ArduSat - run your experiment in space for a week - Space for All
As the linked article explains, company NanoSatisfi wants to build and launch a cubesat called ArduSat using funding from a Kickstarter project. ArduSat would house a variety of small sensors and experiments, including those from some of the Kickstarter contributors. There are a number of prize angles on this story, which I'll explain in good time. Before that, though, I should note that currently $43,305 has been pledged out of a goal of $35,000. In this case the goal is to add a second cube to the satellite, increasing its capabilities. Additional goals they mention that also depend on funding include a higher altitude orbit enabling a longer mission and a third cube, making it a 3U or triple cubesat. However, for now they are concentrating on that second cube. One of the Kickstarter "Updates" has more on this:
And now you are inspiring us to dream just a little bigger.
We
want to build you a double sized ArduSat, with more power (always
good), a much better camera and pointing accuracy for better pictures,
and more sensors (we’ve seen some amazing suggestions, keep them
coming!) for even better experiments. Or, we could even look into giving
you two single-sized ArduSats so you can build communication
experiments or games between the two satellites.
But for that to
happen, we have to reach at least $75,000. In just three more weeks!
This is a very short time but we believe that with your help we can make
this happen. If you want a larger, more capable ArduSat – and we
seriously hope you do – reach out to your local schools, art centers,
universities, Hacker-centers and DIY-stores. Share your ArduSat story.
Pass on your inspiration. Bring them into the ArduSat community and
together we can build the most amazing open source satellite ever.
I'll let the Kickstarter page explain some of the prize aspects of their effort:
Besides being first in line to use the satellite when it goes online
(and the obvious bragging rights that come with it!), backers will also
have the opportunity to propose additional sensors to include in the
payload. Our mass budget currently allows for approximately 5 additional
sensors, and we’re holding a voting competition for the best ideas.
Discover
Magazine is also holding a competition for the most innovative
experiment or application for ArduSat with a grand prize worth $1500
(for details see our extensive FAQ section at the bottom).
Here is a Discover Magazine post on this:
CONTEST: We Want You To Send an Experiment to Space. We’ll Give You $1500 To Do It. - Discover Magazine 80 Beats
One of the ideas that the developers suggested is a competition:
ENTERTAINMENT: Photography Competition - See who among your
friends can snap the coolest/most interesting picture from space. The
eye of a hurricane, sunrise over the Indian ocean, even aurora from
space – see what marvels you can capture!
The Kickstarter page includes the following updates (among others):
Update #1: Nanosatisfi makes finals of $100,000 NASA Business Plan Competition
Update #5: ArduSat will be tested in the stratosphere by Team Prometheus! - As you probably know, Team Prometheus has been active in quite a few space prize competitions. Here are some details about this announcement:
The first flight, scheduled for late September, will carry the payload
prototype and flight computer to an altitude of 100,000 feet (roughly 30
km) using a balloon, and will allow for testing of the payload and
sensor performance, onboard data handling protocols, and communication
systems.
The second flight, scheduled for October, will launch a new
payload prototype and flight computer to an altitude of roughly 40 miles
(64 kilometres) atop a balloon-launched rocket.
Here's the NanoSatisfi twitter account.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Prize Roundup: Sample Return Event and Future, NewSpace Biz Plan, Diamandis Interview, Final Frontier Design, More
Finalists for the $110,000 NewSpace2012 Business Plan Competition Have Been Selected - NewSpace Business Plan Competition
Here are some photo sets and summaries of the recently-held Sample Return Robot Centennial Challenge and associated festival at WPI. As you can tell from the excerpts I've pulled out, it will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens with the challenge in the future.
NASA Centennial Challenge, Touch Tomorrow Draw 7,000 Visitors to WPI - WPI Connection:
“Touch Tomorrow, which we hope will become an annual event, is designed to inspire young people, their families and teachers through exposure to and interaction with advanced aerospace and robotics technology.”
...
Stafford said NASA will continue the Centennial Challenge competition at WPI again next year.
“Absolutely. We are happy with it, and from everything I’ve heard, NASA is thrilled by our venue. We will certainly endeavor to have it. It will be a different competition site, but it will be hosted by WPI.”
Sample Return Robot Return Challenge at WPI Concludes - NASA
20120616 Robot Challenge - Photo set from NASAHQ with detailed descriptions attached to each photo
No bot wins robot challenge - Cosmic Log
Update from the Challenge - Sample Return Robot Challenge at WPI - From the comments:
The decision on whether or not this challenge will continue still needs to be discussed and decided. The goal is to have a decision and announcement on the future of this challenge as soon as possible.
