A team of science-loving Surrey students has rocketed into a NASA-backed competition to build a rover that could roam on distant planets.

The American space agency害羞草研究所檚 2024 will involve 10 students at Princess Margaret Secondary who submitted a last-minute proposal in September, hours before a deadline.

, and one of just a few high schools in the college/university-dominated competition to design and build human-powered rovers.

Next April the team from Newton will travel to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the HERC event, which urges research and development of 害羞草研究所渘ew technologies for future mission planning and crewed space missions to other worlds.害羞草研究所�

to watch video of NASA害羞草研究所檚 Human Exploration Rover Challenge.

Now that they害羞草研究所檝e been chosen for this challenge, the Surrey students must design and build a two-person rover and also raise funds for the stateside trip.

害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e super excited,害羞草研究所� said teacher Jag Uppal, team advisor. 害羞草研究所淭hese are some amazing kids, and they found the competition on their own 害羞草研究所� the website, the proposal, that害羞草研究所檚 them putting it all together, everything.害羞草研究所�

The student team includes Jeevan Sandhu (team lead), Mehul Bhanot (safety officer), Omar Arain, Jasmeet Dhaliwal, Harmeet Sond, Manroop Padda, Parneet Dhesi, Haardik Garg, Victor Gupta and Alex Gupta.

害羞草研究所淭his is kind of the engineering Olympics for them,害羞草研究所� Uppal added. 害羞草研究所淵ou have athletes who get to the national and international levels, and for these students this is an international competition, and they害羞草研究所檙e representing their school internaitonally, on that scale. It害羞草研究所檚 huge.害羞草研究所�

Still in the design phase, their LeoCraft rover is named for the school mascot of the Princess Margaret Lions.

Online, the learning journey will be documented .

害羞草研究所淚magine a group of high schoolers more ecstatic about rockets and Mars than the latest Netflix series,害羞草研究所� the website notes. 害羞草研究所淲e are a diverse group of passionate high school students who share a common love for space, engineering and science.害羞草研究所�

Sponsors, donors and scientific guidance is welcomed by these students, who are 害羞草研究所渁rmed with dreams as large as the cosmos.害羞草研究所�

Uppal said a real challenge is trying to raise $50,000 for the trip to Alabama.

害羞草研究所淗alf of that will go to transportation costs for the actual competition (a three-day conference), and the other half will be for designing and building and testing this rover,害羞草研究所� the teacher explained.

害羞草研究所淩ight now we害羞草研究所檙e looking around for equipment that could 3D-print their design, and we could use some help,害羞草研究所� Uppal added.

The built rover must be then dismantled and shipped to the HERC event, according to some strict rules.

害羞草研究所淚 didn害羞草研究所檛 think that they were going to get accepted because it was all so rushed and last-minute,害羞草研究所� Uppal admitted. 害羞草研究所淭hey put it together in, like, two days, their proposal. So for them to be accepted was a big deal, and now they realize there害羞草研究所檚 so much work ahead. But they害羞草研究所檙e all excited about the challenge.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 excited for them and I害羞草研究所檓 also scared, just the challenge ahead,害羞草研究所� he added with a laugh.

This isn害羞草研究所檛 the first time Princess Margaret students have been involved in a NASA-backed event. At Florida害羞草研究所檚 Kennedy Space Center in 2019, .