Polish robots bound for US contest
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
15.05.2013 16:26
Three Polish rovers designed to be able to operate on Mars are being flown to the US today for the University Rover Challenge (URC).
Hyperion: photo - PAP/Artur Reszko
Hyperion, a key contender designed by a team from the Bialystok Polytechnic in north eastern Poland, was unveiled to the press prior to the flight.
The polytechnic won the competition in 2011 with the Magma 2 rover, but the 40 kg aluminium Hyperion boasts many modifications, not least it can move much faster thab its predecessors, reaching 20 km per hour.
The Bialystok team, together with crews from the polytechnics of Wroclaw and Rzeszow, will be competing against 11 rival outfits from the US, Canada and India.
The action will take place in the Utah desert, with the contest organised by the Colorado-based Mars Society.
Tasks lined up for the rovers this year include navigating rough terrain, bringing astronauts packages with the use of GPS, and the self-cleaning of solar panels on each model.
Hyperion was created thanks to a grant from the Ministry of Education and Science, and the US contest is set to begin on 30 May.
NASA’s Curiosity rover, which successfully landed on Mars last August, was fitted with infrared detectors manufactured by a Polish company. (nh)
Source: PAP