• Germany edition
Photo: DPA

Germany triumphs in NASA's 'Great Moonbuggy Race'

Published: 11 Apr 10 12:12 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/sci-tech/20100411-26475.html

"Team Germany" from Leipzig has won the US Space Administration's "Great Moonbuggy Race," where student design, build and race vehicles that tackle challenges faced by engineers of the lunar rover.

The four-person German team, from the Leipzig-based International Space Education Institute (ISEI), won first prize in the high-school division after a decisive race in Huntsville, Alabama on Saturday, NASA announced.

Stefan Martini from Munich and Stephanie Fleischer from Oberschleißheim, both 19, finished the roughly half-mile course with its twisting curves, gravel pits and other obstacles simulating lunar surface conditions, in 3 minutes 37 seconds.

"It was a tough race," said ISEI director Ralf Heckel. "The first four finishes were only four seconds apart."

A team from the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao won the first prize in the university division.

The teams beat out more than 70 other groups from 18 US states and Puerto Rico as well as from Canada, India and Romania.

"The Great Moonbuggy Race" recalls the challenges that engineers faced in the late 1960s, when they were designing the original Apollo-era lunar rover, which explored the surface of the moon in the early 1970s.

DDP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Fark It! Digg This  Share everywhere
Send to a friend Printable version Twitter This

Your comments about this article:

13:35 April 13, 2010 by dbert4
Once again, those bitchin Germans win the innovations race! I guess the US could find enough foreign-born technical people to field a team and to make it happen FOR them.
13:57 April 14, 2010 by Hebbellover
@dbert4 - wow, your posts have a lot of thought put into them. Besides your Hero Barack Hussein "I am not a Muslim" Obama the majority of us 'Mericans have more German blood running through our veins than a sizeable portion of German citizens. Therefore, get over your bigoted comments, we German-Americans are proud of our accomplishments and we don't need stupid comments to remind us we or our ancestors left Deutschland Über Alles!
14:30 April 14, 2010 by dbert4
@Hebbellover - wow, you missed the whole point of my comment. If you're Merican, good...but not relevent.

My point was, despite the extreme flag waving. The US is dependent on foreigner for most everything, of value anyway. There are those who carry on with the German brain-drain BS. BUT if one looks for real innovation and excellence, it usually doesn't come from the US.

So you can take the chip off of your shoulder.
16:36 April 14, 2010 by Hebbellover
No dbert4, it is you who missed the point.

There isn't this kind of innovation in Germany because some germans can't get too far away from the government socilaist teat! So sorry, so true. I'll remind my Bio-mechanical engineer and my Bio-chemical engineer son about your no-innovation comments.
09:40 April 15, 2010 by dbert4
So Hebbellover - Maybe the piece should be retitled as, "Germany, while sucking on the government socilaist teat triumphs in NASA's 'Great Moonbuggy Race'

But in any case THEY WON, and apparently your "Bio-mechanical engineer and my Bio-chemical engineer son" weren't even in the same league.

A BIG consideration that you're missed, MOST basic science research in the US AND development costs are sponsored by the government for military purposes. Yes that's right that "teat" thing again.
07:20 April 19, 2010 by Kelly McDonald
The more I read about the U.S. landing on the moon the more obsured it is to me. We are the only nation claming to have done it and the Russians were so much more advanced. I was 6 yrs. old in 1969 when the U.S. when to the moon so what did I know I was just a kid. The Holocust and Werner Von Braun makes a sickening feeling come over me every time. The Jews that have a right to live like all of MANKIND period.
09:59 April 19, 2010 by dbert4
Kelly - Agreed....but what do Jews have to do with the "Moon Buggy" contest?
14:45 April 22, 2010 by beckyhead
Kelly...

What are you talking about? The Russians were NOT so much more advanced. Read a little before you make such uninformed comments. The Apollo/Saturn missions were some of the most documented events in our history. Read "Digital Apollo" to see how much more advanced the US was in terms of the technology used to get to the moon. However, I will not take away the many "firsts" the former Soviets had in the Space Race.

And what do you mean by "claiming"? Are you one of those nuts that think the landing was faked? I am quite sure the Soviets would've been he first to claim fraud. Sounds like you need some of the Buzz Aldrin treatment.
16:59 May 2, 2010 by Ralf Heckel
Here is the leader of the winning Moonbuggy Team 2010 speaking:

"I want to correct the editor of this article: There was no german team winning. In Huntsville were selected students from Germany, Russia and USA as part of a multinational team. The International Space Education Institute ist locate in Leipzig/Germany were the following space scientists worked: Eberhard Rees (former MSFC-Director), Prof. von Puttkamer (NASA-HQ), Prof. Harry Ruppe (founder of the 1st professorship for spaceflight in Germany), Sergej Korolev (sputnik´s chief designer).

