Moonbuggy Speed Record - 50 MPH!

Stephanie (Steffi) Fleischer
Moonbugg Team 2010
www.spaceeducation.de

Huntsville, April 06th, 2010

foto: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceeducation/sets/72157623792531598/
movie: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=SpaceEducation#p/c/D43CCA12213F30AC/8/ZO-5RjBeFoU

Today we start the day with a warming up and a very tasty beagle- breakfast. At eleven o`clock we drive to Hendrick's to fetch our Moonbuggy. The sun was very strong, the thermometer suggest about 25 °C (77 F) and we have to wear our suits. I hope Ralf is right with his thesis, that the blue cotton spaceesuit an the race- shirt will isolate.

Now begins the first ride and for the first time we crack our speed limit. 80,9 km/h (50,3 mph)!

No it can't be true, Let's try it another time. But we do it a second time. It is the same speed. Now I'm so happy the DEKRA GmbH is our silver sponsor. This company is inspecting cars and airplane pieces, also in USA. Maybe without their sponsoring we won't be able to make timelimits like these. I can't believe it. I drove 80 km/h (50 mph) with Stefan in Alabama.

After our litte time of success we startet to train. We drove about 31 km, from the Rainbow Hill till the Space- & Rocketcenter in Huntsville. It's a very hot and long ride, but so I can meet lots of workers of Moonbuggies. So we visited the UAH-college team 2010 and the vice-president of the "von Braun Research Hall", D. John M. Horack.

When we arrive at our last station, the Space- and Rocket Center some pedestrian are showing their interest. One guy for exmple helps his niece to take pictures of important things in Alabama. So this man shoots a foto of us and and the painted figure (a spacemann).

After that Stefan and me drive to the hotel, where we can rest and chat until the rest arrives. They take the Moobuggy to a garage oft the Center of Technology. Then we get something to eat at a Taco Bell.

It's Midnight an we analyse the telemetrie-datas and discuss the other themes. So we go to bed very, very exhausted.

foto: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceeducation/sets/72157623792531598/
movie: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=SpaceEducation#p/c/D43CCA12213F30AC/8/ZO-5RjBeFoU

First ride on our Moonbbuggy in the USA

Stephanie (Steffi) Fleischer
Moonbuggy Team 2010
www.spaceeducation.eu

April 05th, 2010

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceeducation/sets/72157623781634176/

Only four days left until the race begins and our Moonbuggy is still in our bagage.

First I get up at 7 o'clock. Today we gonna make our first training together. I wake up Stefan and Max, which were seleeping like babies. We go out and run in our neighboourhood. After that we strech and have breakfast. Then I call my Grandma in Germany to tell her what happend the last days. She is very excited and cannot beliefe what I experiance here in America. It`s alost eleven o'clock in the morning and we have to go to Ralf's and Yvonne's friends' Kay and Vernon.

At Headrick's garage we have the possibility to assemble our vehicle. We take about six hours to unpack the parts and tools of the Moobuggy.

My flap is still so big, because of the TV- Show yesterday. So I sing along happy with the songs on the radio. At the evning we get already ready. When Vernon, the housekeeper, shows us a very nice viewpoint near his house, while the sun is setting.

After the walk and some grips on our vehicle it's time for our first ride in the USA. We ride down the Rainbow Hill. We did an speedrecord of 57 km/h or 35 mph, in night! I am so frightened, because Stefan has got all the power. But we arrive secure und healthy at Hedrick's. Very tired we drive to our Hotel and go to bed.

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceeducation/sets/72157623781634176/

First impressions of America

Stephanie (Steffi) Fleischer
Moonbuggy Team 2010
www.spaceeducation.eu

Huntsville/Alabama, 04/04/2010

TV: WAAY, Channel 31:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=SpaceEducation#p/c/D43CCA12213F30AC/6/oNKjhbPu-94

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceeducation/sets/72157623648579361/

My first night in Amercia. During the night i can't sleep because i have headache and i think i'm getting a cold. At 8 o'clock in the mornig we meet at the lobby of the hotel and have brekfast together. We eat typical food of America, like beagels, muffins, waffels and orange juce and coffee. After the very sweet breakfast we get together for an briefing. There we discuss our scedule of today.

