Ah, discussion of what the true meaning of FIRST is. I have been through this many times, at robot demonstrations, competitions, and general chat among FIRSTers. Basically, as said many times before, it all depends on how you want to be Inspired. Yes, I come from a "NASA Team." I find it incredibly unfortunate that "NASA Teams" have that label attached to them. Just like Delphi, we get grouped together into one lump and are sometimes sneered at because we have funding.
Next year I will be attending Georgia Tech and getting a major in Mechanical Engineering. The only reason I decided to do Mech. E was because of FIRST. Plain and simple. Lessons that I have learned while building robots on my team could fill a library. Many of these lessons that I have learned where a direct result of being a "NASA Team." One of our mentors is an absolute God at machining and works in the Advanced Machining Labratory at NASA Langley Research Center. Seeing their 5 axis milling machines etc. was incredible! Afterwords he showed me how to use a simple lathe, which I then used to trim down sprokets for our bot.
Another disappointing aspect is that I get the impression that other teams seem to think that teams with higher budgets (and no, ours is not all that much above average) have robots that are built by the adults and given to the kids. On this year's bot, I did all of the wiring and electronics placement. Another student did the programming and control aspect. A third designed a toe-touch mechanism that would have been perfectly legal but had to have been scrapped for weight. Treads were tested by students. Baskets designed and made. Chasis modifications were designed and done by students. Most of the actual fabrication itself was done by students. Anywhere work needed to be done, a student was there, either with or without a mentor by their side. While this doesn't have to be true in order to inspire, its something that I have been wanting to clear up.
In all (other than this post has grown to be WAY to large

), ya do what ya like. If you can't do what you like, do what you can and then try to find a way to do what you like next time. Big team, small team, high budget, low budget, student, or mentor, we all love to build robots. Isn't that what this is all about?
~Tom Fairchild~, who appoligizes for out living his welcome and will post smaller next time.
