National Space Society in Second Life has released a press release about Lunar Robotics Building Challenge Winners this week. See full details below on this interesting challenge…
For Immediate Release, September 9, 2013
National Space Society
The National Space Society in Second Life held our annual commemoration of the First Moon Landing on July 20, 1969 from 1-7 PM Pacific Time in Second Life (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/National%20Space%20Society/62/131/3005) .
As part of that celebration, the NSS held a Lunar Robotics competition aligned with NSS’s mission, where entrants were asked to create and program a 3D model of robotic equipment that could be useful in a moonbase to advance science, industry, or infrastructure in some innovative way. The winning entries are to be incorporated into NSS’s Second life lunar colony buid to facilitate virtual simulation of lunar colony living conditions. Judges for the competition representing the three prize sponsors included Shannon Bohle (Archivist Llewellyn), Thomas L. Billings (Sine Arrow), and Anonymous (Tara Jie). Judging and award nominations were made on August 24, 2013.
This is the second contest featured by the NSS in Second Life to promote and educate others about spaceflight and space colonization. The first was an animated film production contest consisting of computer animation of such virtual worlds (called a machinima) held in 2010. See http://www.nss.org/contests/2ndlifevideos.html to view all of the video entries, and the announcement of the winner on the National Space Society’s blog, http://blog.nss.org/?p=1854.
The 1st Place winner for the 2013 National Space Society’s Second Life Lunar Robotics Building Challenge Asterion Cohen, for his beautiful Second Life working replica model of NASA’s ATHLETE ROVER. See this related video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwFrCpYavt4) and the attached photos. He received L$ 10,000 First Prize which was sponsored by First Responder/Confederated Response Force and by Archivopedia LLC.
The 2nd Place winner, Sunman Loring-, was awarded L$ 7,500 which was sponsored by the National Space Society in Second Life. Sunman’s rover operated using artificial intelligence to roam the lunar terrain on its own. It also had a claw arm to collect samples and a truck bed to carry them.
The 3rd place winner, Project Titan (VardaSilver Spearsong and pakennyusa Chieng), was awarded L$ 5,000 which was sponsored by the Oregon L5 Society in Second Life. Their project Kennedy Station and Moon Exploration Rovers, provided a sound intensive, interactive multiple Spirt and Opportunity Rovers station.
Wooooot!!!!!
Daniel Voyager 