Team ISU's GLXP Student Competition Blog

The future of the space industry is in good hands.....

2008-05-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

It was an absolute pleasure to compete against so many great young talents. We were very impressed by the level of ability of all of the teams. So many young enthusiasts can only mean good things for the future of space exploration. It was an honor to compete against all of the other schools, and every school was truly well represented.

Closing Thoughts

2008-05-20T11:52:00.001-07:00

I thought all of the teams at the GLXP student competition did an excellent job - I was impressed by the range of ideas presented and the skill with which the teams did their work. Congratulations to everyone for their fine efforts, and thanks to my fellow teammates for making the day so enjoyable.

Afternoon Update

2008-05-20T06:13:00.000-07:00

Well, after a hectic morning we made our first presentation to the judges and received some very useful feedback. A few of their concerns were already in our minds, and a few were new to us.

Right now we're finishing up our final presentation. Mission architecture, landing options, mass budgets, financial plans, and outreach initiatives are coming to life. Looking forward to showing this to the judging panel.

Here are a couple of quick graphics to capture your curiosity:

De la Terre a la Lune

2008-05-20T03:12:00.000-07:00

We're making a moon lander in 3 hours.....just like the big kids. did we mention that we're available for hire? moon landings, deep space probes and bar mitzvahs are our specialty. seniors! ask us about our discounts on launches and bus passes.

11am

2008-05-20T02:02:00.000-07:00

work package 3.........getting the slides ready, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.

Let the games begin!

2008-05-20T00:49:00.000-07:00

ahh, spring. at least, i think that's what season it is outside. i have no idea, since we're spending our hard earned free time pretending to be in school.

we're doing WP1 right now, and we have some great ideas. also, we're thinking of cheating.

things i would write about if twitter wasn't down:

2008-05-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

twitter has abandoned me in my hour of need. here's a sampling of what i would have been posting:

"i can't believe gina keeps on table dancing to bon jovi requests! she's so easily excited"

"dexter just got the phone # from the hand dryer in the basement of la lanterne, way to go dex!"

"stolen beer tastes sweeter..."

Challenge Met

2008-05-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

It's been described as "the impossible challenge": how to incorporate a luciano pavarotti & james brown duet into a blog about competitive moon landings. now, finally, in much the same way as the 5 bladed disposable razor, the impossible has been achieved.

behold.......louie and jimbo, doin that thang.

Lanternification

2008-05-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

clearly the other teams have wimped out. it's just Team ISU and the X Prize people hanging out at La Lanterne. if we get them drunk enough we might be able to extract some secrets from them.

A little international competition

2008-05-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

Sports are a great way to bring nations together in cooperation and peaceful competition, especially if those sports include hockey - on the moon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDMcIy3aBu4

Also, Scott's statement regarding my attire is incorrect and requires a correction. It is simply not true that 62% of my clothes feature the word "rocket" - only 62% of my shirts. Pants with rocket logos are harder to come by...

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress...

2008-05-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

Well, in the case of the ISU GLXP student team, the Moon will be conquered by two lunar ladies who aren't afraid to crack a proverbial whip to get the job done and done well. Amanda Stiles and Gina Pieri make up the female population of the team. Big picture girls. Not afraid to get our hands dirty or feet wet. Remarkably, we have a lot in common, from nationality (American) to hair color (brown) to current state of employment (deep in the heart of Texas). Between the two of us, I think we can keep the rest of our team (four unwieldy Canadian boys) on track... although I may need to procure some Molson's and maple syrup for ammo should the female persuasion not be enough! Hm - potential partnerships?

Things to do in Strasbourg while awaiting your impending doom

2008-05-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

Strasbourg can be a tough place, particularly if you've travelled a great distance simply to be bested in competition by the locals. Fear not though, there are ample places for you to drown your sorrows. One of those places is La Lanterne (5, Rue Lanterne 67000 Strasbourg).

You can actually drown your sorrows in advance tonight (Monday), we'll be there around 8pm. La Lanterne is basically known for being the bar nobody went to until the smoking ban was enacted. Now that you can see inside, it's a great place to have a micro-brew, especially if you like beers inexplicably named after guitars.

Scenes from Team ISU' practice session.....

2008-05-19T06:49:00.001-07:00

Getting ready for the throwdown.

Team Portrait

2008-05-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

An eerily accurate picture of our team. From left:

James MacLeod - There' two things you need to know about James. One, he has a creepy obsession with spreadsheets. Two, he has an unpleasant tendency to throw candy when angry. Every once in a while you should refer to him as "jimmy", it seems to make him happy

Dexter Jagula - You're probably already facebook friends with Dexter and just didn't know it. Dexter is not very good at riding a bike, this is an undeniable fact. He is however, capable of performing sir mixalot's "baby got back" in its entirety, including dance moves.

Amanda Stiles - our fearless leader. Amanda has promised us that she will destroy the moon on our behalf if we don't win the contest. that's leadership folks, and it can't be taught.

James Antifaev -those of you with an affinity for excruciating puns will love James. Everyone else, not so much. Like many engineers, the word "rocket" or some type of equation appears on about 62% of his clothing, an admirable feat indeed. As you can imagine ladies, James is available.

Gina Pieri - "wildfire" "TNT" "G-Unit" cower before the awesome fury of the Gina! I crossed Gina once............and only once. If you notice Gina smiling when she looks at you, it's only because she's thinking of 17 different ways to snap your neck using her non-dominant hand.

Scott Morley - A burning hunka hunka man meat. an unparalleled genius. mankind's one great hope......moi.