Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Space Prize Roundup: Nanosat Use, Move an Asteroid, SAVE Award, Nanosat Launch Seminar/Deals/Options, Much More

SGAC Announces the Winner of the 2011 Move an Asteroid Competition ("Smart Cloud" for Asteroid Mitigation) - Planetary Defense - I didn't catch this the first time around; it's from September.

***

NASA DEVELOP Teams Compete in Virtual Poster Session for Comments and Cash Prizes - Spaceports

***

The 2nd Mission Idea Contest for Micro/Nano-satellite Utilization Contest - This is organized by UNISEC and the University of Tokyo.  The finalists can present at Japan's 4th Nano-satellite symposium.  A number of news items appeared for the contest in the last few days, such as details about a student prize.

***

Team America Rocketry Challenge 2012 - Teaching with Contests notes that the registration deadline for TARC is November 30.

***

And the SAVE Award Goes to… - The White House Office of Management and Budget presents the winner, from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

***

XCOR and SwRI offer space flight prize for NSRC 2012 participants - RLV News

***

Briefs: Space travel insurance; Cash vs space trip - RLV News

***

I don't think I've mentioned the Google Science Fair.  The prizes include scholarships, science and technology trips, and more from Google, CERN, National Geographic, Scientific American, and LEGO.

***

Paralyzed by options - Unreasonable Rocket - Some of the options are related to the Nanosatellite Launch Challenge

A Snapshot: The Team Phoenicia/Techshop Nanosat Launcher Seminar - Team Phoenicia - More pictures have also been released in later Team Phoenicia posts.  You may recognized some of the participants.  Expect presentations and video from the seminar to be posted later, too.

Third Engine Sold! - Team Phoenicia

***

NASA Makes Science Communication Competition Interplanetary - SpaceRef: 

NASA, Cheltenham Festivals (UK) and the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science (BMSIS) are pleased to announce a partnership to operate a FameLab competition for the first time. The competition will be held in the fields of astrobiology and planetary sciences, and is open to all scientists working in these diverse areas of research.

***

Google, NASA work together on space exploration - SFGate (San Francisco Chronicle)

***

3D printing on the Moon + a Challenge concept - RLV News - Clark suggests a Centennial Challenge based on 3D printing and lunar ISRU.  Now that the MoonROx Challenge has expired with no winner, it does seem like there is a hole in NASA's Centennial Challenge portfolio in the ISRU area.

***

Photo Release -- Scaled Composites' Burt Rutan Hailed for Lifetime of Achievement - press release at GlobeNewswire

***

Fisher Space Pen joins Spirit of Innovation Challenge - Conrad Foundation: 

The Innovative Teacher Award will include a cash prize and a custom-designed bronze trophy by Erik Lindbergh that resembles the rocket built by his famous grandfather and aviator Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh. The Conrad Foundation will select one teacher per year who demonstrated excellence in guiding his or her team through the Spirit of Innovation Challenge competition.

***

SpaceX Dragon - PopSci - The Dragon is the Grand Award winner in the Aviation and Space category.  Some others in the top ten with strong space prize connections (other than the PopSci award itself) include the Pipistrel Taurus G4 from the 2011 NASA/Google Green Flight Challenge and the Carnegie Mellon Astrobotic Red Rover from the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Space and Earth's Environment: Night Rover Storing Solar Power, Ocean Robot Challenge, CleanTech Open, Google Earth Models

The Cleantech Open Global Forum included NASA's Night Rover Challenge.  Astronaut Ed Lu was on the schedule after Sam Ortega of NASA's Centennial Challenges.  From the post-NASA part of Ed's bio:

He later ran Advanced Projects at Google, where his teams developed imaging systems for Street View, Google Earth/Maps, and energy projects including Google PowerMeter. He is now Chief of Innovative Applications for Liquid Robotics, which makes autonomous wave/solar powered ocean-going robots.

