2025 High School Program
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2025 High School Summer Program
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Program Overview
Zero Robotics is an inspiring program for high school students that is truly out of this world! The program introduces students to computer programming, robotics, and space engineering, and provides hands-on experience programming Astrobee Satellites. Zero Robotics is provided through a partnership between the MIT Media Lab’s Space Enabled Research Group, the Innovation Learning Center, the Aerospace Corporation, the ISS National Laboratory, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, (NASA)and Aurora Flight Science: a Boeing Company. Zero Robotics seeks to inspire our next generation of great minds by allowing them unprecedented access to space. By making the benefits and resources of the International Space Station tangible to students, Zero Robotics hopes to cultivate an appreciation of science, technology, engineering and math through healthy, immersive, collaborative competition.
Game
Student participants compete to win a technically challenging game by programming their strategies into an Astrobee Satellite. Students’ programs control the satellites' speed, rotation, and direction of travel. The students program their satellites to complete competition objectives like navigating obstacles, while conserving resources such as fuel. The programs are autonomous - that is, the students are not able to directly control the satellites while they are running. Each year’s game is motivated by a problem of interest to NASA and MIT.
NASA’s next-generation free-flyer, Astrobee, replaces the previously used hardware used for Zero Robotics, the SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold Engage Reorient Experimental Satellites). Students will create, edit, save, and simulate projects online. They will write code, then simulate their programs immediately and see the results using a simulation. The programming interface and simulation are entirely web-based, so ZR does not require any software downloads or computer configuration. After several phases of virtual competition in a simulation environment, finalists are selected to compete in a live championship aboard the ISS. An astronaut conducts the final competition in microgravity with a live broadcast to MIT for community viewing.
Schedule
The ZR program will run from January 13, 2025 - February 21, 2025. This competition will be in-person at your respective schools or community-based organizations (with online/virtual flexibility). This program can operate as a before-school club, an afterschool club, a weekend club, or as an in-class elective class.
Important Dates
January 6, 2025 - Selection of Invited Teams finalized
January 9, 2025 - Game Concept/Manual Announced
January 11, 2025 - Code of Ethics Reviewed & Pre-program survey complete
January 13, 2025 - Game Platform Opens Online
January 19, 2025 - Team Name & Description Due
January 24, 2025 - Check-Point (Practice) Code Due
February 10, 2025 - Final Code due to MIT
February 14, 2025 - Code Development Presentation Due to MIT
Week of Feb. 18-21, 2025 - LIVE International Space Station Finals at MIT( Subject to change by NASA)
Program Days/Time
Your school/program has flexibility in terms of when and how you meet!
Team Composition
5 (min) to 25 (max) High School students and an Adult Advisor (teacher, parent, coach).
Cost
This program is FREE. We have no entrance fees to participate, and we do not require that you purchase any special hardware or software - everything is web-based.
Authorized Country
This year's Invitational is open to United States teams only.
How To Participate & Application
2025 High School (Relaunch) is an invite-only tournament. Only 10 (min) to 20 (max) teams are being invited to write code to control NASA's Astrobee satellites aboard the International Space Station. If you wish to form a team and participate, we ask that you complete the request for consideration form by December 31, 2024.
Please contact Katie@MassILC.com or (617)908-7408 with any questions.
WAIVER OF LIABILITY
By participating in the 2025 High School Program of Zero Robotics, each participant agrees that under no circumstances, including, but not limited to, negligence, shall MIT, its partners, or the Sponsors, or their respective officers, directors, employees, shareholders, agents, successors, and assigns (the "Released Parties") be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of participation in the Zero Robotics Program, even if any or all of the Released Parties have been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Participation by creating accounts and/or submitting an application and/or submitting code and/or attendance at trainings constitutes Contestant's full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of the Zero Robotics Program Rules. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply.
