Companies support Mars rover project at Binghamton

IBM Corp. and Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems made gifts to support the design, assembly and operation of the Mars rover student-run project at Binghamton University. That’s in addition to the companies’ other gifts in support of the University and students in the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The student team is working on the rover project as part of the Watson Competes! program. In addition to the design work, the students develop and execute budgets and make presentations to prospective donors. Then they compete against other universities in a desert setting designed to mimic conditions on Mars. The rover must complete a prescribed course, take soil samples and analyze them.