After two hours of meeting and discussing as a team, here is our Project Definition explaining the purpose of the 2014 RASC-AL Robo-Ops Competition.
"Due to the safety and budget constraints faced within the early phases of space exploration, rovers are becoming the better alternative for scientific data collection. Manned missions impose a risk of human causality without first understanding the terrain and environment. Rovers provide a way to autonomously investigate and gather scientific information to one day allow for manned exploration. Unlike humans, rovers would be able to withstand dangers such as terrain obstacles, atmospheric dangers, and lack of resources. Rover missions can also be accomplished with lower operating costs by removing the complex systems needed to support human life. Previous rovers like Pathfinder, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity have successfully shown that data collected in remote areas of our solar system can be obtained both safely and cost effectively. The continued development of rovers is important for expanding man’s knowledge of Earth’s history and the origin of life.
For the 2014 RASC-AL Robo Ops Competition sponsored by NASA and the NIA, rovers will be used to traverse a “planetary environment” at the NASA Johnson Space Center’s Rock Yard. Similar to rovers that explore deep space, a remote communication system will be used to control the RASC-AL Rover. Starting from a stowed configuration, the robot must expand to an operational configuration with remote human input. Rocks of varying size and color will be collected and stored within the robot during a hour long competition. This competition seeks to gain public interest, promote intercollegiate involvement, and provide new ideas for planetary rovers."
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