The 2007 Regolith Excavation Centennial Challenge held last May 12 yielded no winners not for the lack of trying by the four teams that competed but simply because none of them succeeded in collecting the required minimum of 150 kilograms of simulated lunar regolith—mock “moon dirt” within 30 minutes. The four competitors this year included Duplex Engineering from Berkley, Michigan; Lunar Minors from Rolla, Missouri; Terra Engineering from Rancho Palos Verdes, California; and, Technology Ranch from Pismo Beach, California. The first three teams were out of the game as soon as their machines shut down due to mechanical or electrical failure. Only Technology Ranch was still working after 30 minutes but unfortunately excavated only 65.25 kilograms of dirt.

The supposed purse for the challenge was $250,000 but since no one went home with it the prize money will be rolled over for next year’s centennial challenge wherein the purse will be tripled to $750,000. Of course no one knows whether someone will go home a winner next year but the four teams seem to be bent of coming back next year for another try. This year’s event was held in Santa Monica,California since the competition was co-hosted by the California Space Authority (CSA). The centennial challenge would likely be held in another state the following year.

The aim of the yearly moon digging competition is to “promote the development of new technologies to excavate lunar regolith [since] excavation is a necessary first step towards lunar resource utilization, and the unique physical properties of lunar regolith make excavation a difficult technical challenge.”