Sometimes it takes the cooperation of individuals across oceans to make great things happen. This year, as America watched with sadness as its shuttle program was canceled, senior level students at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, FL, USA sought the help of their friends and engineers at Meccanotecnica Riesi S.r.l in Sicily, IT to keep space exploration relevant. Embry Riddle strives to prepare its students for their careers in Aerospace while also lending its research facilities to the growth of the Aerospace industry itself. To fulfill both of these endeavors

Italy's Meccanotecnica Riesi (MR) was approached by the Robotic Mobility Group Laboratory of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the production of a wheel prototype which it manufacturers that would help MIT, in conjunction with NASA-JPL, to better understand the underlying mechanics of wheel-terrain interaction. MIT’s Robotic Mobility Group required precise machining because, “a vehicle’s ability to navigate soft soil has strong implications for both its power efficiency and mobility.” MR collaborated with MIT to design and manufacture a fully instrumental wheel. Using its