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.

FMI: http://education.ksc.nasa.gov/esmdspacegrant/SystemsEngineering.htm