At 10 am we leave and visit the Spae & Rocket Center. After that we make a fotoshootin. With a lot of teammspirit and good mood we cn take beautifil pictures in the 25 degrees warm sun. Then we visit the Marriot Hotel, where we chill in the swimming- pool, Beause of the hot wheather in Alabama we leave the Hotel and go to the Wal Mart, a very big supermarket, ehere you can get everything you want. From Pharmacy, clothes, shoes, magazines to american food, fruits and soft drinks. There we buy something to drink, energy shots for the race, creams and shampoos and my favourite one, n Comsmopolitan. To stop our hungryness we stop by chercker's, a fast food restaurant. There we buy a lot of burgers and pomes, oh no here they ar called fries, a new vocabulary for me.

At 2 o' clock in the afternoon we meet Terry, our friendly and sympathic driver and friend, who visited the Maple Hill Cementary with us. We visited the grave of Professor Ernst Stuhlinger, also called as the „navigtor of Wernher of Brown" (Zitate of Huntsville Times). Then we drive to the grave Konrad Dammenberg and a lot of other important ingeneers fro Germay who were in the pollo Project. The graves in America are very beautiful, with a lot of flowers or pictures.

After that we drive to several Houses whrere we get to know the house where other famous scientists live, like the House of Wernher of Braun. After a while we drive to Monte Samo, you can call it „ Sauerkrautberg", too, with a lot of buildings of the 50's and 60's. Most of the German ingeneers, who work in Huntsville ave got a house there, On the the way to huntsville city center, we stop at Walter Jacobi's, but he wasn't at home. So we go on with our sightseeing tour and stop the doors an make some pictures with his house. Walter Jacobi was an very important ideas for the landing on the Moon. and he is the first human beeíng who showed people his racket in public. But that is not all. We drive to the Rainbowmountain, where Ralf organized an interview with the Wheaterman of Alabama. We shall be there at 10 pm o'clock.

In the afternoon we drove all together to the city Center, for taking a walk in the nice parc near the Walther of Braun Institute, where we watched a very big picture and a stone of rememberence of the famous scientist.

6 o'clock in the evening we met Terry and his fammily and the Hendricks at an restaurant where we have a very delicious dinner. After the dinner we are on the way to the TV station where a lot of people waiting for us. We all are standing in front of this dark camera, which can sees evrything and records everything you say and do. So there are Minutes left and so nervous. What will he ask, will i find the right wird's to answer the questions? How is my hair? i am so friightened of failing on air in Alabama. But did it pretty well. Ralf answere the questions like a master nd me, i explain a piece of the chassie with an angle limiter.

I AM IN THE AMERICAIN TV IN ALABAMA. After the interview i am very excited and later when we arrive at our hotel was jumping like a four aged girl getting a very big Barbie. When Terry visited us in the Hotel it get worse. I see myself in american tv.I can not stop smiling. I'm so happy. And another fact is that i can't stop talking for a long time. But know I'm going to bed because tomorrow we have to assemble our Moonbuggy and rebuild it.

TV: WAAY, Channel 31:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=SpaceEducation#p/c/D43CCA12213F30AC/6/oNKjhbPu-94

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceeducation/sets/72157623648579361/

Back From The Future

written by Ralf Heckel
International Space Education Institute
www.spaceeducation.de

translated by. Regina BA MA
Doctoral Researcher Spacecraft Habitability Design
Kingston University London

Leipzig, April 2, 2010

fotos night: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceeducation/sets/72157623752385014/
fotos day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceeducation/sets/72157623631402963/

It looks futuristic: The NASA Moonbuggy of the German Team 2010. Around midnight, late-night pedestrians in Leipzig were quite intrigued to find themselves facing a low-flying vehicle that left a trace of dazzling light against the pitch-black of the night in its wake. One of the punters remarked: "Did you see that? Seems like they've just come straight out of the film 'Back to the Future'!"

