NASA Robotic Mining Competitions

Images of university students assembling and testing robotic miners designed for lunar and Martian soil excavation in competitive environments promoting STEM education.

Students from Purdue University prepare their robotic miner for its turn to dig in the mining pit during NASAs LUNABOTICS competition on May 23, 2022, at the Center for Space Education near the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 35 teams from around the U.S. have designed and built remote-controlled robots for the mining competition. Teams use their autonomous or remote-controlled robots to maneuver and dig in a supersized sandbox filled with rocks and simulated lunar soil, or regolith. The objective of the challenge is to see which teams robot can collect and deposit the most rocky regolith within a specified amount of time.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Students from the University of New Hampshire, in Durham, N.H., put their lunabot through its paces during a practice session for the third annual Lunabotics Mining Competition at NASAs Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 50 teams of undergraduate and graduate students from eight countries are participating. The teams have designed and built remote-controlled or autonomous robots that can excavate simulated lunar soil. During the competition, the teams' designs, known as lunabots, will go head-to-head to determine whose machine can collect and deposit the most simulated moon dust within a specified amount of time. The competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to engage and retain students in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields of study. The project provides a competitive environment that may result in innovative ideas and solutions that potentially could be

On the first day of NASA's 9th Robotic Mining Competition, set-up day on May 14, team members from the Illinois Institute of Technology work on their robot miner in the RobotPits in the Educator Resource Center at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. will use their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Martian soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's deep space missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- University students prepare for NASA's second annual Lunabotics Mining Competition at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Thirty-six teams of undergraduate and graduate students from the United States, Bangladesh, Canada, Colombia and India will participate in NASA's Lunabotics Mining Competition May 26 - 28. The competition is designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Teams will maneuver their remote controlled or autonomous excavators, called lunabots, in about 60 tons of ultra-fine simulated lunar soil, called BP-1. The competition is an Exploration Systems Mission Directorate project managed by Kennedy's Education Division. The event also provides a competitive environment that could result in innovative ideas and solutions for NASA's future excavation of the moon.

Team members from Purdue University prepare their uniquely-designed robot miner in the RoboPit at NASA's 8th Annual Robotic Mining Competition at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. will use their uniquely-designed mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Martian soil, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's Journey to Mars.

Students from Purdue University prepare their robotic miner for its turn to dig in the mining pit during NASAs LUNABOTICS competition on May 23, 2022, at the Center for Space Education near the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 35 teams from around the U.S. have designed and built remote-controlled robots for the mining competition. Teams use their autonomous or remote-controlled robots to maneuver and dig in a supersized sandbox filled with rocks and simulated lunar soil, or regolith. The objective of the challenge is to see which teams robot can collect and deposit the most rocky regolith within a specified amount of time.

Team members from Sonoma State University in California prepare their robotic miner for its turn to dig in the mining arena during NASAs LUNABOTICS competition on May 26, 2022, at the Center for Space Education near the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 35 teams from around the U.S. have designed and built remote-controlled robots for the mining competition. Teams use their semi-autonomous or remote-controlled robots to maneuver and dig in a supersized sandbox filled with rocks and simulated lunar soil, or regolith. The objective of the challenge is to see which teams robot can collect and deposit the most rocky regolith within a specified amount of time.

Students from the University of Portland in Oregon prepare their robot miner for its turn to dig in the mining arena during NASAs LUNABOTICS competition on May 26, 2022, at the Center for Space Education near the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 35 teams from around the U.S. have designed and built remote-controlled robots for the mining competition. Teams use their semi-autonomous or remote-controlled robots to maneuver and dig in a supersized sandbox filled with rocks and simulated lunar soil, or regolith. The objective of the challenge is to see which teams robot can collect and deposit the most rocky regolith within a specified amount of time.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Heather Hava, who is working on a doctorate in aerospace engineering sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, makes adjustments on a Remotely Operated Gardening Rover, or ROGR, which could tend plants on a deep-space habitat.X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge is a university-level activity designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, disciplines. NASA will directly benefit from the effort by sponsoring the development of innovative habitat concepts from universities which may result in innovative ideas and solutions that could be applied to exploration habitats. For more: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/technology/deep_space_habitat/xhab/

On the second day of NASA's 9th Robotic Mining Competition, May 15, team members from Temple University work on their robot miner in the RobotPits in the Educator Resource Center at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. will use their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Martian soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's deep space missions.

