Luke Kaiser and Samuel Nolte grew up in Chesterfield. Now they're part of a team that just made history.

The two Missouri S&T students were on the Mars Rover Design Team that won the University Rover Challenge for the second year in a row, making their program the first ever to win back-to-back titles at the international competition. Their rover, Athena, claimed the top spot among collegiate teams from around the world.

The contest takes place in the Utah desert, where the landscape is barren and rocky enough to stand in for Mars. Teams are judged on how well their rovers complete tasks based on real space exploration scenarios. This year, Athena excelled in autonomous navigation and equipment servicing, according to a Missouri S&T Communications release published June 8.

For Chesterfield families, it's a reminder of what local students are capable of once they head off to college and start doing the work.