This sample has be taken from the 2016-2017 report submitted for and awarded the Neil Armstrong Best Design Award.
*Any typos or grammatical errors appeared in the original document.
Based on limited testing at the time of this report our primary design weakness remains our seats. While our focus this year on the ergonomics of seat angle and length of pedal bar for optimal chain tension the method used to mount the seat frames to the rover frame remains cumbersome and sloppy. We had intended to create sliding seats to allow an even more personalized fit for our drivers. This also allows the team to share the driving responsibilities, a set of drivers for the race and a set of drivers for the retrieval challenge. Our female drivers vary substantially in height so this is a nice value added feature. It is simply not well executed. The seat adjusts but it takes time and a high degree of effort.
Testing has yet to uncover any substantial structural design weaknesses.