5th Mission Venue

The next event will be held during July, 2009. The venue will be The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) which is located in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. UPRM is the second largest university campus of the University of Puerto Rico System, and the premier Engineering and Science institution of the Caribbean and Latin America.

Remember, the 5th Mission will be conducted indoors, so much of the logistics burden associated with the 4th Mission (tents, transmission antenna towers, etc.) will not be needed. Also since the autonomous vehicles will be electrically-powered and small, most team equipment should be air-transportable with the team itself.

Most direct flights to Puerto Rico will enter through San Juan. Puerto Rico is a Territory of the United States of America and the indigenous population are U.S. Citizens. Spanish is the official language although almost everyone speaks English as well. If you are entering from outside the United States and are not a U.S. citizen, you will need to check to see if a U.S. visa is required. There are several airports in Puerto Rico, some very near to Mayagüez, however international flights will enter through the airport in San Juan. There is a modern interstate highway system that circles the entire island of Puerto Rico. Teams will want to rent vehicles at their airport of entry and drive to Mayagüez. The trip from San Juan to Mayagüez takes about 2 hours by the northern route, and about 3 hours by the southern route (which is the more beautiful and interesting of the two). There are about $5 in tolls to be paid along the way. All major car rental agencies, as well as some discount companies offering smaller cars at about half the price of the major rental companies, are represented in San Juan. All reservations can be made in advance on line.

Many of the vendors common to the continental United States are present in Puerto Rico but your team should do its homework to determine which items can be purchased locally and which items will have to be brought with you upon arrival.

While in Puerto Rico, your team may wish to spend extra time to visit the island's attractions such as the Arecibo Observatory which is part of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC), a national research center operated by Cornell University under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF), or the El Yunque National Forest and the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge. Your team may also want to spend time on the many beaches, or arrange deep sea fishing or SCUBA diving adventures. The San Juan night life includes casinos where gambling is legal. Also, your team members may wish to visit one of the many nearby Virgin Islands or hopscotch up through the Bahamas on your way back to Miami (a logical port of entry for non-US citizens).