16 www.DesertMessenger.com March 20, 2019
Robotics Competition challenges youth
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By Heather Caton MSW
President & CEO
World Genesis Foundation
Two years after a radio contact with the International Space Station,
student members of the youth-led Arizona Amateur Radio Associa-
tion (AZARA) are still chasing their fascination with the combination
of radio science and space research. On March 6th, 2019, twenty-eight
students from communities along both sides the Colorado River in
Arizona and California gathered for their 2nd Annual "Desert Rover"
Amateur Radio Robotics Competition at the Desert Preparatory Acad-
emy in Blythe, CA.
Our student scientists were regularly challenged during development
to communicate and share presentations about their project, building
both community support and their own life skills. Competition day was
no exception. The event was filled with incredible excitement from the
students as they remotely controlled and made observations from two
separate mission control centers for their rovers they named "Integrity"
and "Echo." The day also included, rover races, an art exhibit of their
payloads and presentations Teachers, parents, news media and special
guests watched with fascination as the students very efficiently, ex-
plored and prepared reports
about a simulated remote
planet where the rovers were
operating.
One of the most interesting
parts of their Mission Con-
trol Software was the ability
to more precisely drive the
rover just using movements
of the mouse. Nicolas L.
from Blythe and David P.
from Quartzsite, who had
not yet begun learning Trigo-
nometry, found a clever and
simple way using mathemat-
ical slope and combinations
of tones to provide a very
precise and smooth naviga-
tional control of the Rovers.
Quartzsite
Volunteers
A.C. Fulcher
N4SVD
and
Joe Lewellen
K7JEL
Local volunteers A.C.
Fulcher – N4SVD, and Joe
Lewellen – K7JEL and Dave
Anderson-K1AN, taught
the youth everything they
needed to know and were at
the core of everything suc-
cessful about this project.
Thank you to all our local
support, visitors and par-
ticipants who made this day
special and memorable.
To learn more visit
www.WorldGenesis.org
Read
Desert MESSENGER
E-edition online
@
www.MyQuartzsite.com