Tongal/NASA Zero Robotics Video Challenge - Space for All
Utah State wins 2012 University Student Launch Project rocketry challenge - Space for All
2013 NASA Space Settlement Design Contest - NASA Hack Space
Students compete with Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts - RLV News
X Prize Founder Peter Diamandis Has His Eyes on the Future - Wired - This interview has the following interesting note on a potential X PRIZE:
The Tri-State Carbon Capture X Prize is 50 percent funded. Sequestering carbon from a coal plant’s smokestack currently takes up to 30 percent of the plant’s energy. An energy company called Tri-State has put up not only half of the money but one of its plants as a test bed. Teams will tap the facility’s effluent at full pressure, temperature, and CO2 concentration. The team that captures the most CO2 and turns it into the most valuable product takes the prize.
Final Frontier Design creating budget space suit for private space industry - GizMag
New York startup pitches commercial spacesuit on Kickstarter - Wired.Co.UK on the second place winners of the final Astronaut Glove Challenge
Here are some photo sets and summaries of the recently-held Sample Return Robot Centennial Challenge and associated festival at WPI. As you can tell from the excerpts I've pulled out, it will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens with the challenge in the future.
NASA Centennial Challenge, Touch Tomorrow Draw 7,000 Visitors to WPI - WPI Connection:
“Touch Tomorrow, which we hope will become an annual event, is designed to inspire young people, their families and teachers through exposure to and interaction with advanced aerospace and robotics technology.”
...
Stafford said NASA will continue the Centennial Challenge competition at WPI again next year.
“Absolutely. We are happy with it, and from everything I’ve heard, NASA is thrilled by our venue. We will certainly endeavor to have it. It will be a different competition site, but it will be hosted by WPI.”
Sample Return Robot Return Challenge at WPI Concludes - NASA
20120616 Robot Challenge - Photo set from NASAHQ with detailed descriptions attached to each photo
No bot wins robot challenge - Cosmic Log
Update from the Challenge - Sample Return Robot Challenge at WPI - From the comments:
The decision on whether or not this challenge will continue still needs to be discussed and decided. The goal is to have a decision and announcement on the future of this challenge as soon as possible.
Tongal/NASA Zero Robotics Video Challenge - Space for All
Utah State wins 2012 University Student Launch Project rocketry challenge - Space for All
2013 NASA Space Settlement Design Contest - NASA Hack Space
Students compete with Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts - RLV News
X Prize Founder Peter Diamandis Has His Eyes on the Future - Wired - This interview has the following interesting note on a potential X PRIZE:
The Tri-State Carbon Capture X Prize is 50 percent funded. Sequestering carbon from a coal plant’s smokestack currently takes up to 30 percent of the plant’s energy. An energy company called Tri-State has put up not only half of the money but one of its plants as a test bed. Teams will tap the facility’s effluent at full pressure, temperature, and CO2 concentration. The team that captures the most CO2 and turns it into the most valuable product takes the prize.
Final Frontier Design creating budget space suit for private space industry - GizMag
New York startup pitches commercial spacesuit on Kickstarter - Wired.Co.UK on the second place winners of the final Astronaut Glove Challenge
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
2012 CanSat Competition Results
2012 CanSat Competition Winners - American Astronautical Society
2012 Competition Winners - Cansat Competition - This one gives the scores and other details.
2012 Photos - Cansat Competition
Cansat Competition 2012 -- Rocket launch 1
Cansat Competition 2012 -- Rocket Launch 2 - - SandroSalgueiro on YouTube
Student team competes in CanSat Competition - University of Minnesota Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics
2012 Competition Winners - Cansat Competition - This one gives the scores and other details.
2012 Photos - Cansat Competition
Cansat Competition 2012 -- Rocket launch 1
Cansat Competition 2012 -- Rocket Launch 2 - - SandroSalgueiro on YouTube
Student team competes in CanSat Competition - University of Minnesota Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Space Prize Roundup: SSR Approaches, Space Pirates Strike Back, Public Sector Prizes Forum, More
I have several updates on NASA Centennial Challenges:
Garver To Attend NASA $1.5 Million Robot Competition June 16 - NASA on the NASA-WPI Sample Return Robot Centennial Challenge
The NASA Centennial Challenges are now on Facebook: NASA Centennial Challenges. They have a few pictures related to the SSR Challenge, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more over the next few days.
Space Florida Announces Nano-Sat Launch Challenge Logo Design Contest - Space Florida
Space Elevator conference registration now open! - The Space Elevator Blog - The conference, to be held at the Seattle Museum of Flight, includes the Strong Tether Centennial Challenge and a robotic climber competition for kids.
