Ansbach JROTC competes in Robot Drone League National Championships
ANSBACH, Germany – This year’s Robot Drone League (RDL) Competition was inspired by one of the most ambitious missions in human history, the Artemis program. NASA is leading the charge to return humans to the Moon, not just to visit, but to stay. Through Artemis, astronauts will establish a permanent lunar presence that will serve as the foundation for future space exploration, including the ultimate goal: Mars.
Students at Ansbach Middle High School were challenged this season was to simulate key mission tasks required to establish and sustain a functional lunar base. In the near future, Artemis astronauts will live and work on the Moon, conduct groundbreaking research, harvest lunar resources, and test technologies essential for deep space travel. Students stepped into their boots using robots and drones to complete critical MOONBASE operations in a simulated lunar environment. When asked about the experience, the Team captain, Cadet/SGT Nyah Sanchez, stated. “Even a small team can make a huge impact.”
The team, comprised of Cadets Nyah Sanchez, Micah Cook, and Caleb Myers, flew from Ansbach, Germany, to Johnson City, Tennessee, to represent the 9th JROTC Battalion. Cadet/SFC Caleb Myers said, “The connections we made unit to unit were a wonderful experience to get to connect with fellow STEM students.” While there, Ansbach students competed in multiple rounds to test their ingenuity and ability to bounce back from adversity, facing many challenges that tested our adaptability and teamwork.
The team faced many challenges during the competition, and went through many iterations of design and code, ending with something acceptable to their standards. Cadet/SGM Micah Cook shared, “Robotics has taught me much about technology and helped me make new connections.”
This was the first year that Army JROTC teams from Europe competed in the RDL National Competition. Vilseck’s 18th JROTC Battalion also competed at the event. The experience was memorable and meaningful, with students learning a lot about science and engineering, as well as teamwork and overcoming obstacles.
