News
Media Invited to NASA’s 30th Anniversary of International Rover Competition
Join NASA in celebrating 30 years of rover competition! Media invited to witness the incredible innovation and engineering prowess of student teams from around the world. #NASA #RoverCompetition
Calling all space enthusiasts! Get ready to witness an incredible display of innovation and engineering prowess as NASA celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Human Exploration Rover Challenge. This prestigious rover competition will be held at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Aviation Challenge Course in Huntsville, Alabama, on Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20. The best part? It’s free and open to the public!
Imagine more than 600 students from around the world, representing 42 colleges and universities and 30 high schools, utilizing their knowledge and skills to navigate a complex obstacle course. These brilliant young minds will be piloting their very own human-powered vehicles, designed and produced as part of NASA’s engineering design challenge. It’s an event you won’t want to miss!
Media personnel are cordially invited to attend this awe-inspiring event and witness firsthand the ingenuity and determination radiating from these talented students. Whether you’re a journalist looking to cover the competition or an interviewer eager to sit down with the participants, this is an opportunity you can’t afford to pass up. Contact Taylor Goodwin in the Marshall Office of Communications at 938-210-2891 no later than 2 p.m. Thursday, April 18, to secure your spot.
The International Rover Competition has always been a platform for aspiring engineers to showcase their skills, and this year’s event promises to be a milestone celebration. Participants from not only 24 states across the United States but also the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 13 other countries will gather to demonstrate their enthusiastic pursuit of knowledge and their passion for space exploration.
As a testament to their hard work, dedication, and creativity, NASA will host an in-person awards ceremony on Saturday, April 20, at 5 p.m. inside the Space Camp Operations Center at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. This grand finale will honor the remarkable achievements of the teams throughout the eight-month-long engineering design project. Awards will be presented for categories such as best rover design, best pit crew, and even best social media presence.
So mark your calendars and get ready for an exhilarating experience! Witness the future of space exploration unfold before your eyes. Join NASA in celebrating the 30th anniversary of the International Rover Competition and support these incredible young minds as they inspire a new generation of engineers and explorers.
Don’t forget to contact Taylor Goodwin in the Marshall Office of Communications at 938-210-2891 no later than 2 p.m. Thursday, April 18, to secure your media access and set up interviews. Remember, you don’t want to miss out on this out-of-this-world opportunity!
See you at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center for an incredible showcase of innovation and human ingenuity!
About the Challenge
The Human Exploration Rover Challenge tasks high school, college, and university students around the world to design, build, and test their lightweight, human-powered rovers on a course simulating lunar and Martian terrain, all while completing mission-focused science tasks. Eligible teams compete to be among the top three finishers in their divisions, and to win multiple awards including best vehicle design, best rookie team, and more.
The challenge annually draws hundreds of students from around the world and reflects the goals of NASA’s Artemis campaign, which will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon.
The event was launched in 1994 as the NASA Great Moonbuggy Race – a collegiate competition to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. It expanded in 1996 to include high school teams, evolving again in 2014 into the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge. Since its inception, more than 15,000 students have participated – with many former students now working in the aerospace industry, including with NASA.
The Human Exploration Rover Challenge is managed by NASA’s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall and is one of eight Artemis Student Challenges. NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement uses challenges and competitions to further the agency’s goal of encouraging students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
To learn more about the challenge, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/roverchallenge/home/index.html
https://stmdailynews.com/category/science/
Transportation
FAA Nationwide Ground Stop Disrupts Thousands of Flights, Exposes Aging Air Traffic Control Infrastructure
FAA nationwide ground stop on November 13, 2026, disrupts U.S. flights and raises concerns about aging air traffic control infrastructure.
Last Updated on November 14, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Major communications and radar disruptions temporarily halted departures across the United States on Friday, raising fresh concerns about the reliability of the nation’s aviation infrastructure.
A major technical failure involving the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) air traffic control systems triggered a nationwide ground stop on Friday, November 13, 2026, disrupting thousands of flights and leaving travelers stranded at airports across the United States.
The FAA temporarily suspended aircraft departures as technicians worked to address communications and radar system problems that threatened the reliability of air traffic control operations.
The nationwide ground stop reportedly began at approximately 3:54 p.m. Eastern Time and was lifted around 8:15 p.m., lasting more than four hours.
Aging Technology Raises Safety Concerns
According to reports, the disruption involved aging telecommunications equipment within the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated that older equipment experienced problems as newer technology was integrated into the network, resulting in intermittent communications and radar information failures.
Officials reported no evidence that the outage resulted from a cyberattack.
The incident highlights ongoing concerns about the FAA’s aging infrastructure and the challenges of modernizing critical aviation systems while maintaining safe and reliable operations.
Phoenix Airports Among Those Affected
The disruption also affected air travel throughout Arizona, including Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix Deer Valley Airport, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, and Scottsdale Airport.
At Phoenix Sky Harbor, local reports indicated approximately 338 flight delays and 155 cancellations by Friday evening.
Nationwide, early reports indicated more than 10,000 delayed flights and over 4,000 cancellations, with an estimated 1.5 million passengers affected.
Airlines continued working to restore normal schedules after the FAA lifted the ground stop.
Questions Remain About System Reliability
The incident has renewed attention on efforts to replace outdated air traffic control equipment and strengthen the resilience of the national aviation network.
Although departures resumed Friday evening, the disruption raised important questions about whether the FAA’s existing infrastructure can adequately support growing air traffic demands.
Federal aviation officials are expected to continue evaluating the failure and measures needed to prevent similar nationwide disruptions.
