CCSU Moonbuggy-3 Senior Capstone Design Project: Design, Competition and Project Assessment

2010/11 academic year was the third year of the offer of moonbuggy senior capstone design project for Central Connecticut State University Mechanical Engineering (ME) students. The first offer of this project as a senior capstone design project was in 2008. During three years student teams designed, fabricated, assembled, and tested on the grounds of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center two moonbuggy vehicles. Findings from 2008/09 and 2009/10 academic years were presented at the 48 and 49 AIAA Aerospace Science Meetings (Orlando, FL). During 2010/11 academic year ME senior students improved CCSU Moonbuggy–2 vehicle and successfully participated in the 18 Annual NASA Great Moonbuggy Race. The third academic year experience confirmed again that moonbuggy project is very popular among ME students since work on the moonbuggy enhances their skills in the design, and manufacturing, requires application of their knowledge from ME core classes, solution of cutting-edge real-world engineering design challengers, and dramatically improves their communicational, organizational, and managerial skills.