Joe, Mike, and Amy went out this morning to find a few possible sites for the tasks proposed for the University Rover Competition (URC). The two proposed tasks were the remote deployment of a radio relay and collection of soil samples. Due to time constraints we were only able to concentrate on finding a suitable site for radio relay deployment.

We evaluated the suitability of each potential site based on the abilities of the PSUMS rover and whether there was at least one path by which the rover would be able to reach a high point for radio relay deployment. At each possible point of deployment, the site should have a direct line of sight to the Hab. Also, in order to better emulate a Mars environment for the rovers, we concentrated on areas with little or no plant life.

Though the above constraints limited our options, we were able to find one suitable site for the deployment of a radio relay. The coordinates in UTM NAD 27 are 112° 518707E, 42° 51258N. Based on our tests with the PSUMS rover yesterday, the crew believes that a typical rover could reach the site and other nearby areas from a point on the main road at 112° 518846E, 42° 50907N. This point is 0.40 miles from the Hab and 0.04 miles from the deployment site. A possible path for a rover was recorded with a GPS device.

Though only one possible path was recorded, the terrain was such that there would be multiple ways to reach the site. The site is located on top of a hill with a direct line of sight to the Hab. In the surrounding area, there are other peaks at different heights that would also be feasible deployment points. As a general rule, higher peaks are harder to reach due to steeper slopes. This characteristic suggests a natural scoring metric giving more points for deployment on higher peaks.

To reach any of the peaks, a rover would have to cross rocky terrain, softer ground, and slopes. The varying terrain requires a versatile drive system and also encourages teams to choose their path based on the capabilities of their rover. Representative pictures of each type of terrain were taken. These pictures could be supplied to teams as examples of terrain their rovers will need to be able to handle.

SInce the chosen starting point is only 0.40 miles down the road from the Hab, teams could easily walk there or transport their rovers by car. In this situation, the Hab can be set up as a home base where teams can work on their rovers, and a smaller work station can be set up just off the road near the starting point for teams on deck.

More specifics on scoring, other competition rules, and logistics will be worked out over the next few weeks prior to the release of the URC Level 1 Requirements and Guidelines.