The Return of the Kansas City Space Pirates - The Space Elevator Blog - It sounds like the KCSP team is going to make this year's Space Elevator conference even more interesting. Hmmm ... I wonder how LaserMotive will respond? See more information at the KCSP blog 2012- New Mission: The Dawn of Laser Powered Flight
FAQ-What are the uses for wireless power via laser? - LaserMotive
Here's an article that isn't really about Armadillo Aerospace, another former Centennial Challenge team, but that nevertheless has some Armadillo "ambiance": 'Doom 3 BFG Edition' will deliver the full Doom back catalog plus new levels
Yesterday, the Collaborative Innovation: Public Sector Prizes was held by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Case Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation. Here are a couple related articles:
Unleashing Innovation and Deepening Democracy Through Prizes - The White House Blog
How the White House is aiming the X Prize model at big problems - CNET interviews Cristin Dorgelo, formerly of the X PRIZE Foundation and now Assistant Director of Grand Challenges in the OSTP
To round things out, I'll catch up on some other prize news:
One moonshot team buys up another - Cosmic Log on Moon Express and Next Giant Leap
Landsat Contest Offers View of Local Landscape Change from Space - NASA - The contest is at "My American Landscape" Contest: A Space Chronicle of Change.
Garver To Attend NASA $1.5 Million Robot Competition June 16 - NASA on the NASA-WPI Sample Return Robot Centennial Challenge
The NASA Centennial Challenges are now on Facebook: NASA Centennial Challenges. They have a few pictures related to the SSR Challenge, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more over the next few days.
Space Florida Announces Nano-Sat Launch Challenge Logo Design Contest - Space Florida
Space Elevator conference registration now open! - The Space Elevator Blog - The conference, to be held at the Seattle Museum of Flight, includes the Strong Tether Centennial Challenge and a robotic climber competition for kids.
The Return of the Kansas City Space Pirates - The Space Elevator Blog - It sounds like the KCSP team is going to make this year's Space Elevator conference even more interesting. Hmmm ... I wonder how LaserMotive will respond? See more information at the KCSP blog 2012- New Mission: The Dawn of Laser Powered Flight
FAQ-What are the uses for wireless power via laser? - LaserMotive
Here's an article that isn't really about Armadillo Aerospace, another former Centennial Challenge team, but that nevertheless has some Armadillo "ambiance": 'Doom 3 BFG Edition' will deliver the full Doom back catalog plus new levels
Yesterday, the Collaborative Innovation: Public Sector Prizes was held by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Case Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation. Here are a couple related articles:
Unleashing Innovation and Deepening Democracy Through Prizes - The White House Blog
How the White House is aiming the X Prize model at big problems - CNET interviews Cristin Dorgelo, formerly of the X PRIZE Foundation and now Assistant Director of Grand Challenges in the OSTP
To round things out, I'll catch up on some other prize news:
One moonshot team buys up another - Cosmic Log on Moon Express and Next Giant Leap
Landsat Contest Offers View of Local Landscape Change from Space - NASA - The contest is at "My American Landscape" Contest: A Space Chronicle of Change.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Student Prize Roundup: Lunabotics, Conrad Awards, X-Hab, URC, RASC-AL, WPI hosting Sample Return Robot Challenge
Alabama robotics team takes home first prize - The Crimson White on the winners of the 2012 NASA Lunabotics Mining Competition, Alabama Lunabotics
2012-2013 Spirit of Innovation Challenge now open! - Spirit of Innovation Challenge (Conrad Challenge)
NASA Selects Five Universities For 2013 X-Hab Innovation Challenge - NASA
2012 University Rover Challenge Doesn’t Fail to Excite - Mars Society - The Mars Society also has photos from the event: URC 2012 photos. The winner is York University, and they also have a lot of photos: York University Rover Team @ URC 2012
Won Robo-Ops! - Oryx 2.0: A Planetary Exploration Mobility Platform,Worcester Polytechnic Institute's 2012 RASC-AL Exploration Robo-Ops - You can see more posts and photos on that site.
It's not a student-only competition, but the Worcester Polytechnic Institute is also the host of the Sample Return Robot Centennial Challenge competition that will be held about a week from now. They've made a number of updates since I last mentioned the competition and the festival that goes with it at TouchTomorrow. It looks like it will be a big event. Also see the Team Bios at NASA and the latest WPI SRR blog post: Daily Schedule Posted.
2012-2013 Spirit of Innovation Challenge now open! - Spirit of Innovation Challenge (Conrad Challenge)
NASA Selects Five Universities For 2013 X-Hab Innovation Challenge - NASA
2012 University Rover Challenge Doesn’t Fail to Excite - Mars Society - The Mars Society also has photos from the event: URC 2012 photos. The winner is York University, and they also have a lot of photos: York University Rover Team @ URC 2012
Won Robo-Ops! - Oryx 2.0: A Planetary Exploration Mobility Platform,Worcester Polytechnic Institute's 2012 RASC-AL Exploration Robo-Ops - You can see more posts and photos on that site.
