites for victory have intensified since last year’s event. This year, our panel of judges will be reviewing many aspects at once.”
Judges will determine the power consumption measurements of the excavators, define weights of each piece of equipment and tally the ultimate volume of regolith excavated, monitor machinery functionality and design, clock the time allotted for each excavation attempt and inspect team hardware to ensure it is in compliance with the rules of the competition. A complete listing of rules and regulations for the competition can be found at www.regolith.csewi.org.
The California Space Education and Workforce Institute, along with the California Space Authority (CSA), are co-hosts of the competition under the direction of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Cal Poly’s College of Engineering, Diani Building Corporation, Empirical Systems Aerospace and the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (BTH) are all sponsors of the event.
Eric Daniels, CSA Dir. of State and Local Gov't Relations, phone: 916-551-1543, fax: 916-551-1579
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