Marc Garneau Moonbuggy Team - A Conclusion

MGMT has come a long way since its inception. In 2011, Peter Wen had an outrageous dream to put together a team of high school students and build a two-person all-terrain folding human-powered-vehicle in hopes of competing at the annual international NASA Moonbuggy Race.

MGMT consisted of about twenty enthusiastic students willing to put their time into designing, building, and promoting such a project. The moonbuggy's first designs were created in the summer of 2012, then later reworked because of budget and material limitations. Over the course of the fall and winter, a few team members worked long hours in MGCI's auto shop to build the buggy under the supervision of teachers Mr. Skara and Mr. Saroli. Bringing their skills and talents, the construction became a huge learning process for all involved.

Other team members worked on finding sponsors to buy materials and bring the team to Alabama in April, and marketing the moonbuggy project. They were awarded with a visit from the school's namesake, Dr. Marc Garneau, former Canadian astronaut and leadership candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada. MGMT was featured in a news article by the Canadian Press. Their sponsorship efforts also paid off, as TDM Technical Services, Aversan Inc, and Hometrust donated enough to allow the team to compete in the race.

March and April were stressful times. Members were pulling long hours of construction, staying late into evenings, fueled by pizza and pop. Another female rider needed to be found when the original was pulled from the trip. Jerseys and t-shirts were ordered. Transportation detailed were ironed out. Forms were signed. Riders prepared by biking. Final touches were added to the moonbuggy, and the entire vehicle was tested, painted and shipped to Alabama the week before the race.

Peter Wen and Nancy Wu rode MGMT's buggy at the US Space and Rocket Center, in Huntsville, Alabama. MGMT was the only Canadian high school participating. The first day, the team was unable to finish the race because of a bent rim and wheel. They scrambled to fix it that evening and was able to complete the race the next day in 7 minutes and 22 seconds. It was a great feeling and accomplishment for everyone who put hours, days, and months into the project.

Although MGMT isn't continuing this current school year, the entire experience was invaluable. We would also like to give a huge thank you to everyone who supported us: our team members, our parents, our teachers, our principal, followers of our blog and Facebook page, and our sponsors.

The Big Race: A Firsthand Account

Reality hits me as we approach the American border – we are crossing a line that has never been crossed before. I turn to Raheel to my right, and laugh at our whole experience. Seven months ago, we didn’t even know how to cut steel tubing, much less how to weld it. Six months ago, I thought the buggy could be built with just $150. We’ve come so far.

Thursday morning at the US Space and Rocket Center, dozens of teams are setting up. At our site, number 79, we unpack and assemble the buggy that we hurriedly put together at home. We slide the hinge pin in, uniting the front and rear sections of the frame, and nut-and-bolt all of the parts on. Seeing our fully assembled buggy for the first time in its painted glory, I feel a wave of satisfaction. We receive a lot of attention from other teams. I wasn't sure whether they are offended by our plethora of Canadian flags or if they are curious about the wheelbarrow wheel (which we had nicknamed the Skara Wheel), but man, the buggy looks good. The welding blemishes were disguised by our hammered paint, the red accents look sexy, and the sponsor stickers look professional. This is Canada’s High School buggy. Our Creation.

Nancy and I sit anxiously behind the starting line, watching Team Russia charge into the finish line in their (rumored $30 000) buggy. Our assembly is a rather slow 47 seconds. We are already at a disadvantage. The Puerto Rican team in front of us undid a pin, let their buggy literally spring open, and sat on it in three seconds flat. The NASA TV representative smiles at us, then he slips under his breath, “It seems the key is to go fast into that first obstacle. I've been standing here all day and everybody is getting stuck.” With only one drive wheel, the risk of getting stuck was my biggest fear.

We listen and power into the dirt mound at the sound of the loudspeaker signal, fueled by anxiety and adrenaline from the cheering crowd. We hit the first mound and it acts like a ramp giving us a foot of air. I notice our direction is skewed, so I desperately steer sharply to the left in midair. This is a bad idea. As soon as we land, the right wheel, now sideways, slams against a concrete mound, and sends me lurching forward into my seat belt. (When I watched the race video later, I saw the rear of the buggy swing over a meter upwards from sheer momentum, almost tipping Nancy over my head. Maybe that’s why there was a deep ooooh from the crowd.) I look down at my right wheel but in its place I see a potato chip. I mean, this rim is so bent, it looks like it will collapse if another pound is put on it. Not to mention the wheel alignment is completely off; the two wheels point at each other nearly perpendicularly. Once the crowd dies down, a soft hiss comes from the tube. A flat to top it off.

Failure.