Team Raptor members from the University of North Dakota College of Engineering and Mines check their robot, named "Marsbot," in the RoboPit at NASA's 8th Annual Robotic Mining Competition at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. will use their uniquely-designed mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Martian soil, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's Journey to Mars.

Students watch a short video on NASA's ICESat-2 at one of NASA's exhibits at the Earth Day event on Monday, April 22, 2019, at Union Station in Washington, D.C.

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology; FIRST Robotics Competition 2010 Silicon Valley Regional held at San Jose State University, San Jose, California The Janksters, Notre Dame H.S, CA Team 1967

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, college students make last minute adjustments to their custom lunabot for NASAs Lunabotics Mining Competition.The mining competition is sponsored by NASA Kennedy Space Centers Education Office for the agencys Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. Undergraduate and graduate students from more than 50 universities and colleges in the U.S. and other countries use their remote-controlled Lunabots to maneuver and dig in a supersized sandbox filled with a crushed material that has characteristics similar to lunar soil.

Wunderkammer Laboratory Team leader Jim Rothrock, left, answers questions from 8th grade Sullivan Middle School (Mass.) students about his robot named "Cerberus" on Friday, June 15, 2012, at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. Rothrock's robot team will compete for a $1.5 million NASA prize in the NASA-WPI Sample Return Robot Centennial Challenge at WPI. Teams have been challenged to build autonomous robots that can identify, collect and return samples. NASA needs autonomous robotic capability for future planetary exploration.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- University students prepare for NASA's second annual Lunabotics Mining Competition at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Thirty-six teams of undergraduate and graduate students from the United States, Bangladesh, Canada, Colombia and India will participate in NASA's Lunabotics Mining Competition May 26 - 28 at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The competition is designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Teams will maneuver their remote controlled or autonomous excavators, called lunabots, in about 60 tons of ultra-fine simulated lunar soil, called BP-1. The competition is an Exploration Systems Mission Directorate project managed by Kennedy's Education Division. The event also provides a competitive environment that could result in innovative ideas and solutions for NASA's future excavation of the moon.

PHOTO DATE: 06-25-09LOCATION: Bldg 9NWSUBJECT: JAXA veteran astronaut and Expedition 22 crew member Soichi Noguichi with JAXA's two new astronaut candidates Takuya Onishi & Kimiya Yui

FIRST Robotics Competition 'Lunacy' hosted by NASA at San Jose State University Event Center. For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology let the games begin. Gatorbotics team #1700

Brooklin Cohen, systems engineer for Jet Propulsion Laboratory, answers visitor questions about the Mars Perseverance rover on display at the NASA booth during the Warriors Over the Wasatch Air & Space Show June 26, 2022, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

Team members from York College CUNY are with their robot miner in the RobotPits on the fourth day of NASA's 9th Robotic Mining Competition, May 17, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. are using their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Lunar soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's deep space missions.

TIFFANY LOCKETT OVERSEES THE HALF SCALE (36 SQUARE METERS) ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT UNIT (EDU) SOLAR SAIL DEPLOYMENT DEMONSTRATION IN PREPARATION FOR FULL SCALE EDU (86 SQUARE METERS) DEPLOYMENT IN APRIL, 2016

Students from California State University, Long Beach, prepare their robotic miner for its turn to dig in the mining arena during NASAs LUNABOTICS competition on May 24, 2022, at the Center for Space Education near the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 35 teams from around the U.S. have designed and built remote-controlled robots for the mining competition. Teams use their autonomous or remote-controlled robots to maneuver and dig in a supersized sandbox filled with rocks and simulated lunar soil, or regolith. The objective of the challenge is to see which teams robot can collect and deposit the most rocky regolith within a specified amount of time.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - College students prepare their robot for NASAs Robotics Mining Competition at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 35 teams from around the U.S. have designed and built remote-controlled robots for the mining competition.The competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields by expanding opportunities for student research and design. Teams use their remote-controlled robotics to maneuver and dig in a supersized sandbox filled with a crushed material that has characteristics similar to Martian soil. The objective of the challenge is to see which teams robot can collect and move the most regolith within a specified amount of time.