And they're indeed from the future. Stefan Martini (19, Munich), Stephanie Fleischer (19, Unterschleissheim), Max Frank (17, Leipzig) and their Russian colleague Ivan Therekov, joined by the mechanics crew Robert Hempel and Daniel Mueller of the Vocational & Technology Centre of the Chamber of Crafts, will not only participate in the NASA
Moonbuggy Race, April 8-10, 2010 in Huntsville/Alabama. They are also the first official construction team of the Mars500 Rover, a project that will reach out far into the future.

Throughout the previous 11 months, the International Space Education Institute has shared a lot of know how and practice from engineering and craft in 132 workshops. The press conference, held in Leipzig on March 30, 2010, received world-wide attention.

Accompany this unique European team to the US and the NASA construction competition of the up-and-coming engineers against 1088 other students.

fotos night: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceeducation/sets/72157623752385014/
fotos day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceeducation/sets/72157623631402963/

NASA Race in Double Seater

Student team of Leipzig institute to compete at Moonbuggy-Race in Huntsville

Leipzig Today, March 31, 2010

The countdown is on: Under the auspices of the Leipzig-based International Space Education Institute (ISEI) a team of students will be competing at the Moonbuggy Race at Huntsville, US. The crew is aiming for a place on the pedestal with their vehicle - called Ganymed - in the competition hosted by NASA.

Stefan Martini, Stephanie Fleischer, Max Frank, Robert Hempel, as well as Daniel Mueller and many others have spent months building the pedalled buggy. Also students from Russia and Hungary lent a hand, supported by experts of Leipzig firms such as Doerffer Sandstrahltechnik GmbH or Dreherei Guenther Jacob. "We didn't go to sleep until the early hours yesterday just to put the finishing touches on the vehicle," says Daniel, 18, who is currently doing an apprenticeship at the Vocational & Technology Centre of the Chamber of Crafts. He is, like 16 year old Robert, a mechanic in Ganymed's crew.

Despite the short night there was not an ounce of tiredness when the creators presented the 93kg two seater yesterday. Quizzed on details of the quad-cycle buggy - which according to NASA requirements cannot exceed 1.2 by 2.5 meters - Stefan explains with great enthusiasm: "Double chain drive, 28 gears, GPS datalogger, mounted camera". The 19 year old grammar school student from Munich has regularly been spending his holidays at SEI which is registered as association. Stefan has been on the SEI team since the original model of Ganymed took part in the Moonbuggy Race. 19 year old Stephanie from Bavarian Unterschleissheim, however, only joined the institute in 2009 and will be kicking the pedals for the first time in Huntsville: "I hope the construction and my fitness will be up to scratch". The test drives were not always perfect. The race in Huntsville, where NASA used to build their moon rockets, will be a first also for Max who is studying at the local sports grammar.

Institute director Ralf Heckel has double-checked the line-up: "109 participants from all over the world have registered and will be maneuvering their buggies through a course studded with obstacles". The off-road piste is 1.2km long, there are penalties for mistakes. "I have total faith in our material and crew. If they make the same effort in the race as during construction, then we'll be up for a better score than last year's 6th position".

"We'll give everything, and we really want a place on the pedestal," says buggy pilot Stefan. "We also owe that to our sponsors and supporting companies." This weekend, the crew is off to Huntsville. They'll train and further optimize Ganymed. The race will take place on April 9 and 10. "We cross our fingers vigorously," assures Sigrid Zimmermann, managing director of the Chamber of Crafts, Leipzig, who is actively involved as project partner.

written by Mario Beck, Leipziger Volkszeitung

translated by Regina Peldszus BA MA, Doctoral Researcher Spacecraft Habitability Design

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