HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Two Purdue University Calumet student-athletes competed in the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center over the weekend of April 13, 2014, placing eighth out of 30 teams in the University Division. Senior Cody Eitzen (Baseball/Cross Country) and junior Thomas Hardy (Men's Soccer) helped Team 2 maneuver through the course in 4 minutes, 32 seconds.

Eitzen and Hardy, along with 10 other Purdue Calumet students, began preparing for the race over the course of the month prior as part of the university's engineering program. The group of students also designed a featherweight buggy, which took home the Featherweight Award in the University division.

After passing through pre-race inspections, each team had to assemble the buggy and complete a 0.7-mile course that included obstacles that are meant to simulate challenges that Apollo-era lunar vehicles faced. The teams were able to make two runs through the course on each day of the race, and often used the time in-between to make adjustments to the buggy.

"Every time we did a test run, we found something new to work on," said Hardy. "We just used the materials that we had, and applied it the best we could."

The U.S. Space and Rocket Center had hosted the event since 1996. The race is sponsored by NASA's Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorate.