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    • Competitions & Challenges

    Competitions and Challenges for Students

    Don’t miss out on student competition opportunities available from NASA.  Check this page often for new additions.

    Mechanical Maker Challenge: Mechanical Eye

    Audience: U.S. Residents Ages 18 and Older
    Submission Deadline: Nov. 30
    Most electrical components do not survive long in Venus’ harsh conditions, but NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory hopes to build a clockwork mechanical robot to explore Venus. This challenge seeks innovative ideas for a mechanical camera system that could operate under the conditions found on Venus. The first place winner will have the opportunity to give a short presentation on the winning device at JPL/Caltech, and will receive up to $1,000 to cover travel costs.
    More info here

    2019 BIG Idea Challenge

    Audience: Full-time Undergraduate and Graduate Students
    Entry Deadline: Jan. 6, 2019
    NASA’s 2019 Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-changing (BIG) Idea Challenge is an engineering design contest open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students. This competition seeks innovations in the design and operation of a Mars Greenhouse. The Mars greenhouse should complement the unique design of the Mars Ice Home and adapt some of the innovative features for a “greenhouse” to help support a crew of 4 on a 600-day surface mission. Top teams present their concepts via a design review at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia. Eligible students on teams that advance to the BIG Idea Forum will have the opportunity to compete for one of five NASA summer internship slots.
    More info here

     

    2019 RASC-AL Competition

    Audience: Full-time Undergraduate and Graduate Students
    Entry Deadline: Jan. 17, 2019
    The 2019 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts—Academic Linkages (RASC-AL) engineering design competition invites teams of university students to respond to one of 4 themes with creative ideas to improve our ability to access and explore cis-lunar space via the Gateway: 1. Gateway Logistics as a Science Platform, 2. Gateway-based Cis-lunar Tug, 3. Gateway-based Human Lunar Surface Access, 4. Gateway Uncrewed Utilization and Operations. Up to 14 teams will be chosen to participate in a competitive design review at the RASC-AL Forum in June 2019.
    More info here