Previous Challenges


2009 Explore the Volcano
Create a device that can deliver a payload of up to 6 geological instruments (a/k/a ping-pong balls) to the top of the volcano in 3 minutes.

Check out 2009 Winners List

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2008 Water Works
Create a device to deliver water to a tank located in a village on a hill above the river. There is no electricity in the village; only the flow of the river can be used to generate power.

Check out 2008 Winners List

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2007 Mars Crater Mission
Design, build and operate an unmanned device that can survive a 12 -foot drop into a Martian crater and then successfully exit the crater by ascending a 6-foot crater wall.

Download 2007 Winners List (177k PDF file)

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2006 Fight the Flood
Design, build, and operate an innovative improvement to current sandbag filling solutions. The city will provide a pile of sand and empty bags. How many properly filled bags can your apparatus prepare for our floodwall?

Download 2006 Winners List (177k PDF file)

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2005 Battle the Blaze
Design, build, and operate a device that can retrieve water (one water balloon) from a lake and deliver it to the fire (a designated target) on the top of the ridge. This is a rapidly spreading fire! Your team has 3 minutes to deliver the water before the fire expands out of control.

Download 2005 Winners List (177k PDF file)

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2004 Pick a Pike
Design, build, and operate a device that can find and collect one northern pike fish (one free floating, partially submerged plastic fish) from Lake Davis and place the fish within a collection area on shore. The device must start behind the shoreline near the edge of the lake. The maximum time allowed to operate the device is three minutes.

Download 2004 Winners List (160k PDF file)

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2003 Canopy Climb
Design, build, and operate a device that can climb vertically up a 15 1/2 foot long rope (jungle vine) and reach the top of our make-believe rainforest canopy to retrieve a ping pong ball (tropical tree sample). The device must then descend the rope safely with the ball. The maximum time allowed to operate the device is three minutes.

Download 2003 Winners List (60k PDF file)

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2002 Pass the Tech Torch
Design, build and operate a device that will pick up, move and set down a make-believe torch. The torch has to move from one pedestal to another on 11 feet away. For success, your invention will place the torch firmly in the second pedestal within three minutes.

Download 2002 Winners List (47k PDF file)

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2001 Martian Crater Escape
Design, build and operate a device that will climb the wall of a simulated crater on Mars. The climb starts out horizontal, and then become vertical over a 1510mm radius curve. Your device will achieve its mission if it can climb to the top of the crater wall and pass through a light beam 50 mm from the top within 3 minutes.

Download 2001 Winners List (61k PDF file)

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2000 High Adventure in Space: Mission to Power Up a Satellite
Design, build and operate a device that will repair a drifting satellite that is slowly rotating in space by inserting a standard 6 volt lantern battery (6 cm x 6 cm x 10 cm) into its battery receptacle to restore its power within 3 minutes, excluding setup time. The satellite rotates at approximately 2 rpm.

Download 2000 Winners List (55k PDF file)

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1999 Rescue at Sea
Design, build and operate a device to reach the top of a simulated swaying boat mast, trigger a sensor, and safely return to the base of the mast. Your device must attach to and carry a plastic safety ring that encircles the mast during the event.

Download 1999 Winners List (49k PDF file)

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1998 Climb an Elevated Bridge Cable and Prevent a Major Disaster
Design a device that simulates an inspection mechanism that can traverse the bridge cable between two upright supports. The device must be completely suspended from the cable, travel from on bridge support to the other, and touch a sensor at each end.

Download 1998 Winners List (51k PDF file)

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1997 Land a Robotic Rover on Mars and Escape from an Ancient Crater
Design a robotic lander/rover that can accurately and safely crash-land onto the ancient Martian flood plain when released from high above the planet's surface. Your lander/rover will be dropped into a shallow, sandy crater. The device must be able to escape from this pit and reach a goal outside of the crater so that it can begin its mission.

Download 1997 Winners List (51k PDF file)

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1996 Climb a Treacherous Passageway Inside an Ancient Egyptian Pyramid
Design a device that ascends a passageway, negotiates various obstacles on the track, and successfully reaches the top within three minutes. The ramp or track simulates the interior or an ancient Egyptian pyramid burial site with steep long passageways and obstacles. Obstacles simulate possible problems explorers would face in a dark Egyptian pyramid- bumpy and steep terrain, steps, low overhangs, and craters on the surface.

Download 1996 Winners List (50k PDF file)

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1995 Take the Climb
Rain forest researchers need your help. Design a lightweight, small rope-climbing device that can quickly (within 6 minutes) ascend and descend a 15 _ ' rope simulating a trip to the tall rain forest tree canopy.

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1994 Under-ice Salvage Mission in Antarctica A Nuclear Fishin' Impossible
Help NASA complete on of their rescues in a important under-ice salvage mission, to retrieve an object (a canister of nuclear waster) from the bottom of an ice-covered Antarctic lake. The object is located directly below a large hole in the ice. Your challenge is to operate a salvage device that must be able to retrieve the canister of nuclear waster, bring it up, and return it successfully to the start area. The ice-covered lake is simulated by a large platform of thick plastic, position as shown on the diagram.

Download 1994 Winners List (49k PDF file)

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1993 High Adventure in Space: Mission to Power Up a Satellite
Design, build and operate a device that will repair a drifting satellite that is slowly rotating in space by inserting a standard 6 volt lantern battery (6 cm x 6 cm x 10 cm) into its battery receptacle to restore its power within 3 minutes, excluding setup time. The satellite rotates at approximately 2 rpm.

Download 1993 Winners List (50k PDF file)

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1992 Martian Motion
Design, build and operate a Rover vehicle that can operate on a simulated Mars surface, move from landing site through rough terrain, collect a Mars rock sample and return and deposit the sample back at the landing site.

Download 1992 Winners List (48k PDF file)

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1991 Escape from Valles Marineris on Mars
Design, build and operate a Mars Rover to escape a difficult situation, jump a gap, resist soft sand, and climb steep walls.

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1990 Analysis of Martian Soil and Steep Incline Martian Terrain
Design, build and operate a Mars Rover that will analyze and sort soil and then climb a steep incline.

Download 1990 Winners List (46k PDF file)

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1989 Mars Traction Problem
Design, build and operate a device that will find traction through dense surface material on Mars.

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1988 Mars Crater Hole Problem
Design, build and operate a device that will travel across large gaps in Martian terrain.

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