Visitors learn about 3D printing at a pop-up makerspace held by Future Engineers with support from NASA and The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Thursday, September 21, 2017 in Chantilly, Virginia. Participants created digital 3D models using Autodesk Tinkercad and watched objects being printed with Makerbot 3D printers.

DATE: 6-26-14LOCATION: Bldg 9NWSUBJECT: Expedition 42/43 crew members Samantha Cristoforetti (ESA) and Terry Virts

Mars 2020 Strategic Mission Manager Pauline Hwang, gives remarks during a NASA Perseverance rover initial surface checkout briefing, Friday Feb. 19, 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The Perseverance Mars rover landed on Mars Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. A key objective for Perseverances mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planets geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith.

during the 2014 NASA Centennial Challenges Sample Return Robot Challenge, Wednesday, June 11, 2014, at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. Eighteen teams are competing for a $1.5 million NASA prize purse. Teams will be required to demonstrate autonomous robots that can locate and collect samples from a wide and varied terrain, operating without human control. The objective of this NASA-WPI Centennial Challenge is to encourage innovations in autonomous navigation and robotics technologies. Innovations stemming from the challenge may improve NASA's capability to explore a variety of destinations in space, as well as enhance the nation's robotic technology for use in industries and applications on Earth.

Electric Sail (E-Sail) Tether Team with 6U CubeSat Prototypes andCurrent Version of Tether Deployer Test Article, (Right to left: Tom Bryan, Davis Hunter (student intern), JonathanMacArthur (student intern), Charles Cowen, Mike Tinker)

Engineers, doctors and physical therapists brainstorm ideas to design a robot with arm and hand organs, To be utilized for additional testing on patients. Engineers, doctors and physical therapists brainstorm ideas to design a robot with arm and hand organs, To be utilized for additional testing on patients. ,model released, Symbolfoto Copyright: xZoonar.com/SunanxWongsa-ngax 21517562 ,model released, Symbolfoto ,property released

The University of New Hampshires robotic miner is placed on a cart to record its measurements and weight before the schools team prepares it for its turn to dig in the mining arena during NASAs LUNABOTICS competition on May 27, 2022, at the Center for Space Education near the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 35 teams from around the U.S. have designed and built remote-controlled robots for the mining competition. Teams use their autonomous or remote-controlled robots to maneuver and dig in a supersized sandbox filled with lunar simulant and rocks. The objective of the challenge is to see which teams robot can collect and deposit the most rocky regolith within a specified amount of time.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Ron Diftler, NASA Robonaut project manager, describes the movements of the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, Robonaut (R2). R2 will fly to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Discovery on the STS-133 mission. Although it will initially only participate in operational tests, upgrades could eventually allow the robot to realize its true purpose -- helping spacewalking astronauts with tasks outside the space station.

National Lab Day 2013

The Mountaineers team from West Virginia University, watches as their robot attempts the level one challenge during the 2014 NASA Centennial Challenges Sample Return Robot Challenge, Wednesday, June 11, 2014, at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. Eighteen teams are competing for a $1.5 million NASA prize purse. Teams will be required to demonstrate autonomous robots that can locate and collect samples from a wide and varied terrain, operating without human control. The objective of this NASA-WPI Centennial Challenge is to encourage innovations in autonomous navigation and robotics technologies. Innovations stemming from the challenge may improve NASA's capability to explore a variety of destinations in space, as well as enhance the nation's robotic technology for use in industries and applications on Earth.

On the third day of NASA's 9th Robotic Mining Competition, May 16, team members from the University of Portland prepare their robot miner for its turn in the mining arena at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. will use their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Lunar soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's deep space missions.

