November Mission Model Discussion: M14 - WATER WELL

Welcome to the November Mission Model Discussion! From now until just before Thanksgiving this space will feature ONE part of the FIRST LEGO League HYDRO DYNAMICS game challenge per day. The Robot Game is only 1/4th of the overall FIRST LEGO League challenge for teams this year! This post is meant to be an aid, not a replacement for carefully reading the Challenge Guide!

At the Beginning of the Match: The Water Well begins the match in Base.
Required for Scoring: The Water Well must be in contact with the mat, for Partial Score, partly in the Water Well Target, or for Full Score, completely in the Water Well Target. According to Update 10 (November 7), The black sliders in contact with the mat (with the Water Well standing up) counts as full contact with the mat.
Conditions: None
Score: Partial = 15 points, Full = 25 points
Note from Oregon Head Referee Tom:  Scores at the end of the match if the Water Well has contact with the mat and the contact is either Partially or Completely In the Water Well target. Note that the bottom of the Well model has several bumps - those are what make contact between the bottom of the Well and the mat. The volume of the target area is not considered in scoring this mission - only where the Well contacts the mat surface. Referees may use a slip of paper to determine if the contact points are inside the target.

Real World Impact: According to the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) 37% of people get their water from groundwater through a well. Wells are very common in rural areas where public water services are less common, however; some communities use public groundwater wells to supply the public water system. Wells existed in many ancient human civilizations, however; the way new wells are created has changed. Now, most modern wells are drilled using specialized trucks, allowing pipes to reach deeper groundwater sources. Groundwater does not regenerate its supply as quickly as surface water systems. This can create problems for growing communities dependent on groundwater, especially as new and deeper wells draw water levels below older well.

Discussion: The Target Circle for the Water Well is on the far side of the mat and in the way of the Fire mission. Can your team reach this location? When is the best time to do it? Is this mission worth the effort to your team?