The space organization is offering a challenge for those who think they can solve a capability gap in its Stratospheric Projectile Entry Experiment on Dynamics (SPEED), a two-stage stratospheric drop test architecture.

SPEED is under development to bridge the state-of-the-art gap that many NASA flagship missions need to reduce system risk and allow more optimized designs via margin reduction, a NASA press release said.

"As current ejection system designs are conceptual, complex and untested, NASA is looking for alternative ideas that can be incorporated into the design of their next iteration of SPEED flight vehicles to increase system reliability," NASA said in a statement. "We are challenging the public to design innovative concepts for a separation mechanism that can be used to assess NASA and commercial re-entry vehicle stability."

The winnings: $7,000 in total prizes, including $3,000 for first place.

"A successful outcome of this contest is a credible 3D model of a separation mechanism that is both cost-effective by utilizing easy-to-manufacture methods (such as 3D printing or laser/water jet cutting) and Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) parts and doesn't rely on high-energy systems like explosives," GrabCAD reported.

The challenge began on Monday and ends Sept. 8. More details on the design specs and contest rules are on GrabCAD.com.

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