It's not a student-only competition, but the Worcester Polytechnic Institute is also the host of the Sample Return Robot Centennial Challenge competition that will be held about a week from now. They've made a number of updates since I last mentioned the competition and the festival that goes with it at TouchTomorrow. It looks like it will be a big event. Also see the Team Bios at NASA and the latest WPI SRR blog post: Daily Schedule Posted.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Space Prize Roundup: University Rover Challenge, Space Apps, CanSat, High Altitude Astrobiology, More
The University Rover Challenge is scheduled to start on May 31. You can find a lot more information on the URC Teams page, which links to the sites for all of the teams. Google Lunar X PRIZE team JURBAN is one of the teams through Johns Hopkins University.
Kevin Sloan interview on the University Rover Challenge - The Space Show
OSTP Sees NASA As Leader In Offering Prizes - NASA Watch
The 6 Space App Challenge winners that want to change the world - DVICE.com
Announcing the Opening of the 2012 Humans in Space Youth Art Competition: Winners' Artwork to be Displayed and Performed Worldwide - SpaceRef - See HumansInSpaceArt on Facebook
for examples of the artwork, presumably from previous years' competitions.
5/12/2012: Laramie Rose Free Flight - SpeedUp - I didn't write up the SpeedUp presentation at Space Access because I missed it when there was a change in the schedule there, so I'm glad to be able to link to this.
AISR CanSat Competition - Nina Markham on YouTube
Masten Space fires new Katana engine - RLV News
Briefs: Jordin Kare interview; KSC master plan - RLV News
Citizens in Space opens High Altitude Astrobiology Challenge - RLV News
XCOR announces Lynx suborbital flight winner - RLV News
2011 Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court competition finals - Space for All
Kevin Sloan interview on the University Rover Challenge - The Space Show
OSTP Sees NASA As Leader In Offering Prizes - NASA Watch
The 6 Space App Challenge winners that want to change the world - DVICE.com
Announcing the Opening of the 2012 Humans in Space Youth Art Competition: Winners' Artwork to be Displayed and Performed Worldwide - SpaceRef - See HumansInSpaceArt on Facebook
for examples of the artwork, presumably from previous years' competitions.
5/12/2012: Laramie Rose Free Flight - SpeedUp - I didn't write up the SpeedUp presentation at Space Access because I missed it when there was a change in the schedule there, so I'm glad to be able to link to this.
AISR CanSat Competition - Nina Markham on YouTube
Masten Space fires new Katana engine - RLV News
Briefs: Jordin Kare interview; KSC master plan - RLV News
Citizens in Space opens High Altitude Astrobiology Challenge - RLV News
XCOR announces Lynx suborbital flight winner - RLV News
2011 Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court competition finals - Space for All
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
X PRIZE Foundation Roundup: GLXP at GLEX, MoonBots 2012, Visioneering, Fighting Poverty, Lyme Diagnostics Tool
The X PRIZE Foundation has been quite active lately in the field of space prizes and other fields:
Tiptoeing back to the Moon - Jeff Foust at The Space Review gives an update on the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition. Here is something to look forward to over the next few days:
The competition will be back in the spotlight somewhat this week with a joint NASA/GLXP announcement scheduled for Thursday morning during the Global Space Exploration (GLEX) conference in Washington, DC. The International Space Development Conference (ISDC), immediately following the GLEX conference in Washington, will also feature presentations about the competition.
According to Global Space Exploration Conference in Washington DC (from SpaceRef), the announcement schedule is
9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.: NASA and Google Lunar X Prize Announcement, Grand Ballroom
Check the link for the times for the other Google Lunar X PRIZE activity at the GLEX conference, too.
MoonBots 2012 is Officially Open for Registration! - Leo Camacho at the Staff Blog
Engagement + Innovation = Visioneering 2012 - Peter Diamandis
Robin Hood Joins X PRIZE Foundation to Battle Poverty Worldwide - X PRIZE Foundation:
By engaging entrepreneurs and thought leaders from around the world in a series of global incentivized competitions, the two organizations aim to discover effective solutions to some of the most crippling aspects of poverty. These competitions will be the first of their kind designed specifically to battle poverty the world over. By offering a substantial prize and soliciting crowd-sourced solutions from around the globe, Robin Hood and X PRIZE hope to identify new approaches to battling poverty that can be put to the test via pilot programs in New York City.
Robin Hood Raises $57 Million to Fight Poverty in New York City: Announces Partnership with X PRIZE Foundation to Fund Global Poverty Solutions - X PRIZE Foundation press release:
By offering a substantial prize of at least $1 million and soliciting crowd-sourced solutions from teams and individuals around the globe, Robin Hood and the X PRIZE Foundation hope to identify effective new approaches to fighting poverty that can be put to the test via X PRIZEs in New York City with clear, measurable goals. ... In addition to the $19 million raised to fund the Robin Hood X PRIZE, Robin Hood also raised more than $38 million to fund its day-to-day poverty-fighting programs throughout New York City.
