March 2 & 3 NASA TV Schedule ????

[Bill Moore]

Originally Posted by rick.oliver

Can someone say with certainty whether or not NASA TV will broadcast the VCU (or any other) Regional event Friday and/or Saturday?

I haven't seen any information on broadcasts, but a webcast schedule is here (including webcasts be SOAP 108 and Wildstang).

http://robotics.nasa.gov/events/webc...onals_2007.php

Originally Posted by rick.oliver

If you know for certain that they are not planning on broadcasting an event, is there anybody who has the ability to influence NASA TV's decision?

Yes, Congress through appropriations! Actually, NASA has been very supportive in the past, and unless they had a special event (i.e., shuttle mission) occurring at the same time, they would broadcast one of the NASA supported Regionals. Hopefully, they continue the tradition this year.

Originally Posted by rick.oliver

I ask because our Team (1038) has made arrangements with a local restuarant, Buffalo Wild Wings, to watch the elimination rounds on a large screen TV on Saturday afternoon. Last year we gathered a small portion of the team and some mentors at a home. That was fun, so we decided to expand to a venue that could accomodate our entire team, their parents and all mentors. The restuarant agreed to provide us space in front of one of their large screen TV's and agreed to supply sound on a nearby smaller set. This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate to our surrounding community the excitement and values of F.I.R.S.T.

Also a good time to train scouts. If you have a practice bot, tape the broadcast to get the sounds of the event and the start/end game signals. Then replay the tape during practice, so that your drivers get comfortable with the noise level of the crowd and the period of time they actually have to play the match. Much more effective than standing there with a 2 minute stopwatch.

Originally Posted by rick.oliver

I hope that NASA TV can support our efforts to fulfill the mission of F.I.R.S.T.

Our back up plan will be to move the group to our school and watch via webcast. Not as impactful, but we'll still have fun.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

Good Luck to the Thunderhawks this year!