HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA (REUTERS) - School and college teams from around the United States and countries including Brazil, Germany, India and Mexico competed on Saturday (April 1) in Nasa's 2017 Human Exploration Rover Challenge.

Student teams competed for the fastest time operating rover vehicles, which they designed and built themselves, across a tough obstacle course meant to replicate the the surface of the moon and planets like Mars.

The two day-long event at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, which began on Friday (March 31), culminated with an awards ceremony on Saturday to acknowledge the best design, best rookie team, best pit crew and other categories of achievement.

Nasa said the challenge was inspired by the lunar roving vehicles of its Apollo moon missions, and is meant to encourage "a new generation of scientists, engineers and explorers".