Tick-Borne Disease Alliance and X PRIZE Foundation Create “TBDA Diagnostic X PRIZE” Global Competition to Develop Fail-Safe Diagnostic Tool for Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases - X PRIZE Foundation press release
From X PRIZE Foundation on Facebook:
We’re ramping up for another groundbreaking Life Sciences competition – this one is all about digital healthcare. We’ll be unveiling it on Thursday, May 24 at 9:40 a.m. PT. Tune in to a live webcast right here!
Tiptoeing back to the Moon - Jeff Foust at The Space Review gives an update on the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition. Here is something to look forward to over the next few days:
The competition will be back in the spotlight somewhat this week with a joint NASA/GLXP announcement scheduled for Thursday morning during the Global Space Exploration (GLEX) conference in Washington, DC. The International Space Development Conference (ISDC), immediately following the GLEX conference in Washington, will also feature presentations about the competition.
According to Global Space Exploration Conference in Washington DC (from SpaceRef), the announcement schedule is
9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.: NASA and Google Lunar X Prize Announcement, Grand Ballroom
Check the link for the times for the other Google Lunar X PRIZE activity at the GLEX conference, too.
MoonBots 2012 is Officially Open for Registration! - Leo Camacho at the Staff Blog
Engagement + Innovation = Visioneering 2012 - Peter Diamandis
Robin Hood Joins X PRIZE Foundation to Battle Poverty Worldwide - X PRIZE Foundation:
By engaging entrepreneurs and thought leaders from around the world in a series of global incentivized competitions, the two organizations aim to discover effective solutions to some of the most crippling aspects of poverty. These competitions will be the first of their kind designed specifically to battle poverty the world over. By offering a substantial prize and soliciting crowd-sourced solutions from around the globe, Robin Hood and X PRIZE hope to identify new approaches to battling poverty that can be put to the test via pilot programs in New York City.
Robin Hood Raises $57 Million to Fight Poverty in New York City: Announces Partnership with X PRIZE Foundation to Fund Global Poverty Solutions - X PRIZE Foundation press release:
By offering a substantial prize of at least $1 million and soliciting crowd-sourced solutions from teams and individuals around the globe, Robin Hood and the X PRIZE Foundation hope to identify effective new approaches to fighting poverty that can be put to the test via X PRIZEs in New York City with clear, measurable goals. ... In addition to the $19 million raised to fund the Robin Hood X PRIZE, Robin Hood also raised more than $38 million to fund its day-to-day poverty-fighting programs throughout New York City.
Tick-Borne Disease Alliance and X PRIZE Foundation Create “TBDA Diagnostic X PRIZE” Global Competition to Develop Fail-Safe Diagnostic Tool for Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases - X PRIZE Foundation press release
From X PRIZE Foundation on Facebook:
We’re ramping up for another groundbreaking Life Sciences competition – this one is all about digital healthcare. We’ll be unveiling it on Thursday, May 24 at 9:40 a.m. PT. Tune in to a live webcast right here!
Congratulations to SpaceX on the Falcon 9 launch of the Dragon spacecraft!
Congratulations SpaceX and Elon Musk! - The Heinlein Prize Trust
2012 Lunabotics In Progress
The Lunabotics competition, similar to the Regolith Excavation Challenge but specifically for university students, is now in progress (May 21-26). This was a lucky schedule for teams that wanted to see the Falcon 9/Dragon launch. Current activities include inspections and practice in the sand pit. The official competition starts today at 2:00 KSC time. There are activities for K-12 students like working on LEGO® Mindstorms® NXT robots, college recruitment for high school students, FIRST robot displays, and more.
Practice Day 1: Lunabotics Mining Competition
Practice Day 2: Lunabotics Mining Competition - lots of pictures from NASA Lunabotics Facebook
The teams are already sending out a flood of twitter tweets. You can follow them (or the ones I found a few weeks ago) on my Lunabotics twitter list or use hashtag #lunabotics. NASA Edge is supposed to start broadcasting from the event today at 12:00.
Lunabotics is a great example of a NASA Centennial Challenge that successfully transitioned to a student competition after the original Centennial Challenge completed. I wonder if any other Centennial Challenges will be able to make this transition? The Sample Return Challenge strikes me as one that would be likely to work in some form this way, since student competitions are well established in the area of robotics. For example, WPI, which is running the Sample Return Challenge, is also involved with FIRST robotics. The Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge always struck me as a difficult one to form into a student challenge, but maybe with the Masten GN&C testbed, teams could test landing software for places like the Moon and Mars using real hardware in an environment with a software supervisor that makes sure the student software doesn't go out of bounds.
