USU students ‘buggy’ to success in competition
A group of eight mechanical engineering students from Utah State University took first place in a moonbuggy competition sponsored by the NASA April 9.
The competition, held in Huntsville, Ala., hosted 29 university teams for 14 states, Puerto Rico and Germany. Competitors were required to build a moonbuggy-like vehicle that was entirely human powered and could collapse into a 4-by-4-by-4-foot storage space.
“The design specifications were based on the Apollo mission,” said Skylar Cox, a graduate student in mechanical engineering who served as the project manager.
The team also consisted of six undergraduates in the mechanical engineering program who designed the vehicle and were mentored by Todd Mosher, an assistant professor in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department.
During the competition, held at the United States Space and Rocket Center, teams had to assemble their compact vehicle then have two pilots navigate a half-mile long obstacle course, complete with lunar features like craters. The teams were given two runs with the best time counting toward their final score.
USU’s buggy, ridden by Megan Mitchell and David Huish, “blew the competition out of the water” with a time of three minutes and 59 seconds, Cox said. The second place team from Pittsburg State University of Pittsburg Kan., was 43 seconds behind.
The design team was recruited over the summer and began true design work in August.
In the weeks prior to the event, the team field-tested their creation on USU campus including drive it down the stairs on Old Main Hill.
Huish said the best part of the process was being able to “see a project from beginning to end.”
The entire team consisted of Huish, John Walker, Tim Leech, Juan Stromsdorfer, David Bartholmew and Austin Hughes, all seniors in mechanical engineering. Mitchell served as the second rider.
For more information on this year’s and other competitions, see http://moonbugger.msfc.nasa.gov.
-steveshinney@cc.usu.edu