NASA's moon-dirt digging competition ends sans a winner

This won't mark the first occasion (nor the last) in which a NASA challenge ends without a winner, but just as noted before the competition began, it looks like the quarter-million dollars in prize money will indeed be rolled over to next year. NASA's Regolith Excavation Challenge beckoned teams to conjure up autonomous digger bots that could move a given amount of mock moon dirt into a cell within a half hour, and unfortunately for crews hailing from Pismo Beach, Berkley, Rolla, and Rancho Palos Verdes, everyone left with their heads a-hangin'. The excavator built by Technology Ranch was able to notch first place by relocating just over 143-pounds in 30 minutes, but fell quite short on picking up any award monies. So for those of you who weren't exactly ready to go mano-a-mano with these guys and gals this time around, next year you've all got $750,000 on the line. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]

[Rob @ May 14th 2007 2:42PM]

R.P.V. Represent!

Sorry,.. such a small town that I'm elated any time it's in the news.

[Matt E. @ May 14th 2007 3:59PM]

Did anyone else think mock = (m)oon + r(ock)?

[mattnyc99 @ May 14th 2007 6:02PM]

Moon dust, it turns out, could jeopardize NASA's entire new mission to the moon: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4216322.html

[Soie @ May 15th 2007 9:34AM]

What dire writing! Everyone knows that "sans" is never followed by an article, but by a noun or adjective! Do journalists not know how to write anymore?

[JJ122 @ May 17th 2007 4:47PM]

Hey, the rolla team (UMR) on there first attempt didnt work because it wasnt level, but on there second try completed the challenge but it didnt count of course. So WOOT UMR soon to be MoS&T