[SpaceProgram] Zero Robotics Autonomous Space Capture Challenge

[Jerry Isdale]

As a software only competition, you *could* do a virtual team with members who meet like we do -- online only, However there is going to be a very significant learning curve on the programming and algorithm development side. That really requires some good mentors/teachers being with the kids locally for best results.  So I would encourage hackerspaces to reach out to the local community and see if there is interest.

Here on Maui we have 6 high schools that regularly compete in the FIRST and VEX competitions.  I have reached out to them, as well as the Hawaii wide Robotics Organizing Committee.  VEX competition is already underway but FIRST doesnt start till January.  Some of the schools/kids will want to focus on those physical build competitions.  (I'm amazed at how much $$$ some schools put into these - mostly for travel.)  Other schools, with smaller programs, may find this software-only competition easier to manage and participate.  Or a way for their software members to do something more elaborate than simple telerobotics (and short autonomous).

Jerry Isdale
http://MauiMakers.com
http://www.mauimakers.com/blog/thursday-public-meeting/

On Sep 1, 2012, at 9:01 AM, Dakota Nelson wrote:

> Stevens High School (In Rapid City, SD) is local to me, and I think we may be able to get something going there. I can think of a faculty member there who would probably be interested. Thoughts?
> 
> On Sat, Sep 1, 2012 at 1:00 PM, cole santos <cksantos85 at gmail.com> wrote:
> We need to find a highschool partner on this one. KingK? Seabury, or maybe a combo of a few.
> 
> On Sat, Sep 1, 2012 at 11:20 PM, Jerry Isdale <isdale at gmail.com> wrote:
> I just heard about this competition is open to High School students in USA and EU (separate tournaments).
> Basically they are asking teams to program a sat that will match orbit+spin and dock with a tumbling bot.
> 
> http://www.zerorobotics.org/web/zero-robotics/tournament-details?tournamentId=6 
>   
> "The Zero Robotics Autonomous Space Capture Challenge, sponsored by DARPA and NASA, and run by the MIT Space Systems Laboratory, TopCoder, and Aurora Flight Sciences, is a programming tournament that opens the SPHERES satellite research platform to the general public for the first time. The goal of the tournament will be to develop an algorithm related to the recently announced DARPA Phoenix demonstration. The objective of this specific challenge is to write a computer program to control a satellite (called a “Tender”) to enable it to dock with a space object (or POD) that may be tumbling through space. The best algorithm submissions from simulation competitions will be tested in zero gravity on real SPHERES satellites aboard the International Space Station (ISS)."
> 
> Jerry Isdale
> isdale at gmail.com
> USA Director, SpaceGAMBIT
> Global Alliance of Makers Building Interstellar Technology
> http://SpaceGAMBIT.org
> 
> This email is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the human(s) named above. If intercepted by an extraterrestrial civilization, all opinions expressed in this email are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of mankind as a whole.
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