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This year marks a significant milestone for several college and university teams as they embark on a journey to explore, design, and demonstrate innovative inflatable systems tailored for future lunar missions. Sponsored by NASA, the Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge has set the stage for student teams to contribute novel inflatable component and system concepts aim by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 01, 2024
This year marks a significant milestone for several college and university teams as they embark on a journey to explore, design, and demonstrate innovative inflatable systems tailored for future lunar missions. Sponsored by NASA, the Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge has set the stage for student teams to contribute novel inflatable component and system concepts aimed at enhancing future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.
The theme for this year's challenge, Inflatable Systems for Lunar Operations, encouraged participants to submit a wide array of technology concepts. These ranged from soft robotics and deployable infrastructure components to emergency shelters, devices for extended extravehicular activities, pressurized tunnels and airlocks, and debris shields and dust protection systems. The emphasis on inflatable systems stems from their potential to significantly reduce the mass and stored volume of science and exploration payloads, a crucial factor in lowering the logistical costs associated with deep-space missions.
The challenge has announced award values that vary between approximately $100,000 and $150,000, depending on each team's prototype and budgetary requirements. This financial support underscores NASA's commitment to fostering innovation among the next generation of engineers and scientists.
The 2024 BIG Idea Challenge has highlighted the efforts of teams from across the United States, including Arizona State University, Brigham Young University, the California Institute of Technology in collaboration with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Northwestern University, the University of Maryland, and the University of Michigan. Each team has proposed unique solutions ranging from inflatable lunar landing pad systems to modular inflatable robots and technology for Artemis Lunar Structures.
Upon receiving funding, the finalist teams will proceed with the design, construction, and testing phases of their concepts. This process not only contributes to the pool of innovative ideas for NASA but also culminates in a final technical paper, prototype demonstration, and the potential to present their work before a diverse panel of NASA and industry experts.
As part of NASA's Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII), the BIG Idea Challenge plays a pivotal role in incubating new ideas from the workforce of tomorrow. The challenge supports LSII's mission to advance transformative capabilities for lunar surface exploration, enriching NASA's Space Technology portfolio.
Since its inception in 2016, the BIG Idea Challenge has encouraged students to engage with a variety of aerospace topics critically and creatively. These have included extreme terrain robotics, lunar metal production, Mars greenhouse development, and more, each tied directly to current challenges faced by NASA.
Managed by a partnership between the National Institute of Aerospace and The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the BIG Idea Challenge is one among several Artemis student challenges sponsored by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate's Game Changing Development program and the Office of STEM Engagement Space Grant Project. The challenge supports the rapid maturation of innovative and impactful capabilities and technologies, fostering a rewarding experience for students and faculty while aiming to contribute to NASA's ambitious missions beyond Earth.
Related Links
Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge
Artemis student challenges
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more