Loyola students say winning prize at NASA is a great motivator

The efforts and sacrifices of a group of young students from Loyola Specialized Institute of Higher Studies (IEESL) to design and build the rover paid off in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA), Human Exploration’s annual competition. Rover Challenge 2023 (HERC) with Jeff Norris and Joe Sexton winning the Pit Crew Award (Mechanical Crew).

The Armstrong team, made up of young natives of San Cristóbal, is built from a design, a rover, which is an aerospace vehicle designed to travel on the surface of another planet.

“Our ingenious, creative thinking and above all practicing problem solving was key for the team to try and win this important award at NASA,” explained Glyn Lara (STEM Manager) of the Armstrong team.

Throughout the competition, the team demonstrated leadership, ingenuity and innovation, being recognized for its resilience and persistent effort.

The team is made up of students: Roman Jaquez (Leader), Jhon Perez (Co-Leader), Jilin Lara (STEM Manager), Ashley Diaz (Security Officer), Anderson Bays (Mechanical Design Manager), Josemarlin Payano (Design Assistant Mechanic) , Imre Peñalo, (Manufacturing Manager), Nicolas Benzant (Manufacturing Assistant), Samuel Jaramillo (Telemetry Manager), Nathalie Brito (Telemetry Consultant), Ellen Hernandez (Team Consultant) and Miguel Edgardo (Manufacturing Consultant), they traveled with teacher César Adre Pérez Reyes.

Andersen Bays (Mechanical Design Manager) highlighted that they started from a design to build the rover, which opened the doors to participate in the competition, and that they stood out among the many participants due to innovations in the model and telescopic shape. while standing.

The Armstrong team was sponsored by the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel) and the SID Group.

they are participating for the first time

Team Armstrong’s Imre Peñalo, (Manufacturing Manager) explains the nine-month process they went through to build the rover, where they competed with students from eight countries, twenty states and 48 institutions and put in effort, dedication to the work And thank you for your commitment. The team participating in the competition for the first time was awarded.

“The competition rewards the flexibility, the good development, the ingenuity and the good motivation that we had when a problem arose and as a team we could stand up and move forward,” he said during a visit to Diario Libre. Were.”

Nicolas Benzant (Manufacturing Assistant) said that together with the team, he was satisfied that they had put in a lot of effort to build the rover.

“We start building it from a design, and then that design is presented to NASA engineers and qualified by them. After it’s approved, we went through the manufacturing process to take it from paper to real life.” Started and we were successful.”

He indicated that the award is a great motivator for him and for other young Dominicans who aspire to participate in future international competitions and is already preparing to compete next year.

Dominican Republic Achievement

The team was named in honor of Neil Alden Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon. They designed a human exploration vehicle that overcomes the obstacles and challenges presented in extraterrestrial environments, with a particular focus on mobility and energy efficiency. They assure that the award was an achievement not only for the team but also for the Dominican Republic and the Loyola Specialized Institute of Higher Studies, as it was a sample of the talent and potential of young Dominicans to participate in international competitions. NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge encourages research and development of new technologies to plan for future manned space missions to other worlds.

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