CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The presentation and team spirit judges for NASA's 2014 Robotics Mining Competition are introduced during the opening ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Second from left, is Teresa Martinez, lead presentation judge from Kennedy's Education Office. At far right, is Beth Smith, lead team spirit judge from Kennedy's Education Office. Behind them on the podium is Kimberley Land, event emcee from NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. More than 35 teams from around the U.S. have designed and built remote-controlled robots for the mining competition. The competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields by expanding opportunities for student research and design. Teams use their remote-controlled robotics to maneuver and dig in a supersized sandbox filled with a crushed material that has characteristics similar to Martian soil. The objective of the challenge is to see which team’s robot can collect and move the most regolith within a specified amount of time. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/nasarmc. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2014-2635