For travelers, the incident serves as a reminder that a technical problem affecting the nation’s aviation network can quickly create widespread delays, cancellations, and travel uncertainty.
STM Daily News — News You Can Use This Moment!
Sources and Further Information
Last Updated on November 13, 2026 by Daily News Staff
STM Daily News | November 12, 2026
Graffiti Cleanup Transforms Oceanwide Plaza
LOS ANGELES — The unfinished skyscrapers known as downtown Los Angeles’ “Graffiti Towers” have reached a visible milestone: most of the exterior tagging has been removed, although completing the long-stalled Oceanwide Plaza development remains a separate challenge.
City officials celebrated the cleanup November 12. According to the mayor’s office, crews cleared graffiti from roughly 250 balconies across the three-tower complex opposite Crypto.com Arena and near the Los Angeles Convention Center. Remaining work has included touch-ups on windows and other exterior areas.
Oceanwide Plaza was envisioned as a mixed-use destination with residences, a luxury hotel, shops and restaurants. Construction stopped in 2019 after Beijing-based developer Oceanwide Holdings could no longer finance the project.
In early 2024, trespassers covered the unfinished towers with graffiti, turning them into an internationally recognized sight. The property also attracted dangerous stunts and heightened concerns about security.
The development entered bankruptcy in February 2024. This July, a bankruptcy court approved a purchase arrangement involving KPC Square, a joint venture between KPC Group and Lendlease. Graffiti removal began while the acquisition was still pending.
What Comes Next for LA’s Graffiti Towers?
The partnership is targeting a January 2027 closing, according to the Los Angeles Business Journal. Financing, a construction contract and required approvals remain important steps before the development can be completed.
For downtown residents and businesses, the cleanup marks tangible progress at a prominent property. However, it does not mean the towers are ready to open, and no firm opening date has been announced.
Sources
- Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, November 12, 2026: https://mayor.lacity.gov/news/mayor-bass-celebrates-graffiti-removal-oceanwide-plaza-clearing-way-full-restoration-and
- Los Angeles Business Journal, November 9, 2026: https://labusinessjournal.com/real-estate/cleaning-up-oceanwide/
- City News Service / MyNewsLA, November 12, 2026: https://mynewsla.com/life/2026/11/12/graffiti-cleanup-milestone-marked-at-oceanwide-plaza-in-downtown-la/
Forgotten Genius Fridays
David Crosthwait: The Engineer Behind Indoor Comfort
David Crosthwait helped solve the challenges of heating large buildings, including Radio City Music Hall. Explore his inventions and lasting engineering legacy.
Forgotten Genius | STM Daily News
When audiences enter New York’s Radio City Music Hall, they notice the stage, the lights, and the sweeping auditorium. The engineering that keeps the building comfortable rarely receives applause.
One of the people behind that comfort was David Nelson Crosthwait Jr., a Black engineer and inventor whose work helped advance heating, ventilation, and temperature control in large buildings.
His career offers a reminder that some of the most useful inventions work quietly around us.
Solving the Problem of Heating Large Buildings
Heating a large building takes more than producing enough heat. Different areas can have different needs: one side may face bitter wind while another receives warming sunlight. Delivering the right amount of heat throughout the building requires careful control.
Crosthwait devoted much of his career to those challenges. A Purdue University engineering graduate, he worked for the C.A. Dunham Company, developing equipment and systems for heating and ventilation.
His inventions included improvements to boilers, thermostat controls, and vacuum pumps. These components helped engineers manage the movement and regulation of heat in larger buildings.
One example appears in U.S. Patent No. 1,727,965, granted in 1929. The patent describes a vacuum steam-heating system designed to serve different sections of a building at different steam pressures. That allowed the system to address varying heating needs while using a shared steam source.
Behind the technical drawing was a practical question: How could one building provide comfortable conditions in spaces that needed different amounts of heat?
His Connection to Radio City Music Hall
Crosthwait’s best-known projects included designing the steam-heating system for Radio City Music Hall at Rockefeller Center.
It was a fitting assignment for an engineer whose expertise centered on the demands of large buildings. While performers entertained audiences, the systems behind the scenes helped make the experience comfortable.
His contributions extended across a substantial body of work. The National Inventors Hall of Fame credits him with 39 U.S. patents and 80 international patents, spanning heating, refrigeration, controls, and other technologies.
Sharing Knowledge and Breaking Barriers
Crosthwait also helped other engineers learn. He wrote technical material, contributed to engineering guides, and later taught steam-heating theory and control systems at Purdue.
In 1971, he became the first Black Fellow of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. Purdue awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1975, and the National Inventors Hall of Fame inducted him in 2014.
His legacy rests in the practical details of engineering: controlling pressure, improving equipment, and making complicated systems work together.
The next time you settle into a comfortable auditorium on a cold evening, consider the ingenuity behind that warmth. David Crosthwait helped make indoor comfort an engineering achievement worth remembering.
Discover more inventors and innovators through the Forgotten Genius series in The Knowledge at STM Daily News.
Related Links
- National Inventors Hall of Fame: David Crosthwait — Biography covering his inventions, patent totals, Radio City Music Hall work, teaching, and professional honors.
- Rockefeller Center: A Rock Center Innovator — Highlights his role in designing Radio City Music Hall’s steam-heating system.
- Original 1929 Patent: U.S. Patent No. 1,727,965 — Technical drawings and Crosthwait’s description of a steam-heating system serving different building sections at different pressures.
- Purdue University Libraries: Historical Timeline — Documents his 1913 graduation and contributions to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
Sources: National Inventors Hall of Fame, Rockefeller Center, Purdue University Libraries, and U.S. Patent No. 1,727,965.