Liquid Robotics technology includes the Wave Glider, an ocean-faring robot that uses solar panels to power sensors and wave motion for propulsion.  They just launched 4 Wave Gliders on an ocean tour that is intended to break the unmanned ocean distance record while gathering scientific data using several sensors and satellite communications.  They are working with Virgin Oceanic and Ocean in Google Earth.  The PacX Challenge Prize is a competition for scientists to suggest the best science use for the data gathered during the tour.  The winner gets access to data, input on the tour route, and input on the sensors deployed.  Ed's quote for the prize compares the ocean-exploring robots to robotic spacecraft.

Follow robotic wave gliders on a record setting Pacific crossing in Google Earth - Google Lat/Long Blog
Tracking wave-powered robotic gliders across the Pacific - Google Earth Blog

Speaking of Google Earth ...

The 2012 Model Your Town competition is up and running - Google Earth Blog - Competitors can use Google SketchUp or Google Building Maker to create geolocated models of their town to win $25,000 for their local schools.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Space Prize Roundup: Shredder Challenge, Cost Saving Idea, Nanosat Allied Org, LEAG, more

This isn't a space prize, but it's an interesting one nonetheless: the DARPA Shredder Challenge.

***

White House Selects NASA Idea for Savings - Lori Garver at NASA discusses the NASA finalist for the SAVE Award.

***

YouTube Space Lab Competition Expands Panel of Prestigious Judges: YouTube and Lenovo Tap Renowned Science and Technology Experts to Ignite Students' Interest in Space - press release at CNBC - The new Teachers in Space effort is well represented.

***

NASA And Space Florida Small Satellite Research Center Partner In Space Launch Challenge - This is a NASA press release on the long-awaited selection of the allied organization for the $2M Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge


2nd Nanosat Launcher Challenge Seminar Draft Agenda Updated 11/2/2011 - Team Phoenicia presents the latest update on the schedule for the Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge seminar.  This includes Space Florida, NASA representatives, spaceports, potential suppliers and teams, and more.  The seminar is this weekend, and a parallel seminar covers NASA's other Centennial Challenges.

@: Saturday I'm going to NanoSat conference. I really like this particular Centennial challenge, IMHO best one yet.. ()

Space Florida promises Virgin Galactic payloads - Florida Today shows that Space Florida is keeping busy with space prize activity.  The researcher and payloads for the suborbital flight will be selected using a competition.  Part of the competition will be for Florida university students.

***

NASA 2011 OPTIMUS PRIME Spinoff Video Contest - SpaceRef notes that registration is now open for the 2011 version of this contest.

***

Teams selected for the 2012 CanSat competition - ESA on the high school finalists for the European CanSat competition

***

NASA prepares for moon tourism - USA Today

***

Rules have been updated - Sample Return Robot Challenge - WPI

***

WSJ Innovator of the Year in Tech award for Elon Musk - RLV News

***

Finding Commercial Applications for Laser Power Designed for Space - Space News

***

FUTURE MISSIONS OF EXPLORATION AND SCIENCE (PDF)
FORGING INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS I: COMMERCIAL LUNAR EXPLORATION (PDF) - The LEAG (Lunar Exploration Analysis Group) meeting agenda includes X PRIZE Foundation and Google Lunar X PRIZE team participation.

Notables sign letter to Congress in support of Commercial Crew - RLV News - This includes representatives of the X PRIZE Foundation and Google Lunar X PRIZE teams.

***

Here is some news about some former Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge competitors, including their latest work and the Carmack 100kft Micro Prize:

Armadillo Stig-A rocket video
Briefs: Armadillo rocket snapshot; New Virgin Galactic vid
Masten Space update
Armadillo Stig snapshot
Briefs: Ben Brockert interview; Derek Deville interview
Briefs: Ben Brockert pt. 2; Ken Murphy interview
Derek Deville's Qu8k rocket in USA Today
Unreasonable composite tank test - all from RLV News