. Work Request Description: Photographic coverage of Crew-7 astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa and cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov during during VR Training

Date: 03-06-13Location: Bldg 9, Rm 1113Subjet: Expedition 38/39 JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata during P Robonaut Taskboard training with Leah Pike and Michael Bentson

DATE: 7-3-13LOCATION: Bldg 9NW - ISS Mockups.SUBJECT: Expedition 36S crew members, Kotov, Ryazansky and Hopkins and 37S crew (Wakata, Tyurin, Mastracchio) during Emergency Scenarios Training.

Visitors test out some space gloves at the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary celebration on the National Mall, Friday, July 19, 2019 in Washington. Apollo 11 was the first mission to land astronauts on the Moon and launched on July 16, 1969 with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin.

Team members from Case Western Reserve University pause with their robot miner in the RobotPits on the fourth day of NASA's 9th Robotic Mining Competition, May 17, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. are using their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Lunar soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's deep space missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, University of Colorado Boulder graduate students Heather Hava, far left, and Daniel Zukowski, second from the left, describe a computerized SmartPot, or SPOT, which could be used to grow plants in a deep-space habitat. The SPOTs could be tended by a Remotely Operated Gardening Rover, or ROGR, seen on the left. The system is being developed by the graduate students participating in the eXploration HABitat X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge. From the left are Hava, Zukowski, Gioia Massa of the NASA International Space Station Ground Processing and Research Project Office, Tracy Gill of the NASA Center Planning and Development Directorate, Morgan Simpson of the NASA Ground Processing Directorate, and Ray Wheeler of the NASA Engineering and Technology Directorate. X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge is a university-level activity designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM,

Team members and their faculty advisor, far left, from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte pause with their robot miner in the RobotPits on the fourth day of NASA's 9th Robotic Mining Competition, May 17, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. will use their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Lunar soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's deep space missions.

Professor John Beddington, UK (United Kingdom) Government Chief Scientist Advisor visit to Ames on tour of the Small Satellites area Bldg 45 (and a lunar lander prototype LADEE)

The winner of the high school portion of the Exploration Design Challenge is announced at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington on April 25, 2014. Astronaut Rex Walheim talks with students. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

TIFFANY LOCKETT OVERSEES THE HALF SCALE (36 SQUARE METERS) ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT UNIT (EDU) SOLAR SAIL DEPLOYMENT DEMONSTRATION IN PREPARATION FOR FULL SCALE EDU (86 SQUARE METERS) DEPLOYMENT IN APRIL, 2016

JSC2010-E-090928 (1 June 2010) --- Engineer Court Edmondson and soft goods designer Heather Bibby help Robonaut 2 try on its new flight suit. The materials in R2s skin were upgraded in preparation for the robots journey to the International Space Station due to the stations stringent flammability requirements. R2 is scheduled to launch on board space shuttle Discovery as part of the STS-133 mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- University students wait their turn to compete in NASA's second annual Lunabotics Mining Competition at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Thirty-six teams of undergraduate and graduate students from the United States, Bangladesh, Canada, Colombia and India will participate in NASA's Lunabotics Mining Competition May 26 - 28 at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The competition is designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Teams will maneuver their remote controlled or autonomous excavators, called lunabots, in about 60 tons of ultra-fine simulated lunar soil, called BP-1. The competition is an Exploration Systems Mission Directorate project managed by Kennedy's Education Division. The event also provides a competitive environment that could result in innovative ideas and solutions for NASA's future excavation of the moon.

2016 ROVER CHALLENGE EVENTS AT THE U.S. SPACE AND ROCKET CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COME TOGETHER TO TEST THEIR ENGINEERING SKILLS OVER A SIMULATED OUTER PLANET OBSTACLE COURSE.

NASA-WPI Sample Return Robot Centennial Challenge teams, NASA management, and challenge organizers pose for a group photograph on Saturday, June 16, 2012 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. Teams were challenged to build autonomous robots that can identify, collect and return samples. NASA needs autonomous robotic capability for future planetary exploration.

High school and university students competed in the 2018 Human Exploration Rover Challenge event at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Students came from across the U.S. as well as several foreign countries such as Brazil, Germany, India, and Mexico. This event, which is normally a 2 day event, was shortened to 1 day in 2018 due to adverse weather conditions.

