The Owensboro Community and Technical College has competed in the NASA Human Expiration Rover Challenge (HERC) since 2017. The team’s single best result came in 2018 with a 9th place finish. In 2019, OCTC sent two teams to the competition and brought home a 4th and 9th place finish and took home the “Most Improved” team award for both time and points combined. Due to COVID, 2020-2022 were held remotely.
The HERC returned in 2023 with 48 teams from twenty states and eight countries. The competition hosted two divisions, one for colleges/universities and one for high schools. Students are required to navigate the course and are judged based on time, the number of obstacles conquered, and the tasks accomplished throughout the course. The course and obstacles are built to mimic lunar surfaces and the tasks are based upon what an astronaut would collect in the field.
The 2023 Rover Team is comprised of Max Humphreys, Gretchen Lents, Virginia Neighbors, and Timmy Dorris. The support team includes Shawn Payne, Mary Kinney, Danny Moseley, Randy Crowe. Dr. Meredith Skaggs did not make the trip but worked with the students all semester. This is a collaborative project with Computerized Manufacturing and Machining, and Welding, playing major roles with their faculty expertise. This year’s rover weighed in at 173 lbs and passed the “cube” test.
In addition to earning second place overall, the OCTC Team earned the Task Challenge Award. The University of Alabama – Huntsville earned first-place honors and Ohio Northern University placed third.
OCTC’s Shawn Payne, commented, “This marks OCTC’s personal best at the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge with a team in 2019 finishing 4th. We hope seeing our success encourages other community and technical colleges to consider participating! The entire team would like to thank NASA Kentucky, Be Real Sports Cycling & Fitness, and Owensboro Community & Technical College for allowing these opportunities!”
You may view a replay of the event on the OCTC Rover Facebook page.