This Moonbuggy were designed by students from: Russia, Germany, USA, England, Hungaria, Ukraine, Malaysia). The blog of the team is written in: english, german, russian and spain. There are invited more students from Puerto Rico, India and China this year.

See: http://www.spaceeducation.eu

and: http://spaceeducation-eu.blogspot.com/

Everybody sleeps who dreams that one nation will explore the space. Only human can do this, no nations. Some of these new words in our future are: integrity, multinational and teamwork."

Ralf Heckel, principal

International Space Education Institute
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Photo: DPA

Snow to follow record deep freeze

Germany shivered through record low temperatures of -29 degrees Celsius overnight, but the German Weather Service has forecast an even deeper freeze ahead of snow showers midweek. READ (4 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Robust Germany faces rising 'burnout' problem

Germany, holding up better than its eurozone partners in the current economic crisis, is battling the increasingly widespread phenomenon of "burnout" which is supposedly costing its economy billions of euros each year. READ (10 COMMENTS) »

The spot where the car was. Photo: DPA

Car thieves discover dead baby

Four young car thieves in the western German state of Saarland notified the police on Sunday night after they stumbled on the corpse of a small baby in the boot of a car they were breaking into. READ (4 COMMENTS) »

Gisela Stille in a naked skin suit. Photo: DPA

Children sit in front row at bloody sex opera

One of Germany’s most famous opera houses, Dresden’s Semperoper, gave teenagers front row seats to the premiere of its new production of Alban Berg’s “Lulu” – which centres on a murderous prostitute. READ (11 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Former spy boss moves to Deutsche Bank

Ernst Uhrlau, former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency the BND, has been on the payroll of Germany’s biggest bank since the start of February, just two months after his retirement. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Sarkozy looks to Merkel for re-election help

Increasingly citing Germany as a model for France, President Nicolas Sarkozy will look to give his re-election hopes a boost Monday in a joint TV interview with Chancellor Angela Merkel. READ (3 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Man rescued from canoe on frozen river

A man had to be rescued from the frozen River Elbe in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday after his canoeing trip in sub-zero temperatures turned out not to be such a good idea. READ (5 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Leftist crime on the rise

New figures on politically-motivated crime show a sharp increase in leftist crime in Germany last year, along with a slight fall in right-wing crime, it was revealed Monday. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

More Science & Technology
Highlights
Photo: DPA
OPINION »
The economy in shambles, angry street protests and the government on the brink after passing unpopular reforms. But this is not Greece in 2012 – it was Germany a decade ago. Marc Young looks back to see an agenda for the future.
Photo: DPA
OPINION »
Germany’s public transportation largely operates on the honour system, which makes fare dodging easy. You can have your say on how Germany should deal with the problem.
Photo: DPA
SOCIETY »
Macho German football legend Rudi Assauer says he has Alzheimer’s Disease, an admission one expert told The Local could help stoke discussion of an illness often considered taboo.
Photo: DPA
SOCIETY »
A 64-year-old tub of American lard has been deemed fit for human consumption by food safety authorities in the eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Photo: Yves Gabriel
LIFESTYLE »
What's on in Germany: February 2 - 8
Photo: Columbia Pictures
LIFESTYLE »
The Local's English-language movie listings for Germany
Photo: DPA
LIFESTYLE »
As Hamburg’s legendary Reeperbahn strip gentrifies, Stephen Lowman reports how the city’s “sinful mile” is changing.
Photo: DPA
SOCIETY »
The urban street slang spoken by young Germans is so distinct that one language expert is arguing for it to be recognised as a proper dialect.
Photo: Bavarian International School
SPONSORED ARTICLE
A global education - a Bavarian community
Photo ECLA
SPONSORED ARTICLE
A truly international education at the heart of Berlin



See all ads | Join the Marketplace

Jobs in Germany, in English

1056 jobs available
667 new jobs this week
0 new jobs today

ALL JOBS »

Blog
Essentials

Dating
Looking for your own blonde bombshell? Or is the strong, silent type more your style? Find a German sweetheart here.

Weather
"After clouds comes clear weather," say the Germans. But what about after that? Find out in The Local's weather section.

Blog
German stuff that's distracting us today.

Noticeboard
Whether you want to buy, sell, hire, announce or promote something, here's the place to do it - completely free of charge.

Discuss
Debate the news, ask for advice, make friends - or just let off steam.

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »

News from the Goethe-Institut
News from Young Germany
News from DeutschlandOnline

Toytown Germany
Germany's English-speaking crowd
English-speaking educators (native level)

Hotel reservations in Berlin
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
Rental apartments in Berlin
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
Trade CFDs with InterTrader.com
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!