Local high school teams try to be FIRST in robotics competition in Costa Mesa

In the Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, high school students watched as robots rushed to fill spaceships with cargo before the next sandstorm arrived. The Orange County regional of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition drew more than 40 teams and their robots. Teams from Marina, Huntington Beach, Ocean View, Edison and Corona del Mar high schools were in attendance Friday. This year's theme is "Destination: Deep Space," inspired by the lunar landing in July 1969. The challenge is to have the robots affix plastic "hatch panels" to the sides of the rockets and cargo ships and fill each with orange balls (the cargo).