Practice Day 1: Lunabotics Mining Competition
Practice Day 2: Lunabotics Mining Competition - lots of pictures from NASA Lunabotics Facebook
The teams are already sending out a flood of twitter tweets. You can follow them (or the ones I found a few weeks ago) on my Lunabotics twitter list or use hashtag #lunabotics. NASA Edge is supposed to start broadcasting from the event today at 12:00.
Lunabotics is a great example of a NASA Centennial Challenge that successfully transitioned to a student competition after the original Centennial Challenge completed. I wonder if any other Centennial Challenges will be able to make this transition? The Sample Return Challenge strikes me as one that would be likely to work in some form this way, since student competitions are well established in the area of robotics. For example, WPI, which is running the Sample Return Challenge, is also involved with FIRST robotics. The Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge always struck me as a difficult one to form into a student challenge, but maybe with the Masten GN&C testbed, teams could test landing software for places like the Moon and Mars using real hardware in an environment with a software supervisor that makes sure the student software doesn't go out of bounds.
Friday, May 18, 2012
2012 Team America Rocketry Challenge Results
Here's more on the 2012 Team America Rocketry Challenge that was just held:
Madison students take first place in Team America Rocketry Challenge - Aerospace Industries Association
TARC 2012 - Team America Rocketry Challenge - photo collection presented in a YouTube video
Team America Rocketry Challenge - A Country Mouse in Space, A rural teacher's experiences elsewhere
Ingraham rocketry team lands trip to NASA event - The Seattle Times on a team that will now go to the Student Launch Initiative
World's Largest Rocket Contest Launches STEM Careers - Marion C. Blakey (AIA) at the Huffington Post
TARC 2012 Timelapse Outfield - YouTube video - You should also be able to find several other time-lapse videos there if you go to this one.
Madison students take first place in Team America Rocketry Challenge - Aerospace Industries Association
TARC 2012 - Team America Rocketry Challenge - photo collection presented in a YouTube video
Team America Rocketry Challenge - A Country Mouse in Space, A rural teacher's experiences elsewhere
Ingraham rocketry team lands trip to NASA event - The Seattle Times on a team that will now go to the Student Launch Initiative
World's Largest Rocket Contest Launches STEM Careers - Marion C. Blakey (AIA) at the Huffington Post
TARC 2012 Timelapse Outfield - YouTube video - You should also be able to find several other time-lapse videos there if you go to this one.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Sample Return Robot Challenge: Competition Approaches, Includes WPI Festival
It's time to get ready for the Sample Return Robot Challenge, which is scheduled for mid-June:
$1.5 million NASA rover contest set for robo-showdown in June - Cosmic Log
30-day Required Information - Sample Return Robot Challenge (at WPI)
NASA $1.5 Million Robot Competition Rolls Onto WPI Campus June 14-17 - NASA
Touch Tomorrow - A Festival of Science, Technology, and Robots at WPI - WPI:
Simultaneous to the competition on Saturday, June 16, 2012, science and technology enthusiasts of all ages will be welcomed to the WPI campus for TouchTomorrow, a free and fun festival comprised of hands-on exhibits and activities focused on our scientific and technological future. ... A sampling of TouchTomorrow’s outdoor and indoor exhibits and activities includes:
There's already a lot of background information on the TouchTomorrow media page. Check back on their site later this month when the full details about the event should be posted.
There is now an online forum for the teams. It arrives a bit late in the process, so I'm not sure how much it will be used, but there are a couple short conversations so far. One is on liability insurance, and another is on travel arrangements from the West, and the possibility of shipping the robots to the competition site. Having followed a number of these competitions, I'll say that a number of teams have had major problems with shipping their hardware, so a lot of care needs to be taken with that route. Of course driving the hardware isn't fool-proof ... one team had a car accident.
$1.5 million NASA rover contest set for robo-showdown in June - Cosmic Log
30-day Required Information - Sample Return Robot Challenge (at WPI)
NASA $1.5 Million Robot Competition Rolls Onto WPI Campus June 14-17 - NASA
Touch Tomorrow - A Festival of Science, Technology, and Robots at WPI - WPI:
Simultaneous to the competition on Saturday, June 16, 2012, science and technology enthusiasts of all ages will be welcomed to the WPI campus for TouchTomorrow, a free and fun festival comprised of hands-on exhibits and activities focused on our scientific and technological future. ... A sampling of TouchTomorrow’s outdoor and indoor exhibits and activities includes:
- The Space Smart Game
- Be The Robot – a virtual-reality adventure
- Engineer a Satellite
- Bouncing Bubbles!
- Lunar Quest
- Plus – demonstrations by FIRST Robotics Teams of advances in robotics technology, an “inflatable earth,” and an actual rocket launch!
There's already a lot of background information on the TouchTomorrow media page. Check back on their site later this month when the full details about the event should be posted.
