MARS ROCKS!
Please Note: Teams entering this contest are expected to read and understand all the rules and procedures given here. Furthermore, all teams are expected to check and follow all of the “Questions and Answers” which will be posted on the linked web page approximately every two weeks (10-14 days) as the contest year proceeds. Q&A can not only clarify, but can sometimes modify rules when appropriate. Teams will be responsible at the contest for meeting any limits set within the answer to a question.
The contest committee will attempt to avoid making changes to the rules via Q&A as much as possible. The Q&A are the organizing committee’s attempt to make this a responsive and fair competition for everyone. Any questions asked of the committee will be posted on the web page along with the answer for everyone to see. “Private” questions will not be answered. To avoid inadvertent last-minute changes in contest rules, no questions will be accepted after February 13, 2009.
Visit the Student Professional Development Conferences website for information on contest locations.
Basic Problem Description
Given the spectacular success of Phoenix Mars Lander’s space exploration (including retrieval of soil samples), NASA would like to include on its next mission a radio-controlled vehicle to retrieve small rock samples. This device could be controlled from the spacecraft if the mission is manned, or from Earth on an unmanned mission. The purpose of collecting the rocks is to discover if life ever existed on Mars. If it did, the life cycle of Mars may be used to learn important information for us here on Earth.
Your job is to design and build a vehicle that will retrieve rocks and bring them to a designated spot. The vehicle must then return to its starting location, ready for another run. It must be able to surmount small obstacles, simulated by lengths of wooden "2x4" studding (actual dimensions 1.5” x 3.5” or 38 mm x 89 mm), both in getting to the rocks and in bringing the rocks back to the designated deposit area.
Points will be awarded based on the difficulty of retrieving the rock and the accuracy in placing the rock in the receiving area.
Course Description
The test course will consist of a flat, level section of floor (the surface of the floor will not be specified and may be any typical flooring type) marked off with masking tape. Opposite corners of the rectangular course will be at coordinates (0,0) and (2290,3660) inside the tape.
There will be three barriers within the course. The barriers may be constructed from two 2x4's nailed wide sides together and standing with the 3.5 in direction up, or from one 4x4 (3.5 inches square). Note that these barrier construction methods give different thicknesses.
All coordinates will be to the "origin" side of the barrier and from the inside edges of the tape, as follows:
(1) the first barrier will completely cross the course from (0,1780) to (2290,1350);
(2) the second barrier will go from (360,2290) to (2290,2290),
(3) and the third barrier will go from (0,3000) to (1780,2790).
All dimensions are in mm, unless otherwise noted:
 
The rocks will be placed approximately within the circles shown in the diagram above. Note there are no dimensions for these circles as they are approximate locations. The exact locations of the rocks will be marked prior to the first competitor’s demonstration at any given venue.
A 300x610 in parking area will be marked off with its diagonal corners at (1880,100) and (2180,710). The receiving area will be centered at (610,610) and will consist of a series of 3 concentric circles with radii ranging from 50 mm to 200 mm in 75 mm increments. The innermost area will be labeled "2", the next concentric circular area will be labeled "1.5", and on the largest circle will be labeled “1”. These values will be used as multipliers for the rock location point values.
Teams or contest organizers will need to find or provide their own rocks for testing. Simulated rocks may be made from plaster of Paris if that is more convenient. Rocks must be consistent with the following specifications:
- Must range in size up to 40 mm across the widest dimension and at least 20 mm across
any other "major" dimension;
- Must weigh between 10 to 80 grams;
- Must be irregular in shape;
- Must not roll more than one-half of a rotation when placed on a flat surface.
Rocks will be placed in specified locations on the test course (see course diagram), each location having a designated point value. The rocks will be marked with their location and rock locations will be consistent for all teams competing.
Vehicle Requirements
- The vehicle must be powered by readily available, over-the-counter rechargeable batteries.
- The device must be controlled either through a transmitter/receiver radio link or through an umbilical cord. The following requirements pertain specifically to the device controller:
- An umbilical cord controller may not contain any batteries.
- A radio transmitter may have its own batteries (as an exception to the above battery restriction, and with no impact on the team’s scoring).
- The transmitter/receiver radio link may be any commercially available modelcontroller.
- Mechanical forces on the umbilical cord may not be used to help propel or control the vehicle.
- The umbilical cord may only be used to transmit the commands from the controller. If you are using multiple devices, you may have umbilical cords between them as long as all are controlled from a single controller.
- During the trial, the device must be completely controlled via the radio or umbilical controller; no other contact, interaction or influence is permitted.
- One team member must control the device (either via wireless or umbilical) throughout the trial. When umbilical cords are used, additional team members are permitted to use poles or rods to guide the umbilical cords during the trial.
- All radio controllers will be impounded and shut off at competition, except during the team’s run.
- There must be at least one commercial multi-pin connector (such as a DB-9, DB-15, or DB-25) in any wiring between the control box and the device so that the control box can easily be separated from the device. All signals must pass through this connector.
- All devices must have a readily accessible and clearly labeled master shut-off switch.
- The vehicle and all control equipment must fit within a box measuring, on the inside, 370x165x165 mm. The vehicle must come from the box fully assembled. Any expansion or extension must be done by the vehicle itself during the competition run. However, an antenna wire may "spring up" on its own and remain upright without penalty, even if it extends beyond the size restrictions.
Contest Operation
At the start signal the vehicle must proceed down the course, retrieve the rock/s and deposit them in the receiving area. Time stops when the vehicle is once again stationary inside the parking area and in its starting configuration after depositing all of the rocks.
A maximum of four minutes is allowed to complete the rock retrieval.
The vehicle may not be touched or altered in any way during the run. Remember, the retriever is operating in an environment that is hazardous to humans.
Scoring and Penalties
The rocks before the first obstacle are each worth 1000 points. Those between the first and second obstacles are worth 1500 pts each. The rock between the second and third is worth 1600 pts and those beyond the third obstacle are worth 1700 pts each.
The winning device will have the highest score S where:
S = Σ (R*t) +1000P - W - A - 1000T – 5s
R = designated rock score
t = target multiplier
W = Weight of the vehicle in grams
A = milliamp-hours available to the device according to the battery labels
T = Times device touches border tape
s = seconds to complete task, maximum 240
P = bonus for parking vehicle at end of task (1 = parked, 0 = not parked)
- Any vehicle that touches the tape or the floor outside the course boundary during a run will incur a penalty for each excursion. In addition, any vehicle that leaves the course must re-enter the course at the point of departure without being intentionally repositioned by anyone.
- The target multiplier, t, will be scored according to the outermost point of contact between the rock and the target. A rock touching a line will be scored at the higher distance.
- If, when the vehicle is parked at the end of the run, it overhangs any portion of the outer boundary of the parking area, the parking bonus will not be awarded.
- Any damage to the course will result in an immediate disqualification.
- Any device not meeting the device requirements will be immediately disqualified.
Download 2009 Problem Description
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