ROV-E, a new Mars outreach rover, rolls toward Alex Mather, the student whose submission, Perseverance, was chosen as the official name of the Mars 2020 rover, with NASA handouts at an event to announce the official name of the rover, Thursday, March 5, 2020, at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Va. The final selection of the new name, Perseverance, was made by Associate Administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Thomas Zurbuchen, following a nationwide naming contest conducted in 2019 that drew more than 28,000 essays by K-12 students from every U.S. state and territory. The rover is currently at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida being prepared for launch this summer.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, Robonaut (R2) is put through its paces during a demonstration at a media event hosted by NASA.R2 will fly to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Discovery on the STS-133 mission. Although it will initially only participate in operational tests, upgrades could eventually allow the robot to realize its true purpose -- helping spacewalking astronauts with tasks outside the space station.

On the first day of NASA's 9th Robotic Mining Competition, set-up day on May 14, team members from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology work on their robot miner in the RobotPits in the Educator Resource Center at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. will use their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Martian soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's deep space missions.

Members of NASA's Ingenuity helicopter team in the Space Flight Operations Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory prepare to receive the data downlink showing whether the helicopter completed its first flight on April 19, 2021. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages this technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA's Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and d

The City of Huntsville hosted a celebration of the Apollo 11 Moon landing with a street party on the downtown square with exhibits from the Marshall Space Flight Center and contributing contractors. The event was kicked off with remarks from Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Marshall Space Flight Center's Director Jody Singer, and U.S. Space and Rocket Center's Director Deborah Barnhart with the Polaris replica of the Lunar Moon Buggy in the foreground.

Visitors learn about rover tires at the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary celebration on the National Mall, Thursday, July 18, 2019 in Washington. Apollo 11 was the first mission to land astronauts on the Moon and launched on July 16, 1969 with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin.

Visitors explore one of NASA's exhibits at the Earth Day event on Thursday, April 19, 2018 at Union Station in Washington, D.C.

On the second day of NASA's 9th Robotic Mining Competition, May 15, team members from the South Dakota School of Mines & Engineering work on their robot miner in the RobotPits in the Educator Resource Center at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Second from right is Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. will use their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Martian soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's deep space missions.

DEVCOM CBC team lead for Resolute Dragon 2, Fiona Narayanan, briefs leaders from Chemical Biological Defense Program organizations on the system of software systems used in the 12-day advanced technology demonstration held at Aberdeen Proving Ground in June.

Kennedy Space Center employees participate in an innovation showcase on Nov. 19, 2019, in the Florida spaceports Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Buildings Mission Briefing Room. Nearly 50 exhibitors gathered to demonstrate new technologies and innovations during the centers Innovation Days - one of several events throughout the year aimed at fostering and encouraging an innovative culture at Kennedy. Showcase participants included individuals from multiple directorates, programs and organizations throughout Kennedy. In addition to the showcase, employees had the opportunity to attend an overview presentation on NASAs Human Landing System (HLS), hosted by HLS Program Manager Lisa Watson-Morgan.

Twitter users arrive for the start of a two-day NASA Tweetup event held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. NASA Twitter followers in attendance will have the opportunity to take a tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, view the space shuttle launch and speak with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts and managers.

Jascha Little of team Survey is seen as he follows the teams robot as it conducts a demonstration of the level two challenge during the 2014 NASA Centennial Challenges Sample Return Robot Challenge, Thursday, June 12, 2014, at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. Eighteen teams are competing for a $1.5 million NASA prize purse. Teams will be required to demonstrate autonomous robots that can locate and collect samples from a wide and varied terrain, operating without human control. The objective of this NASA-WPI Centennial Challenge is to encourage innovations in autonomous navigation and robotics technologies. Innovations stemming from the challenge may improve NASA's capability to explore a variety of destinations in space, as well as enhance the nation's robotic technology for use in industries and applications on Earth.

Intrepid Systems Team member Mark Curry, left, talks with NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and NASA Chief Technologist Mason Peck, right, about his robot named "MXR - Mark's Exploration Robot" on Saturday, June 16, 2012 at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. Curry's robot team was one of the final teams participating in the NASA-WPI Sample Return Robot Centennial Challenge at WPI. Teams were challenged to build autonomous robots that can identify, collect and return samples. NASA needs autonomous robotic capability for future planetary exploration.

