OSU NASA
Rover Team
Who Are We?
The OSU NASA Rover Team is a group of college students who work to build a man powered rover with the goal of competing in the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge. Every year around April, the team drives down to NASA US Rocket and Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama to compete to with up to 100 different teams around the world. The rover must be able fold up to fit within a 5 ft. by 5 ft. cube. The rover must be able to complete a half-mile, simulated extraterrestrial terrain course as quickly as possible while maneuvering through ridges, boulders, sand pits, inclines, and more. Find more information on the competition by clicking on the button on the right.
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The OSU NASA Rover Team has numerous different projects for students to work on. These projects include, but are not limited to, designing and fabricating the rover. Students are also able to work on writing technical papers, speaking with sponsors, and work on marketing. Below are different areas that students would be able to work in.
Design
One of the many projects that many projects that OSU NASA rover team members can work on involves designing the rover on SolidWorks. Modeling the rover allows the team to make the assembly process more efficient by testing proper fit up, joint design, weight, weldability and machinability. After modeling, the schematic of the rover is printed out and used as a reference while members fabricate the parts.
The image on the right is model of one tread design that the team considered using on the rover. These wheels would later on be 3D printed by iC3D.
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Fabrication
The rover is 100% student built, giving students an opportunity to improve their machining and welding skills.Equipment that students have opportunity of using include grinder, lathe, TIG welder, drill press, and more depending on the improvements and modifications that the rover needs. Through long hours in the the high bay, team members gain experiences and friendships that cannot be found or learned in the classroom.
In order to save weight, the rover is constructed from 6061 aluminum and TIG welded together. The image to the right shows a team member working on grinding down a part of the chassis to later on be TIG welded to the main frame.
Project Management
Project management allows rover members to improve on their soft skills. Team member would be given the opportunity to reach out to help write a technical report about the team's rover which is mandatory in order for having the rover submitted in the competition. Technical reports and presentations help keep track of the team's progress throughout the years. They can also help the team win awards as well.
Team members can also help represent the team to sponsors. In the past, sponsors have helped the team by donating equipment, supplies as well as fund the team financially. Team members are able to communicate with sponsors and ask them questions and advice on improvements on the rover.
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Part of project management is also team building. A key part of any team is how well team members work together. Team sponsored activities and events allow team members to get to know one another better which in turn helps the team function better.