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/

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WASHINGTON /PRNewswire/ — Students from Syracuse City School District and Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, will have an opportunity this week to hear from alumna and NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps aboard the International Space Station.

The space to Earth call will stream live at 10 a.m. EDT April 18, on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

Media interested in covering the event must RSVP no later than 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 17, to Amanda Hull from Syracuse City Schools at ahull@scsd.us, 973-975-9712, or Joe Della Pasta from Le Moyne College at dellapjb@lemoyne.edu, 315-445-4564.

In preparation for the event, Syracuse City School District highlighted Epps’ contributions to aerospace and the local community in a collaborative effort between their social studies and STEM classrooms. Epps is an alumnae of Syracuse City schools and Le Moyne College.

Le Moyne hosted an eclipse viewing event on April 8 with astronomy and science talks by faculty and local science clubs. On April 12, Grant Farrokh, a space station trajectory operations and planning officer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and also a former Le Moyne student, gave a presentation to students. On April 18 student clubs and organizations at Le Moyne will participate in the streaming event, and the college career advising and development office will discuss career opportunities for students.

For more than 23 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts living in space aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.

Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the International Space Station benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation – ensures America will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery.

See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the space station at:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

SOURCE NASA

VERO BEACH, Fla. /PRNewswire/ — Thompson Thrift, a full-service nationally recognized real estate company and one of the nation’s leading multifamily developers, announced today the development of Verity, a 276-unit Class A multifamily community in Vero Beach. The company intends to begin construction this month, with completion expected in summer 2026.

“Despite significant demand for housing options in the Vero Beach community, supply has not kept pace in recent years,” said Josh Purvis, managing partner for Thompson Thrift Residential. “We are pleased to be able to move forward with providing a highly desired rental living option that fits the community’s needs.”

Located off 37^th Street on 11^th Circle, Verity will span more than 18 acres and consist of three-story buildings offering one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes with up to nearly 1,400 square feet.

Apartment homes will feature many of the high-end finishes and amenities that Thompson Thrift communities have become known to include—hardwood-style flooring; full-size washers and dryers; stainless-steel appliances and built-in microwaves; smooth, glass-top ranges; side-by-side refrigerators with ice and water dispensers; detached garages; tile backsplashes, designer fixtures and finishes; large walk-in closets; private yard and patio options and ceiling fans in the living room and all bedrooms.

Residents can also choose from an array of signature collection amenities including walk-in showers with full tile and glass doors, premium lighting, smart hub to integrate all smart devices, premium appliances, and dry bar in select homes.

One tailormade community feature is a custom-angled clubhouse with a covered pavilion that connects to the 24-hour fitness center and will include a coffee bar, a 24-hour social hub, work from home suites and a resident conference room with screenshare and video conferencing technology. Other community amenities will include a resort-style swimming pool, electric firepits with seating area, community grilling areas, pickleball court, a dog run with agility equipment and pet spa. Residents will also have access to high-speed internet access, an Amazon package hub, valet trash service, an onsite service team and a user-friendly mobile app for rent payment, submitting service requests, community feed, and more.

Verity residents will be a short drive to nearby beaches and coastal attractions, as well as downtown Vero Beach and Treasure Coast Plaza, a popular dual-anchor shopping center.

Located within one of the top demographic pockets of the market, the site is surrounded by home values and income levels that exceed market averages, while Vero Beach itself continues to boast high population growth, along with impressive job growth figures, increasing by more than 6% since 2020.

Approximately 70% of Vero Beach’s workforce, highlighted by nearly 6,000 medical service jobs, is located within five miles of the Verity site. The property sits directly across the street from the area’s largest employer – the Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital which is home to more than 1,500 jobs. Other major nearby employers include L3 Harris Technologies, a quickly growing aerospace manufacturing and research company, and the Indian River County school district, which supports more than 17,000 students across 27 schools.

Thompson Thrift is a full-service real estate development company focused on ground-up commercial and mixed-use development across the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest. The company continues to expand its footprint with eight new residential developments targeted for 2024, including new markets in Georgia, Utah and Idaho. Verity marks Thompson Thrift’s 16^th multifamily community in Florida.

Since its founding nearly 40 years ago, Thompson Thrift has invested more than $5 billion into local communities and has become known as a trusted partner committed to developing high-quality, attractive commercial and multifamily communities.

About Thompson Thrift Real Estate Company
Thompson Thrift is an integrated full-service real estate company with offices in Indianapolis and Terre Haute, Indiana; Denver; Houston and Phoenix. Three business units drive Thompson Thrift’s success—Thompson Thrift Residential which is focused on upscale Class A multifamily communities and luxury leased homes, Thompson Thrift Commercial which is focused on ground-up commercial development, and Thompson Thrift Construction, a full-service construction company. Through these business units, Thompson Thrift is engaged in all aspects of development, construction, leasing, and management of quality commercial real estate projects across the country. The company earned national recognition as a winner of a 2024 Top Workplaces USA award, the latest accolade that reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to excellence in the community and workplace. For more information, please visit www.thompsonthrift.com

SOURCE Thompson Thrift