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology; FIRST Robotics Competition 2010 Silicon Valley Regional held at San Jose State University, San Jose, California The Athenian Robotics Collective, CA Team 852

Office of Research and Development - 2010 People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) , Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Research and Development - People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3)_EPA at 40 , Environmental Protection Agency

Brianna Sandoval, an intern at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, assembles the flight hardware of the agencys Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor, or OSCAR. OSCAR is an Early Career Initiative project at the spaceport that studies technology to convert trash and human waste into useful gasses such as methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. By processing small pieces of trash in a high-temperature reactor, OSCAR is advancing new and innovative technology for managing waste in space. OSCAR would reduce the amount of space needed for waste storage within a spacecraft, turn some waste into gasses that have energy storage and life support applications, and ensure waste is no longer biologically active. A prototype has been developed, and a team of Kennedy employees are in the process of constructing a new rig for suborbital flight testing.

NASA Landing and Recovery Director Melissa Jones, left, talks to recovery team members inside the USS John P. Murtha on Nov. 4, 2018, during Underway Recovery Test-7. During URT-7, the team practices recovering a test version of the Orion capsule from the Pacific Ocean and towing it into the well deck of the ship. URT-7 is one in a series of tests conducted by the Exploration Ground Systems Recovery Team to verify and validate procedures and hardware that will be used to recover the Orion spacecraft after it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean following deep space exploration missions. Orion will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.

MSolo VIPER SIM Training. Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) Systems Engineer Pri Johnson participates in simulation training at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 25, 2023, in preparation for the agencys Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission. The purpose of the training was to get the integrated VIPER team - a mix of engineers from Kennedy and NASAs Ames Research Center in California - accustomed to operating together during phases of the mission where the rover will be driving. MSOLO is a modified commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer that will help the agency analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon and study water on the lunar surface. MSOLO, as part of VIPER, is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket through NASAs Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) initiative in late 2024, landing at the Moons South Pole aboard Astrobotics Griffin lander. Through Artemis missions, CLPS deliveries w

Interim Cryogenic Propulsive Stage (ICPS) Propulsion Lead at United Launch Alliance Julia Paez delivers remarks during a panel discussion with NASA Social attendees, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, at the Space Station Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I flight test is the first integrated flight test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29 at 8:33 a.m. ET.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The NASA payload is installed on the prototype rover Artemis Jr. for NASAs Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction, or RESOLVE, project in a test facility behind the Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cylindrical structure at left is the drill.The drill and rover were provided to NASA by the Canadian Space Agency. The NASA payload is designed to prospect for water, ice and other lunar resources. RESOLVE also will demonstrate how future explorers can take advantage of resources at potential landing sites by manufacturing oxygen from soil. NASA will conduct field tests in July outside of Hilo, Hawaii, with equipment and concept vehicles that demonstrate how explorers might prospect for resources and make their own oxygen for survival while on other planetary bodies.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The NASA payload is installed on the prototype rover Artemis Jr. for NASAs Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction, or RESOLVE, project in a test facility behind the Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cylindrical structure at right is the drill the tabletop surface at left is the rovers solar array.The drill and rover were provided to NASA by the Canadian Space Agency. The NASA payload is designed to prospect for water, ice and other lunar resources. RESOLVE also will demonstrate how future explorers can take advantage of resources at potential landing sites by manufacturing oxygen from soil. NASA will conduct field tests in July outside of Hilo, Hawaii, with equipment and concept vehicles that demonstrate how explorers might prospect for resources and make their own oxygen for survival while on other planetary bodies.

2017 Exploration Rover Challenge events at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. High school and college students from around the U.S. and the world come together for this 2 day event which challenges them to compete for the fastest time as well as technical design of the actual rover itself.

Two boys attending the USA Science and Engineering Festival pose with Robonaut 2 at the NASA Stage. Robonaut 2 is NASA's first dexterous humanoid robot that has been working on the International Space Station for the last three years. R2 recently received 1.2 meter long legs to allow mobility. This will enable R2 to assist more with regular and repetitive tasks inside and outside the station. The USA Science and Engineering Festival took place at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC on April 26 and 27, 2014.