There is now an online forum for the teams. It arrives a bit late in the process, so I'm not sure how much it will be used, but there are a couple short conversations so far. One is on liability insurance, and another is on travel arrangements from the West, and the possibility of shipping the robots to the competition site. Having followed a number of these competitions, I'll say that a number of teams have had major problems with shipping their hardware, so a lot of care needs to be taken with that route. Of course driving the hardware isn't fool-proof ... one team had a car accident.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Space Prize Roundup: TARC 2012, Heinlein Award, SketchUp Models, SpaceApps Global, More
Team America Rocketry Challenge Celebrating Ten Years - Team America Rocketry Challenge - This year's finals for TARC will be held this Saturday, May 12, in The Plains, VA.
TARC Update: If you can't make it to the event, you can use twitter hash tag #TARC12 to follow it. The @RocketContest twitter account will likely have updates.
2012 Google Model Your Town Competition - Google SketchUp - The winning team for this year's competition using the modelling tool often integrated with Google Earth will be announced on May 15. It's not clear whether this competition will be continued in future years, as Google SketchUp will become part of Trimble, well-known for its GPS products.
Space Foundation Student Art Contest Winning Artwork Bounces Off the Moon - SpaceRef
Glasgow school wins 70cm CanSat launch competition - Southgate Amateur Radio News
Stanley Schmidt Wins 2012 Robert A. Heinlein Award - Science Fiction Awards Watch - This award is not to be confused with the Heinlein Prize managed by the Heinlein Prize Trust or the National Space Society's Heinlein Award. This one is for
outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space.
It's also good to see that Science Fiction Awards Watch is back in action, as the original owners were no longer able to maintain the site and it was offline for a while.
Citizen Science Challenge to be unveiled at Maker Faire - RLV News - This in on May 19, which may be a busy day in the space field if schedules hold.
One man's path to space goes through Seattle's Space Needle - Cosmic Log - This involves an Armadillo suborbital flight and the "Space Race 2012" contest at the Seattle Space Needle.
#SpaceApps Global Judging Open Now - open.NASA
Steven Colbert receives NSS award from Buzz Aldrin - Space for All
Video Contest: Why Explore Space? - NASA Watch
TARC Update: If you can't make it to the event, you can use twitter hash tag #TARC12 to follow it. The @RocketContest twitter account will likely have updates.
2012 Google Model Your Town Competition - Google SketchUp - The winning team for this year's competition using the modelling tool often integrated with Google Earth will be announced on May 15. It's not clear whether this competition will be continued in future years, as Google SketchUp will become part of Trimble, well-known for its GPS products.
Space Foundation Student Art Contest Winning Artwork Bounces Off the Moon - SpaceRef
Glasgow school wins 70cm CanSat launch competition - Southgate Amateur Radio News
Stanley Schmidt Wins 2012 Robert A. Heinlein Award - Science Fiction Awards Watch - This award is not to be confused with the Heinlein Prize managed by the Heinlein Prize Trust or the National Space Society's Heinlein Award. This one is for
outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space.
It's also good to see that Science Fiction Awards Watch is back in action, as the original owners were no longer able to maintain the site and it was offline for a while.
Citizen Science Challenge to be unveiled at Maker Faire - RLV News - This in on May 19, which may be a busy day in the space field if schedules hold.
One man's path to space goes through Seattle's Space Needle - Cosmic Log - This involves an Armadillo suborbital flight and the "Space Race 2012" contest at the Seattle Space Needle.
#SpaceApps Global Judging Open Now - open.NASA
Steven Colbert receives NSS award from Buzz Aldrin - Space for All
Video Contest: Why Explore Space? - NASA Watch
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Prize Roundup: Heinlein Trust Award, Museum of Flight Activity, CanSats, Ocean Prizes, More
I recently posted about the Nanosatellite Launch Challenge. Space Florida is also involved with another space competition: Space Florida and NASA-KSC announce the 3rd Annual Planetary Lander “Egg-Drop” Competition for Florida Elementary, Middle and High School Students.
$15,000 Space Commercialization Award to SolidEnergy, MIT for “Shipstone” - Heinlein Prize Trust
Boston student wins contest for XCOR Lynx spaceflight - RLV News
Updates and Info - Sample Return Robot Challenge - This post mentions a new forum and other topics of interest to the teams. The event is less than 2 months away (June 15-18).
MoonBots heads to St. Louis for FIRST World Robotics Championships - Google Lunar X PRIZE Staff Blog
Here's some news from the Museum of Flight:
The Future of Space - I'm sure by now you know all about the introduction of Planetary Resources by X PRIZE Foundation Chairman Peter Diamandis and many others.
