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1999 KSC Regional Status Report #1
Posted by Mike S of team #21, Boeing NASA-KSC "ComBBAT", from Titusville HS, Astronaut HS sponsored by Boeing.
Posted on 3/4/99 4:41 PM MST Under a beautiful bright sunny day with temperatures in the low 70's practice day is complete. There are 27 teams competing and the competition looks strong. However a number of teams (approximately 7) were not running or barely running by the close of practice. We only saw a small number of teams, approximately 5 or so actually climb on the puck. However the upper end of the competition looks strong. Two Baxter teams are here, the Bomb Squad and a team from Puerto Rico. Of course the Baxter machine was hands down the most reliable with very little work going on the pits. The BSM machine (who heroically came by bus all the way from Wisconsin) also looks very strong. They climb the puck easily with a rotating belt mechanism. They have a very sturdy, ladder like telescoping boom that works well. As for us, the ComBBAT machine, "Tippy" performed well most of the day with a few bumps and bruises. Only a few teams can reliably do it all: climb on or hang from the puck, raise floppies, and pickup floppies. The ComBBAT machine along with both Baxter teams, BSM and the Pratt & Whittney SPAM machine exhibited all these functions. Note there may have been a few more that I may have missed. The NASA Space Coast Team was not ready until late in the day but is very quick with a 4-wheel drive system articulated for climbing on both ends! A few notes for pit crews. If you blow a transorb (and they fail both open and closed) you will blow the 60 amp fuse and nothing else if you've wired by the book. This could cause a short and blow out all the transorbs. Lesson: bring transorbs and if a 60 amp fuse blows check them all! If you are using van door motors as a drive system (1 team was) they get hot. Give them air and don't over practice. Well that's it from the backyard of America's Launch Pad! More tomorrow, hopefully scores if they are posted. Mike S. Boeing NASA KSC "ComBBAT" Team 21 |
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