Zero Robotics
ZeroRobotics is a national competition to program the robotic Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) satellites inside the International Space Station (ISS). Finalists will participate in a championship competition where an astronaut will conduct the game in microgravity with a live broadcast from the ISS. This activity creates opportunities for students and crewmembers to interact in an environment that will foster collaboration, technology development, and excitement about STEM education.
SPHERES-Zero-Robotics provides dozens of high school students access to the microgravity environment for experimentation and analysis. Through the program, students design software to accomplish complex tasks in space; such as docking, assembly, and formation flight for the SPHERES system, which is currently on board the International Space Station (ISS).
Each season begins with the unveiling of a game motivated by a challenging problem of interest to NASA and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). During the competition, each team must complete a set of pre-determined tasks. During all phases, the students are challenged not only with programming, but also with the development of documentation and presentations to add to their engineering and communication skills.
SPHERES-ZeroRobotics students are truly engaged in space research. Starting at the high school age group, students view working in space as normal, with the expectation that they become inspired to push the limits of space exploration, engineering, and development. Additionally, the program provides a unique and valuable opportunity to maintain students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers; even those who do not wish to pursue space careers see their lives affected by knowing their work can have an impact beyond the classroom. The ability of the students to participate in real engineering activities, beginning in high school, potentially encourages them to remain interested in those fields. SPHERES-ZeroRobotics also builds a critical base for engineering skills in students, such as problem solving, design thought process, operations training, teamwork, and presentation skills.
Activity goal:
Engagement of at least 1000 high school students in each of two seasons of competition over next 2 years. (2 years)
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