• Home
  • Outreach
    • 2024-2025 Outreach
    • 2023-2024 Outreach
    • 2022-2023 Outreach
    • 2021-2022 Outreach
    • Previous Outreach >
      • 2020-2021 Outreach
      • 2019-2020 Outreach
      • 2019 Outreach
      • 2018 Outreach
      • 2017 Outreach
      • 2016 Outreach
      • 2015 Outreach
      • 2014 Outreach
      • 2013 Outreach
      • 2012 Outreach
  • Competitions
    • NASA LUNABOTICS 2024
    • Catepillar RMC 2023
    • NASA LUNABOTICS 2022
    • Previous Competitions >
      • NASA RMC 2021 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2020 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2019 Cycle
      • Alabama Robotic Mining Challenge 2019
      • NASA RMC 2018 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2017 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2016 Cycle
      • Sample Return 2016
      • NASA RMC 2015 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2014 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2013 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2012 Cycle
    • FAQ
  • Team Members
    • 2024-2025 Team Members
    • 2023-2024 Team Members
    • 2022-2023 Team Members
    • 2021-2022 Team Members
    • Previous Years >
      • 2020-2021 Team Members
      • 2019-2020 Team Members
      • 2018-2019 Team Members
      • 2017-2018 Team Members
      • 2016-2017 Team Members
      • 2015-2016 Team Members
      • 2014-2015 Team Members
      • 2013-2014 Team Members
      • 2012-2013 Team Members
      • 2011-2012 Team Members
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Learning Hub
    • STEM Education Videos/Activities
    • Lesson Plans
    • Resources for Competition Teams
Alabama Astrobotics
  • Home
  • Outreach
    • 2024-2025 Outreach
    • 2023-2024 Outreach
    • 2022-2023 Outreach
    • 2021-2022 Outreach
    • Previous Outreach >
      • 2020-2021 Outreach
      • 2019-2020 Outreach
      • 2019 Outreach
      • 2018 Outreach
      • 2017 Outreach
      • 2016 Outreach
      • 2015 Outreach
      • 2014 Outreach
      • 2013 Outreach
      • 2012 Outreach
  • Competitions
    • NASA LUNABOTICS 2024
    • Catepillar RMC 2023
    • NASA LUNABOTICS 2022
    • Previous Competitions >
      • NASA RMC 2021 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2020 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2019 Cycle
      • Alabama Robotic Mining Challenge 2019
      • NASA RMC 2018 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2017 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2016 Cycle
      • Sample Return 2016
      • NASA RMC 2015 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2014 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2013 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2012 Cycle
    • FAQ
  • Team Members
    • 2024-2025 Team Members
    • 2023-2024 Team Members
    • 2022-2023 Team Members
    • 2021-2022 Team Members
    • Previous Years >
      • 2020-2021 Team Members
      • 2019-2020 Team Members
      • 2018-2019 Team Members
      • 2017-2018 Team Members
      • 2016-2017 Team Members
      • 2015-2016 Team Members
      • 2014-2015 Team Members
      • 2013-2014 Team Members
      • 2012-2013 Team Members
      • 2011-2012 Team Members
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Learning Hub
    • STEM Education Videos/Activities
    • Lesson Plans
    • Resources for Competition Teams

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an astrobot?
  • A robot controlled remotely or autonomously
  • Visual and auditory isolation from the operator
  • Traverses across rough lunar terrain
  • Mines Black Point 1 (BP-1) aggregate
  • Traverses back across rough lunar terrain 
  • Deposits BP-1 into the bin at .5 meters above simulated planet surface
  • Weighs no more than 80 kilograms
  • Does not exceed dimensions of 1.5m long x .75 meters wide x .75 meters tall at the start of each run

​What is BP-1?
  • BP-1 is Black Point 1, a lunar regolith simulant found at the Black Point mine in Arizona.

What is regolith?
  • The layer of unconsolidated solid material covering the bedrock of a planet

What is the astrobotics competition?
  • The NASA Robotic Mining Competition is a university-level competition designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). NASA directly benefits from the competition by encouraging the development of innovative extraterrestrial excavation concepts from universities which may result in clever ideas and solutions which could be applied to an actual excavation device or payload.
  • The challenge is for students to design and build a remote controlled, or autonomous, excavator that can collect and deposit a minimum of one kilogram of regolith, buried a foot under the BP-1, within 10 minutes. There are many complexities that this challenge includes: the abrasive characteristics of the simulant, the weight and size limitations of the robot, and the ability to control the robot from a remote control center, or program the robot to perform autonomously. 
​
For more information go to NASA's website for RMC.
Copyright © 2021
  • Home
  • Outreach
    • 2024-2025 Outreach
    • 2023-2024 Outreach
    • 2022-2023 Outreach
    • 2021-2022 Outreach
    • Previous Outreach >
      • 2020-2021 Outreach
      • 2019-2020 Outreach
      • 2019 Outreach
      • 2018 Outreach
      • 2017 Outreach
      • 2016 Outreach
      • 2015 Outreach
      • 2014 Outreach
      • 2013 Outreach
      • 2012 Outreach
  • Competitions
    • NASA LUNABOTICS 2024
    • Catepillar RMC 2023
    • NASA LUNABOTICS 2022
    • Previous Competitions >
      • NASA RMC 2021 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2020 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2019 Cycle
      • Alabama Robotic Mining Challenge 2019
      • NASA RMC 2018 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2017 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2016 Cycle
      • Sample Return 2016
      • NASA RMC 2015 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2014 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2013 Cycle
      • NASA RMC 2012 Cycle
    • FAQ
  • Team Members
    • 2024-2025 Team Members
    • 2023-2024 Team Members
    • 2022-2023 Team Members
    • 2021-2022 Team Members
    • Previous Years >
      • 2020-2021 Team Members
      • 2019-2020 Team Members
      • 2018-2019 Team Members
      • 2017-2018 Team Members
      • 2016-2017 Team Members
      • 2015-2016 Team Members
      • 2014-2015 Team Members
      • 2013-2014 Team Members
      • 2012-2013 Team Members
      • 2011-2012 Team Members
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Learning Hub
    • STEM Education Videos/Activities
    • Lesson Plans
    • Resources for Competition Teams