2016 ROVER CHALLENGE EVENTS AT THE U.S. SPACE AND ROCKET CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COME TOGETHER TO TEST THEIR ENGINEERING SKILLS OVER A SIMULATED OUTER PLANET OBSTACLE COURSE.

The Stellar Automation Systems team poses for a picture with their robot after attempting the level one challenge during the 2014 NASA Centennial Challenges Sample Return Robot Challenge, Wednesday, June 11, 2014, at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. Eighteen teams are competing for a $1.5 million NASA prize purse. Teams will be required to demonstrate autonomous robots that can locate and collect samples from a wide and varied terrain, operating without human control. The objective of this NASA-WPI Centennial Challenge is to encourage innovations in autonomous navigation and robotics technologies. Innovations stemming from the challenge may improve NASA's capability to explore a variety of destinations in space, as well as enhance the nation's robotic technology for use in industries and applications on Earth.

STS-132 LAUNCH L-1 MEDIA TWEETUP OPENING CEREMONY

The Orion mockup used for the Post-landing Orion Recovery Test (PORT) is shown on display at event at Space Center Houston on June 1, 2012. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Team members from Iowa State University prepare their robot miner on the second day of NASA's 9th Robotic Mining Competition, May 15, in the RobotPits in the Educator Resource Center at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. will use their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Martian soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's deep space missions.

2016 ROVER CHALLENGE EVENTS AT THE U.S. SPACE AND ROCKET CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COME TOGETHER TO TEST THEIR ENGINEERING SKILLS OVER A SIMULATED OUTER PLANET OBSTACLE COURSE.

NASA booths are seen at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) annual meeting, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.

180618-N-GQ656-1042RENO, Nev. (June 18, 2018) Phaedra Jessen, an oceanographer with Fleet Numerical Meteorological and Oceanographic Center (FNMOC), demonstrates a sensor buoy with visitors to the University of Nevada - Renos Fleischmann Planetarium. FNMOC is one of the many units in Reno for Reno Navy Week. Navy Week programs serve as the U.S. Navy's principal outreach effort into areas of the country that lack a significant Navy presence, helping Americans understand that their Navy is deployed around the world, around the clock, ready to defend America at all times.

NASA's 9th Annual Robotic Mining Competition concludes with an awards ceremony May 18, 2018, at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The team from North Dakota State University in collaboration with James Madison University received the IEEE Judges' Innovation Award for the most innovative design of a mining robot. At left is retired NASA astronaut Jerry Ross. At right is Michael Johansen, mining judge. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. participated in the competition, May 14-18, by using their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated lunar soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innov

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, college students from California State University in Chico, prepare their custom lunabot, BEAR, for NASAs Lunabotics Mining Competition.The mining competition is sponsored by NASA Kennedy Space Centers Education Office for the agencys Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. Undergraduate and graduate students from more than 50 universities and colleges in the U.S. and other countries use their remote-controlled Lunabots to maneuver and dig in a supersized sandbox filled with a crushed material that has characteristics similar to lunar soil.

Shirt, lanyard, and mission pins are seen on a Mars InSight team member as they monitor the status of the lander prior to it touching down on Mars, Monday, Nov. 26, 2018 inside the Mission Support Area at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is a Mars lander designed to study the "inner space" of Mars: its crust, mantle, and core.

NASA's 9th Annual Robotic Mining Competition concludes with an awards ceremony May 18, 2018, at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The Utah Student Robotics team from The University of Utah received second place in the Slide Presentation and Demonstration award category. At left is retired NASA astronaut Jerry Ross. At right is Daniel Hull, lead presentation judge. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. participated in the competition, May 14-18, by using their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated lunar soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could

The team that tested the umbilical lines and accessories that will connect from the mobile launcher to NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 hold a banner signing event July 24, 2018, to mark completion of testing at the Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A total of 21 umbilicals and launch accessories were tested on various simulators at the LETF before they were transferred to the mobile launcher for installation.

2016 ROVER CHALLENGE EVENTS AT THE U.S. SPACE AND ROCKET CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COME TOGETHER TO TEST THEIR ENGINEERING SKILLS OVER A SIMULATED OUTER PLANET OBSTACLE COURSE.

