Tue, Mar 16, 2010
Winners Will Receive Cash Scholarships And The Chance To View A
Launch
NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate is inviting
teams of undergraduate and graduate students throughout the country
to participate in the fourth annual Systems Engineering Paper
Competition. Participants in the competition will submit a paper on
an Exploration Systems mission topic.
The paper must address one of the areas NASA has determined are
critical to the future of space exploration. These are the design,
engineering, and research areas that NASA considers ESMD-relevant.
They include:
- Spacecraft: Guidance, navigation and control; thermal;
electrical; structures; software; avionics; displays; high speed
re-entry; modeling; power systems; interoperability/commonality;
advanced spacecraft materials; crew/vehicle monitoring;
life-support.
- Propulsion: Propulsion methods that will utilize materials
found on the moon or Mars, "green" propellants, on-orbit propellant
storage, motors, testing, fuels, manufacturing, soft landing,
throttle-able propellants, high performance, and descent.
- Lunar and Planetary Surface Systems: Precision landing
hardware, software, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), navigation
systems, extended surface operations, robotics (specifically
environmental scouting prior to human arrival, outpost maintenance
with an without humans present, and assist astronaut with geologic
exploration) environmental analysis, radiation protection, space
suits, life support, power systems.
- Ground Operations: Pre-launch, launch, mission operations,
command and control software systems, communications, landing and
recovery.
First prize in the competition is a $3,500 cash scholarship.
Second and third prizes are $2,500 and $1,500 respectively. Team
winners will also receive VIP seating at an upcoming launch.
Undergraduate and graduate student teams enrolled in a US College
or University are eligible to enter the competition.
Papers will be presented to a panel of NASA engineers who
collectively represents a diverse set of technology
disciplines.
The deadline to register for the competition is April 16. Papers
are due April 23. The competition is designed to engage students in
the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, disciplines
critical to NASA's missions.
More News
Pilot Also Reported That Due To A Fuel Leak, The Auxiliary Fuel Tanks Were Not Used On June 4, 2025, at 13:41 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-23, N2109P, was substantially damage>[...]
From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Reflections on War’s Collective Lessons and Cyclical Nature The exigencies of war ought be colorblind. Inane social-constructs the likes of racis>[...]
Pilot Reported That He Was Unfamiliar With The Single Seat Amateur-Built Airplane And His Intent Was To Perform High-Speed Taxi Testing Analysis: The pilot reported that he was unf>[...]
From 2023 (YouTube Edition): First Kits to Ship October 2023 Having formerly resurrected the storied shape of the Ryan ST—in effigy, anyway—Montrose, Colorado-based Tim>[...]
Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) [ICAO] Area navigation based on performance requirements for aircraft operating along an ATS route, on an instrument approach procedure or in a d>[...]
NTSB Prelim: Piper PA-23
See All