At about 1 a.m. Monday, Rebecca Dietz noticed something wrong with “MARTE.” Dietz, a senior studying mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama, and several other members of the Alabama Astrobotics team were testing “MARTE,” a robotic excavator they had built, in the back of Hardaway Hall when the digging belt broke. The team put the belt back together, but the development was an example of how engineers constantly work on their projects. “If we don’t break it, we’re not testing it right,” said Kenneth Ricks, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the head of the team.