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.
SPECIAL STATEMENT:
NASA has been closely monitoring developments of the COVID-19 outbreak. We are aware that many of the student teams participating in the Artemis Student Challenges must cope with limited or suspended physical access to campuses, travel restrictions or other impediments that may affect their ability to participate in the challenges as proposed.
Due to these hurdles we continue to face, and out of an abundance of caution for the teams and our workforce, activities for each of these events may look different than originally planned. It should be noted that the technical work completed by each team will not go unnoticed. Challenge managers for each activity will be in contact with participants on specifics and changes to the challenges, if any. We will continue to monitor the situation, and remain flexible and adapt as it evolves. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Are you interested in learning more about NASA’s Technology Transfer program? Do you have an entrepreneurial mindset? Visit our website to see how you could qualify to apply for the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Innovation and Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC). Through collaboration with NASA L’SPACE Academy, MITTIC is offering a “concept to commercialization” training opportunity. Learn to effectively write a concept paper that turns innovative ideas into reality!
Don’t miss this chance, come up with an idea to spinoff NASA Intellectual Property (IP) and work with a NASA researcher. During MITTIC you will:
- Upon completion of the L’SPACE Academy, teams composed of four (4) to five (5) students must choose one NASA Intellectual Property (IP) from the provided list, and submit a concept paper explaining the commercial viability of the proposed concept using MITTIC challenge guidelines .*Priority is given to teams partnering with a NASA Small Business Company (SBC).
- Up to eight (8) qualifying teams are selected to participate in an online collaboration tool and funded to travel to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The onsite immersion experience will occur in April 2021. Each team is REQUIRED to submit:
- Certificate of completion from a least one team member who completed one of the L’SPACE academies
- Concept paper/business plan
- Explanation of team’s concept and business plan during a poster session
- An oral “lightning pitch” presentation, during Space Tank competition
The concept paper, poster session and oral presentation will be reviewed and evaluated by a committee using the criteria listed within this document.
The winning team of the Space Tank competition will receive travel funding for up to five (5) team members and one (1) principal investigator (PI) to visit, tour and present at NASA’s Ames Research Center and various tech companies in Silicon Valley, California. This experience provides the team with an exclusive look at facilities, laboratories, start-up companies and the opportunity to discuss further concept development.
Each qualifying team could receive incentives of up to $5,000, while the winning team is eligible to receive up to an additional $10,000. Internship opportunities are also available for qualified MITTIC participants.
The timeline to apply for MITTIC is January 4- February 16, 2020 at midnight CT.
Learn more at go.nasa.gov/nasamittic or email questions to HQ-MITTIC@mail.nasa.gov
NASA Moon Pod Essay Contest
NASA is taking remote learning to the Moon! 2020 has been a year of working and living at a distance. Now consider what it might be like if you were living with a pod of astronauts 250,000 miles from Earth. Your challenge is to imagine leading a one-week expedition at the Moon’s South Pole – with the whole world cheering you on. Tell us about the types of skills, attributes, and/or personality traits that you would want your Moon Pod crew to have and why. How many would be in your pod? And of course you’ll need high tech gear and gadgets! In your essay, also describe one machine, robot, or technology that you would leave on the lunar surface to help future astronauts explore the Moon. Your entry must meet these requirements:
Grades K-4: Essay, up to 100 words
Grades 5-8: Essay, up to 200 words
Grades 9-12: Essay, up to 300 words
Please DO NOT put your name in your entry
Every student who submits an entry will receive a certificate from NASA and be invited to a special NASA virtual event – with an astronaut!
Selected semifinalists will be invited to represent their state or territory in a series of Artemis Explorer sessions with NASA experts. Nine finalists will travel with a parent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center next summer to learn about lunar exploration, and the national winner in each grade division will win a family trip to see the first Artemis test launch to watch the most powerful rocket in the world launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Godspeed and good luck!
To enter contest, go to https://www.futureengineers.org/artemismoonpodessay
Entries due December 17, 2020
2021 NASA Artemis Lava Tube Challenge
Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium is excited to offer one of NASA’s Artemis Student Challenges — the Lunar Lava Tube Exploration Challenge.
We invite teams of students from two-year and four-colleges to participate. The Lunar Lava Tube Exploration challenges teams to explore a lunar lava tube with an eye toward its potential for human habitation.
The overall challenge goal is to build a rover and develop programs that allow the rover to navigate the challenge course, a model lunar lava tube. The lunar lava tube will not have a light source, teams should expect to incorporate a light source into their rover design and/or be prepared to navigate in a dark tunnel.
The challenge is open to students enrolled in a STEM major at a two-year or four-year college in the U.S. All enrolled STEM undergraduates are welcome to participate regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. Supply support, however, may be limited to U.S. citizens (see the information in the Supplies section below).
Teams should be 3–5 students. One student must be designated as the team lead who will handle all communications between the challenge coordinators and the team.
All teams must also have one mentor who is either faculty or a graduate student at their school. The mentor will be the secondary contact point for communications.
Registration is now open. Deadline for registration is late January 2021.