High School and College students from around the U.S. came together at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama for the 2019 Student Launch Initiative. The students launched their rockets to their own predetermined altitude with various payloads including remote rovers and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The 2019 Lunar Rover Challenge Competition was hosted by the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. This annual event celebrated the 25th anniversary of what began as the Great Moonbuggy Race in 1994. High school and College teams from the United States and foreign countries competed. The awards ceremony was held at the adjacent Marriott on Saturday evening.

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology; FIRST Robotics Competition 2010 Silicon Valley Regional held at San Jose State University, San Jose, California The Funky Monkeys, Lynbrook H.S., CA Team 846

Yuri's Night at Ames a celebration of the first human in space

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Kennedy Space Center engineer Marc Seibert presents the Communication Award to the University of New Hampshire team members during NASA's 2014 Robotic Mining Competition award ceremony inside the Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The team moved 10 kilograms of simulated Martian soil with its robot while using the least amount of communication power. More than 35 teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. designed and built remote-controlled robots for the mining competition. The competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields by expanding opportunities for student research and design. Teams use their remote-controlled robotics to maneuver and dig in a supersized sandbox filled with a crushed material that has characteristics similar to Martian soil. The o

Student teams and spectators look over the playing field and listen to instructions about the competition at the NASA/KSC FIRST Southeastern Regional event held March 1-3, 2001. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) events are held nationwide, pitting robots against each other and the clock on a playing field. Many teams are sponsored by corporations and academic institutions. There are 27 teams throughout the State of Florida who are competing. KSC, which sponsors nine teams, has held the regional event for two years

A team KuuKulgur robot is seen as it begins the level one challenge during the 2014 NASA Centennial Challenges Sample Return Robot Challenge, Wednesday, June 11, 2014, at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. Eighteen teams are competing for a $1.5 million NASA prize purse. Teams will be required to demonstrate autonomous robots that can locate and collect samples from a wide and varied terrain, operating without human control. The objective of this NASA-WPI Centennial Challenge is to encourage innovations in autonomous navigation and robotics technologies. Innovations stemming from the challenge may improve NASA's capability to explore a variety of destinations in space, as well as enhance the nation's robotic technology for use in industries and applications on Earth.

Artemis I Liftoff Activities. Artemis I launch team members celebrate the successful launch of NASAs Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft on Nov. 16, 2022, with the traditional meal of beans and cornbread inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff was at 1:47 a.m. EST. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

Office of Research and Development - 2008 People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) , Environmental Protection Agency

Marshall Space Flight Center employees visited DuPont Manual High School in Louisville, Kentucky. NASA's Mini Drop Tower was used to demonstrate free fall and a presentation was given on microgravity and the science performed in a microgravity environment. The visit coincided with the Pan-Pacific Basin Workshop on Microgravity Sciences held in Pasadena, California. Materials engineer Chris Cochrane explains the operation of the mini-drop tower. This image is from a digital still camera; higher resolution is not available.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden poses for a quick selfie with students who attended the NASA sponsored Earth Day event April 22, 2014 at Union Station in Washington, DC. NASA announced the "Global Selfie" event as part of its "Earth Right Now" campaign, celebrating the launch of five Earth-observing missions in 2014. All selfies posted to social media with the hashtag "GlobalSelfie" will be included in a mosaic image of Earth.

Following two years of virtual events, high school and college teams from across the country return to Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, to compete in NASAÕs Student Launch rocketry competition April 23.

2017 Exploration Rover Challenge events at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. High school and college students from around the U.S. and the world come together for this 2 day event which challenges them to compete for the fastest time as well as technical design of the actual rover itself.

The rock band X Ambassadors is photographed in front of NASAs Artemis II Orion crew module inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building high bay at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida. X Ambassadors visited Kennedy on Oct. 21, 2019, and had the opportunity to tour areas around the multi-user spaceport such as the O&C, Launch Complex 39B and Swamp Works. The title of the bands latest album, Orion, led them to an up-close look at the spacecraft that will take humans farther than theyve ever gone before.

of 2