Richmond Catholic school makes history in NASA competition

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- St. Mary's Catholic School became the only middle school in the nation to compete in NASA's Human Exploration Rover Challenge.

Recently, St. Mary's Catholic School became the only middle school in the country to participate in NASA's prestigious Human Exploration Rover Challenge, held in Huntsville during a two-day competition on April 11 to April 12, in Huntsville, Alabama.

According to the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, the students entered the middle-high school remote control rover division, where they earned 7th place among older and experienced teams.

St. Mary Catholic School students compete in NASA competition (Robyn Dahl)

St. Mary Catholic School students compete in NASA competition (Peter Tlusty)

St. Mary Catholic School students compete in NASA competition (NASA HERC)

St. Mary Catholic School students compete in NASA competition (Cristen Vehorn)

Months before the competition, the students at St. Mary's rolled up their sleeves and got to work by designing their own remote-controlled rover, developing a STEM outreach program and inspiring their school community.

“Participating in HERC was amazing, what an experience!” said the team’s mentor and Saint Mary’s teacher, Peter Tlusty. “The energy in Huntsville, the hands-on challenges, and the teamwork pushed our students beyond the classroom in the best possible way. The students were fabulous. This kind of exposure to NASA-level problem solving and simulating a real NASA mission? You just can’t get that anywhere else. It’s the real deal.”

The NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge engages student teams with building human-powered or remote-controlled rovers that are capable of navigating obstacles that astronauts may encounter. To learn more information, click here.