We push the buggy back to our tent, met with many looks of pity on the way. I lie down in the shade without saying a word, exhausted. I feel my eyes begin to water, but I quickly wipe them dry, remembering I am the team leader.

We spend the entire evening making repairs, not even stopping for dinner.

Over breakfast the next morning we go over the plan again and again: go slowly, make wide turns, hold the steering tight. We roll up to the starting line, receiving many encouragements from teams that remembered our rim from yesterday. Today we are going to finish the Great Moonbuggy Race.

We push forward at the sound of the air horn, but not with the same urgency as yesterday. I line the buggy’s wheels up steadily with the same obstacle that cut our run short yesterday. I pull both handlebars inward with a death-grip as the nose rises from the bump. The buggy slowly makes its way over the obstacle. The audience cheers.

I feel a rush of euphoria as we ride away. We go into the second bump much faster than yesterday. Nice and steady, we make it over no problem.  We ride the same way through the remainder of the course, toppling over twice on uneven ground, but we save ourselves by simply stepping over the side and stabilizing the vehicle. Through the Ejecta Rays, the lunar crater, underneath the Saturn V, back up the hill, through the undulating terrain, and finally though the finish line, greeted by an enthusiastic crowd. I am winded by the time we finish, but the euphoria is indescribable. 7:22. We did it. Mission accomplished.

Here are pictures that tell the story of our trip. Detailed first person account to come soon!

 

A Short Recap of the Trip (Full Version to Come)

Hey everyone! This past week, the MGCI Moonbuggy team made the long trip down south to sweet home Alabama to compete in NASA's Great Moonbuggy Race. In the days before the race, the team constructed the buggy on site at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville and made some final adjustments. 

With almost a hundred teams from all over the world, the MGMT saw plenty of intriguing designs from newcomers and experienced competitors alike. One by one, all of the teams made their way down the racetrack – some with ease, some pushing and shoving their buggy along. After passing the measurements test and weigh-in, the MGMT buggy headed to the starting line. 

Eyeing the obstacles ahead, the buggy and riders were off to a quick start. The buggy decked with Canadian flags  caught air on the first obstacle, but came down too hard on one front wheel. 380 lbs of metal and flesh bent the rim into a taco, as the announcers called it. We did not finish the first run within the eight minute limit. Morale dropped. 

However, on day two, we came back with refreshed vigor. We replaced the taco rim and cut the rear tire treads to prevent rubbing. We raced again. Canada’s first high school team made it across the finish line (on our wheels!) with a raw run time of 7:22, an excellent run for a rookie team.

All in all, the trip down to Huntsville, Alabama was a great success. After a week of having great weather, making dramatic comebacks, and making a bunch of new friends from Greenfield, Indiana, the Moonbuggy team headed back to Toronto with renewed team spirit and a sense of accomplishment. Look for the full update and pictures later this week! In the meantime, the unfortunate first run can be found in the final minutes of this clip and the first few minutes of this clip.

24 Hours to Alabama!

It's finally (almost) here! Our six-member team will be leaving Garneau tomorrow morning to begin their journey to Huntsville Alabama for NASA's Great Moonbuggy Race! All those long, hard, stressful, sleepless months are now over - instead, the air is filled with anticipation and excitement. This will be the NASA's 20th  edition of the race at the Marshall Space Flight Center, hailing 99 teams from United States, India, Germany, Mexico, Russia, Canada, and Peurto-Rico.

Be sure to stay tuned in the coming days for updates from the race.

We'd like to share our excitement with you with another giveaway - Can you guess the weight of our buggy with our riders on? Make a guess on our Facebook page for a chance to win a MGMT t-shirt!

A good luck charm - signed by Dr. Marc Garneau

An old picture that was never posted:
Our buggy in its folded position.

Side view of our 99% complete buggy

Countdown to Alabama: Less than 24 hours!

Construction Officially Done!

The full construction crew worked to the very last minute, rounding sharp edges, replacing old bolts, and regreasing bearings so the buggy runs as smoothly as possible. When everything was done, we took it apart, painted each section (wait to see our paint job when we reassemble it in Alabama!) and packed it into our shipping box. The result of hundreds of hours of work finally came to an emotional end at 9pm last night. Three hours later it was placed on a FedEx truck bound for Marshall Space Flight Center. See you soon darling!

 

Countdown to Alabama: 5 days!

Second Test Ride

Today at 9:07 pm we wrapped up a busy day of work with a joyride around the parking lot, pedaling both in the front and rear. It was really fun, and no major damages were made. Come out to the backfield tomorrow (April 17) at lunch and check us out for another test run!


Enjoy the video!