FADE Challenge Released

I received the challenge for our FADE setup late tonight.  In short, we are to build  a structure to protect a rover that will explore new and previously unexplored planets.  It should protect the rover from threats such as:

• Temperature extremes
• Meteorite strikes
• Rock slides
• Rain

You can check out the detailed design brief here.  Your teams may begin working on the designs as soon as possible.  

To answer some questions from today:

1. We are to build a prototype that will be tested in a lab at A&M.
2. No materials are provided, so we will have to provide everything ourselves.  Using materials already on hand (either at school or from a store like Home Depot) is acceptable, but we will have to account for the actual cost of such items in our budget.
3. We can use the engineering activity account to purchase the items needed.  
4. You will provide an "engineering notebook" of your design. I have notebooks that each team can use. However, they are requesting typewritten information.  I would suggest using the notebook in handwriting as we go along and then typing up a document with the final design solution that can be glued in to the notebook.  

Good luck teams.