JPL Annual Invention Challenge - 2010
Ping Pong Ball Climb Contest
Under beautiful blue skies and a light wind, the JPL Invention Challenge was held on the 180 Mall with more than 300 spectators and participants. This year's contest objective was to build a device that could transport a ping pong ball from near the ground upwards towards a ceiling located 2 meters above the ground and have the ball remain in contact with the ceiling for at least 5 seconds. Times were stopped after first contact of the ball and the ceiling. The device performing this task in the fastest time was declared the winner.
A total of 19 school teams and 12 JPL teams came up with different ways to accomplish this task. The high speed entries used a "bow-and-arrow" method with either suction cups or magnets utilized to hold the ball to the ceiling. Others used sticks that rotated up to the ceiling, or scissor jacks that grew in height. Some entries utilized helium balloons or compressed air to propel the ball upwards. Many of the entries failed to perform the task. This year, the overall fastest time was posted by a team from Magnolia Science Academy Middle School with a blistering time of 0.20 seconds!
Entry No. | School or JPL Lead Name | Team Name or other members | Entry Title | Bridge Wt.(lbs) | Time (seconds) | Award | Comments |
1 | So. Pasadena HS | Alpha | None Given | 22.3 | DQ | Held less than 5 seconds | |
4 | Diamond Bar HS | NP COMPLEX | None Given | No Show | |||
5 | Magnolia Science Academy - 3 | CATAPULT | CATAPULT | 10.9 | 0.2 | 1st - School | |
8 | Pacific Technology School | The Levitators | Levitator 5000 | 22.8 | DQ | Ball didn’t hold | |
14 | Monroe Magnet MS | Defying Gravity | Blast Off 1 | 32.5 | DQ | Ball didn’t hold | |
15 | Monroe Magnet MS | Gravity Fighters | Gravity Fighter | 29.2 | DQ | Ball didn’t hold | |
16 | Temple City HS | Just Plain Light | Mochi | 21.3 | DQ | Ball didn’t hold | |
19 | Morningside HS | The Crazy Tacos | The Zoom Machine | 32.3 | 0.3 | 2nd - School | |
20 | Morningside HS | The Monarchs | The Turbo | 10.1 | 0.37 | ||
23 | Savanna H S | Rebel Engineers | None Listed | 6 | DQ | Ball didn’t hold | |
28 | Mayfield Senior School | Mayfield 1 | None Listed | 15.9 | 1.37 | Most Artistic | |
32 | Crescenta Valley HS | CVHS#2 | The Bungi Dart | 7.6 | 0.33 | 3rd - School Most Unusual | |
36 | Monrovia HS | MHS | B | 11 | 0.7 | ||
40 | Alexander Hamilton HS | None Given | None Given | 8.5 | 0.56 | ||
42 | Los Angeles HS | A+ | None Given | 13 | DQ | Did not contact | |
43 | Los Angeles HS | Mesa Kings | None Given | >40.0 | DQ | Did not contact | |
47 | Alhambra HS | Hawk | Alhambra Moors 12 | 0.4 | 3.3 | ||
50 | Saddleback HS | 7 chicks & 1 dude | The glenninator | 14.2 | 6.4 | Most Creative | |
55 | Culver City HS | Team 2 CCHS | None Given | >40.0 | DQ | Did not contact | |
58 | South East HS | Rawrr | The Tornado | 4.6 | 0.66 | ||
101 | Richard Goldstein | Jumping-Jack | 7.5 | 0.3 | 3rd - JPL | ||
104 | Kristan Ellis | MSL:Magnificent Scissor Lift | >40.0 | DQ | Heaviest | Did not contact | |
105 | Kristan Ellis | King Pong | 0.5 | DQ | Ball didn’t hold | ||
106 | David Van Buren | Rocket Ball | 3.7 | 0.23 | 1st - JPL | ||
107 | Bob Krylo | Bob’s Quick Flip | >40.0 | 0.33 | Largest | ||
108 | Ricky Ma | Luke Dahl | Balloon Time Fun | 0 | DQ | Lightest and Smallest | Did not contact |
109 | Hannah Goldberg | and Friends | Goldberg’s Groupies | 57 | DQ | Did not contact | |
110 | Hannah Goldberg | and Friends | Black’s Bunch | >40.0 | DQ | Did not contact | |
111 | PC Chen | Jack Kanholm | Rockette | 8.6 | 0.23 | 1st - JPL | |
112 | Paul MacNeal | UP | 3.1 | DQ | Did not contact | ||
113 | Dr. Louis Giersch | Brant Cook, Kevin Knarr | Balls of Fury | 9.2 | DQ | Ball didn’t hold | |
114 | Alan DeVault | Zip Zartz | 9.3 | DQ | Held only 2 seconds | ||
115 | Hasan Akkaya | LION | No Show | ||||
NA | Richard Fretz | 0.47 | Unofficial entry | ||||
111 | PC Chen | Jack Kanholm | |||||
112 | Paul MacNeal | ||||||
113 | Dr. Louis Giersch | Brant Cook, Kevin Knarr | |||||
114 | Alan DeVault | ||||||
115 | Hasan Akkaya | ||||||
NA | Richard Fretz |
Contact Information
Public Services Office
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Mail Stop 126-347
Located in Building 126-336
Pasadena, CA 91109
Paul MacNeal
paul.d.macneal@jpl.nasa.gov
Phone: (818) 354-7824