Der 1. Renntag
Ralf Heckel

Reports of the Rovernauts (link)

Everything is ready. The Rover is already in the paddock. It has been tested and retested for a year. Nothing can go wrong anymore. The pavilion is set up and chic. The team has lined up for a safety meeting. There are over 1000 pupils and students there. The mood is exuberant. There was even a dinner at the Davidson Center under the huge Saturn V moon rocket. The morning of the 1st race day begins with sunshine. Our two pilots draw a wide and relaxed smile on their pretty faces. So everything is perfect, one would think - but not today and not with us!

Even in the early morning, no vehicle on the course remained intact. Not a single rover made it to the finish line by 9 a.m. Our team felt safe and did a short training session on the grass next to the paddock. Then the mistake witch struck and they hadn't put their broom in the corner all day. An epoxy glue on the front axle drive came loose and the front axle spun without the wheels moving. Such a sh…t!

They quickly went straight to the workshop. Now the girls and boys learn how to pull themselves out of the cocoa on 3 hairs shortly before the start date. I resorted to a lesson with students in the Department of Strength of Materials at the Moscow Aviation Institute, years ago. If you want to connect carbon fibre composite and metal firmly, you need many small enclosed rivets. Luckily, the pit crew had small spring pins and an assortment of thin drills. And so not only the damaged area was processed, but all glued areas of this kind. It succeeded. Cosma took over the work after the first part and the team was then able to start the inspection even 15 minutes earlier.

The inspection or MRR (Mission Readiness Review) went easily. Our pilots mastered all tasks confidently. After measuring the rover without complaint, they folded it up and carried it 20 ft. It was then weighed. 85 kilograms. Then it was unfolded, after timekeeping, 8.9 seconds. That was the fastest time of the day. Wow! Then they were off to the starting line.

The queue at the start was already long and that dragged on. Many teams did not get off the ground after the start signal, or were already pushing after the 1st obstacle. I spread out all the members and fathers with cameras on the course and we waited eagerly for the announcement: "Team number 254, ready to go!"

Start! As if struck by lightning, Cosma and Hazel shot away, both again with a big smile on their faces. Startled, the spectators jumped to the side and were amazed at "WOW!". The first 3 obstacles were like butter. Cosma simply left them behind. Jesco is already running alongside with his video camera and looking for a new film slot. Now comes an obstacle that has it all, a slope. Many teams discard this obstacle or slide sideways into the straw bales. That gives penalty points. Cosma approaches them sideways in an arc. No problem.

Now comes a long stretch. Made of gravel. It lies only thin and uncompacted on the ground softened by the storms. You can tell that this saps energy. At the end there is a man-high mountain. They have to get over it. It almost works. Just before the ridge, the rover stops, shifted too late. But actually no problem. In 1st gear, you can easily get over it with this Rover. Cosma and Hazel shift down and press their feet into the pedals at the same time. Now there are about 300 Newton meters on the front axle. This is the torque on the crankshaft of a truck diesel. The chains and differential gear hold. But now the witch strikes a second time. With a loud bang, the CFRP drive in the front axle says goodbye. Both pedals spin. Dung!

But Cosma reacts immediately, lets the rover roll backwards down the slope and gives Hazel instructions. The moon mission is now becoming a rescue mission. Both have only a time window of 8 minutes and after that the "oxygen is used up". So both have to get the rover into the finish line somehow. This is the only way to earn points for a successful return. Hazel dismounts and pushes. Cosma steers. Our boys dash along with their cameras. Exactly! Only in this way can there be a continuation.

Completely exhausted and with the last of her strength, Hazel brings the rover Ophelia to the finish line with Cosma on the steering arms. Both are now really a team and despite everything overjoyed. There is water.

During the first observation of the damage, it is noticeable that a part is missing. It is the spline shaft hub. Just the part that was glued on and is now off. The CFRP shaft is completely split and can no longer be used under any circumstances. But if you want to save something here, we need this wedge hub. It is a metric part that you can't buy here in the USA or can only be made with a lot of effort. I send Jesco and Leander back to the mountain to look for the walnut-sized part. The two actually found it between the gravel, great!

Well, a relaxed day doesn't come to anything for the time being. Crisis meeting. You need 2 suitable pipes to replace the CFRP pipe, a turnery- and a welding machine. Cosma and Hazel immediately set off on the trail and search in scrapboxes for a suitable steel pipe. I, on the other hand, show the boys how to remove the differential gear and the drivetrains. The weather becomes inhospitable, windy, rainy and cold. But that doesn't matter. The two lie on their backs under the rover and dismantle.

When the gearbox was removed and the drives disassembled, the girls came back and had actually found something suitable. Perfect! Meeting and off to the pit area. Cosma manages all of this with a spin. I then weld and grind the finished parts and the result looks good! Jesco and Leander reinstall everything. Everyone is proud.

In the meantime, the place has become empty. Only a few teams are left. We're done, but we have to do another test drive. Cosma and Leander are supposed to put a lot of strain on the rover. They do so and the witch strikes again – today for the 3rd time. A press fit in the drive comes loose. Something like that can't really happen. We shrunk this X-fit ourselves with the students, with heat and dry ice. Something like this can never work out, but it does. It is so. The surprises do not stop.

I reassure the team. "No problem, then we'll get up an hour earlier tomorrow and weld it. I can do that without everything having to be removed again. Takes only 10 minutes.
Felix Schlang sends a message: "Test, fail, fix, repeat!" And that's exactly what it is, this is a trip that, despite 18 years of experience, always produces something new. Tomorrow is a 2nd attempt.