Los Angeles, CA - California Secretary Dale E. Bonner of Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (BTH) is the latest among several NASA officials, companies, and nonprofit entities to praise the upcoming Regolith Excavation Challenge scheduled for August 2, 2008 in San Luis Obispo.
"The Business, Transportation and Housing Agency applauds the teams and individuals that have come from every corner of the nation to compete at the 2008 Regolith Excavation Challenge and test their creative prowess in building a functional excavating rover for future lunar mining," says Bonner. "Their expertise and spirit of innovation benefit California and the entire country as the resulting applied technologies create new industries and dynamic jobs of the future."
Twenty-five teams from across the United States will compete for a prize of $750,000. The record number of challengers and sophisticated designs geared to compete is drawing media attention and talk about who might win the coveted prize this year.
WHAT'S THE EVENT
2008 Regolith Excavation Challenge is one of NASA Centennial Challenges that invites the public to create devices beneficial in advancing space exploration and development. The Regolith Excavation Challenge requires inventors to build a roving lunar excavator that in 30 minutes can "autonomously navigate, excavate, and transfer over 150 kg of simulated lunar regolith" in a collector bin.
WHY COVER IT?
Staff writers, reporters, producers, and freelancers will find this a relevant and timely story. The newsworthy and beneficial aspects are listed below:
- Anticipation is high that a winner will take the prize. Last year, media coverage included notable news-gathering organizations like Associated Press, The Discovery Channel, New York Times Magazine, WIRED Magazine, BBC Radio, LAUNCH Magazine, Planetary Society Radio, New Scientist Magazine and interested news organs in countries like China, Japan, United Kingdom, Israel and Spain. Having a reporter, writer, or photojournalist at the event gives you an opportunity for exclusive materials and interviews on this historic event.
- The excavating lunar rovers make superb visuals for print, television, and Internet newsgathering entities.
- News coverage continues to rise on events related to the moon given the upcoming anniversary of the lunar landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969. Moon stories are very much in demand right now.
- CSA has made it easy to generate storyline material through our "media packet" that contains background information, media protocols at the event, story angles, sources, authorized quotes, and visitor information for national and regional media representatives planning to attend. Literally, we have handed media professionals the tools to make a great story.
WHO'S WHO?
NASA is putting up the winning prize money: $500,000 for First Place, $150,000 for Second Place, and $100,000 for Third Place. California Space Authority (CSA) and the College of Engineering, Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo are co-hosts in organizing the everything up to, during, and after the event. The California Business, Transportation and Housing (BTH) Agency is a key sponsor. California Space Education Workforce Institute (CSEWI) is the administering agent at the event.
WHEN
The competition takes place on Saturday, August 2, 2008 from 7 am through early evening.
LOCATION College of Engineering (CENG), Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo, CA. Closest airports are in San Luis Obispo (5 minutes away), Santa Maria (30 minutes away), Santa Barbara (115 minutes away). The campus is off the 101 Fwy, 3 1/2 hours north of LA and 3 1/2 hours south of San Jose.
IMMEDIATE CONTACTS
Wil Simon, CSA Regolith Media Advisor; 805-736-0815
Matt Everingham, CSA Engineering Programs Manager, 805-349-2633 ext. 116
Eric Daniels, CSA Dir. of State and Local Gov't Relations, 916-551-1543
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