Toronto students drive Canadian lunar rover prototype headed for moon exploration
Students from three Greater Toronto Area schools won a national competition to experience what it’s like to remotely control a lunar rover.
“I never knew anything about space or lunar rovers before so it was really fun to know that I won this competition,” Manvi Lakhani, a Grade 9 student at Bayview Secondary School in Richmond Hill, told CTV News Toronto Monday.
“I think the coolest part is that you’re literally on the moon, virtually, and you’re driving a rover on the moon without being there,” she said after taking control of the rover’s movements.
Lakhani was one of a handful students who won the Lunar Rover Research Challenge from education charity Let’s Talk Science after dozens of submissions from across the country. Students from Fallingbrook Middle School and Bristol Road Middle School in Mississauga were also chosen.
The students were given a mission — to use the rover to find ice on the moon. The drivers’ classmates were their support staff. Their job was to figure out which direction to take the rover, track battery life and temperature, and identify the right type of rocks to locate the ice. The first task was finding where the lunar rover had been dropped.
“We took 20 minutes to find it,” said navigator team member and Grade 9 student Tim Liu with a laugh.
“We used our orbital photos. We probably should have turned {the rover} first to see our surroundings, and we used one of our valuable resources to do it. After a while we figured it out.”
Students from the Greater Toronto Area test out a lunar rover prototype headed for moon exploration. (Beth Macdonell)
The current lunar rover is located in a Stratford, Ontario, but the look of the terrain, the feel of the machine, and its challenges are similar to what operators will encounter on the moon.
Moving the rover takes a lot of time and work, said Leah Davis-Purcell, who was leading the simulation and is a technical systems and outreach worker with start-up Avalon Space.
“A two-hour session brings like 50 metres travel or way less than that, because there is so much conversation, thinking and consideration that goes into every move,” she explained.
In a few years, a possible version of the same lunar rover, which is being developed by Canadian engineers Canadensys Aerospace, will be part of the Artemis space missions to the moon. This version could be in action as early as 2026.
“I feel like I’m helping somehow. It feels like I’m making some kind of impact towards the future,” said Cassie Pang, who is in Grade 9 and was a member of the scientists team.
“I’m really happy because I’ll be part of history, slightly,” said Brian Xue, also with the scientists team. “I can say I helped scientists get to the moon.”
A lunar rover prototype is seen in this undated photograph. (Photo courtesy of Canadensys Aerospace)
About halfway through the simulation, the students at Bayview Secondary School were successful and located the ice on the moon.
The project is made possible through funding by the Canadian Space Agency.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
Police in Paris detain a man wearing fake explosives vest at Iran's Consulate
A man wearing a fake explosive vest and making threats was detained Friday outside the Iranian Consulate in Paris after police locked down the area, authorities said. His motive was unclear.
CFIA monitoring for avian flu in Canadian dairy cattle after U.S. discoveries
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to keep an eye out for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds.