Schedule and Timeline of DARPA's Grand Challenge 2005

Here is the timeline for participants of the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge Race (extracted from the rules.)

* Table 1. Application – Five Parts
REQUIRED SUBMITTAL, REMARKS/DEADLINE

Part 1 - Team Information, Submit by e-mail, February 11, 2005

Part 2 (A and B) - Additional Information and Certification of Team Funding and Support, Postal submission, February 11, 2005

Part 3 - Vehicle Specification Sheet, Submit by e-mail, March 11, 2005

Part 4 - Video Demonstration Postal submission, March 11, 2005

Part 5 (A and B) - Site Visit Agreement, Postal submission, March 11, 2005

* Table 2. Selection and Qualification Process
EVENT REMARKS/DATE

Step I – Announcement of teams selected for site visits
Results from review of vehicle specification sheet and video demonstration, April 4, 2005

Step II - Site visits Conducted by DARPA representatives, May 2–15, 2005 (May 16–21 backup dates)

Announcement of 40 teams selected for National Qualification Event (semifinalists)
Based on results from site visits, June 1, 2005

Technical papers submitted Required from all semifinalists, August 15, 2005

Meeting with all semifinalist team leaders Mandatory attendance at California Speedway, September 27, 2005

Step III - National Qualification Event

Semifinalists participate, September 27–October 6, 2005

Announcement of 20 teams selected for Grand Challenge Event (finalists)
Based on results from National Qualification Event, October 6, 2005

Meeting with all finalist team leaders
Mandatory attendance near departure area, October 7, 2005

Grand Challenge Event, Finalists participate, October 8, 2005.

You Are Nothing Without Your Robot Car, Nothing!

We followed her advice, our entry is going to be a modified 4 wheel-drive Jeep Cherokee Laredo.

We are on the map

The Darpa map. Our entry is here.

Our entry into the Grand Challenge 2005 DARPA race

Entries in this blog will feature some of the highlights and thoughts of our team members while we are designing, building and competing in the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge Race.

In short, what is the DARPA race ?
The race is designed to evaluate the ability to design a system that would be autonomous and drive itself 150 miles in the desert in less than 10 hours. The general path of the vehicle is only provided to the contestants two hours before the start of the race. Man-made obstacles as well as a large percentage of off-road driving conditions are expected.

Team Description
The Pegasus Team is dedicated to solving extremely complex and hard problems using Open Source or Commercial Off-The Shelf software and hardware components. We are mostly located in Texas, the Brazos Valley to be exact.

Sponsors
We are mostly interested in sponsors that can provide hardware for our vehicle.

Why use Pegasus as the team's name ?

According to Greek Mythology

Pegasus was the winged horse of Bellerophon and Perseus. After the horse helped Bellerophon defeat the Chimaera, he then tried to ride the horse up into the tops of Mount Olympus. Zeus did not agree to this and sent a thunderbolt down to stun the horse into throwing the hero off. Pegasus was allowed to fly the rest of the way to the top of Mount Olympus

Only an unmanned Pegasus made it to the Olympus, hence our name.