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.