NASA Moonbuggy Race

Sunday, April 11, 2004

One year ago this weekend, NDSU took first place in the college division of NASA’s 10th annual “Great Moonbuggy Race” in Huntsville, Alabama. The challenge was for high school and college students to design and build human-powered vehicles that could overcome engineering problems faced by NASA’s actual lunar rover team.

The victorious team designed and built their vehicle as a class project, and included Sebastian Ertelt and Justin Pavlish, as well as Troy Redlinger and Danielle Baumann, who sat side by side to pedal the moonbuggy over a simulated lunar surface.

“It was way, way harder than I expected,” said Redlinger. “I knew it would be hard, but not this bad.”

NASA’s press release stated, “It was a grueling, obstacle-strewn course at the U.S Space & Rocket Center… but Team No. 1 from North Dakota State… conquered it and rode to victory.”

Dakota Datebook written by Merry Helm