Planetary Resources and the Google Lunar X PRIZE - Google Lunar X PRIZE Staff Blog
Space Elevator Conference moves to the Boeing Museum of Flight! - Space Elevator Blog - According to the conference site (which is expected to be updated in early May), this includes the Strong Tether Competition and RoboQuest, a robotic climber competition for kids. According to The Artsutanov and Pearson Prizes, a recent update at ISEC, the topics for the 2013 competition will be announced at this year's conference to give more time for entries.
Here are a couple of updates on CanSats:
Worldwide CanSat Competitions - De La Cosa CanSat Team
European CanSat competition begins - ESA
The X PRIZE Foundation is working hard to develop ocean prizes:
Robots of the Sea - neXt PRIZE - Erica Wagner from The X PRIZE Foundation writes about the advisory meeting for the James Cook X PRIZE, a potential future prize for autonomous underwater vehicles.
Attention Heroes: Who Will Save The World's Oceans? - Forbes gives us some news from the X PRIZE Foundation Visioneering conference:
Wendy Schmidt, President of the Schmidt Family Foundation and spouse of Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, announced her intent to sponsor a prize to address the issue (ocean acidification). ... To compete in the Ocean Health X Prize, winners must: Build and demonstrate the most accurate and reliable deep ocean pH sensors to help measure the global effects of climate change on the world’s oceans.
Visioneering 2012 - X PRIZE Foundation - You can see a summary of this workshop and the top prize concepts there, as well as a number of photos of the event.
$15,000 Space Commercialization Award to SolidEnergy, MIT for “Shipstone” - Heinlein Prize Trust
Boston student wins contest for XCOR Lynx spaceflight - RLV News
Updates and Info - Sample Return Robot Challenge - This post mentions a new forum and other topics of interest to the teams. The event is less than 2 months away (June 15-18).
MoonBots heads to St. Louis for FIRST World Robotics Championships - Google Lunar X PRIZE Staff Blog
Here's some news from the Museum of Flight:
The Future of Space - I'm sure by now you know all about the introduction of Planetary Resources by X PRIZE Foundation Chairman Peter Diamandis and many others.
Planetary Resources and the Google Lunar X PRIZE - Google Lunar X PRIZE Staff Blog
Space Elevator Conference moves to the Boeing Museum of Flight! - Space Elevator Blog - According to the conference site (which is expected to be updated in early May), this includes the Strong Tether Competition and RoboQuest, a robotic climber competition for kids. According to The Artsutanov and Pearson Prizes, a recent update at ISEC, the topics for the 2013 competition will be announced at this year's conference to give more time for entries.
Here are a couple of updates on CanSats:
Worldwide CanSat Competitions - De La Cosa CanSat Team
European CanSat competition begins - ESA
The X PRIZE Foundation is working hard to develop ocean prizes:
Robots of the Sea - neXt PRIZE - Erica Wagner from The X PRIZE Foundation writes about the advisory meeting for the James Cook X PRIZE, a potential future prize for autonomous underwater vehicles.
Attention Heroes: Who Will Save The World's Oceans? - Forbes gives us some news from the X PRIZE Foundation Visioneering conference:
Wendy Schmidt, President of the Schmidt Family Foundation and spouse of Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, announced her intent to sponsor a prize to address the issue (ocean acidification). ... To compete in the Ocean Health X Prize, winners must: Build and demonstrate the most accurate and reliable deep ocean pH sensors to help measure the global effects of climate change on the world’s oceans.
Visioneering 2012 - X PRIZE Foundation - You can see a summary of this workshop and the top prize concepts there, as well as a number of photos of the event.
Nanosatellite Launch Challenge Draft Rules: Comments and Excerpts of Interest
Space Florida has released the draft rules (PDF) for the Nanosatellite Launch Challenge. Current comments (PDF) from the interested public, including some who you may know, are also available. Citizens in Space notes a part of the draft rules that allows systems that were designed or developed by a government, but considers that not to be a real problem for those who want to encourage private design and development since governments haven't been much interested in nanosatellite launchers. I will also note the following excerpt from the rules that makes it even less likely to be a problem from that perspective:
Teams using Launch Vehicles based on U.S. Government or foreign government designs must certify to SFSSRC that these designs are available to all other competitors, and their vehicles will be available for commercial launch operations after the Challenge.
As mentioned in an earlier post, the total prize purse has been increased to $3M, spread across 3 potential awards. In the area of prize funding, I also think the following section is interesting:
The SFSSRC, in cooperation with other Challenge sponsors, may offer Bonus Prizes to incentivize additional activities associated with the Challenge objectives. Initial Bonus Prizes are listed below. Other Bonus Prizes may be added before the Challenge is expired.
7.2.1 Space Florida will provide an additional $______ cash prize to a Team that wins the Challenge by staging both of its winning Challenge Launch Attempts from Florida. This includes the use of Cape Canaveral Spaceport or the Cecil Field Spaceport as a launch base for expendable or reusable Launch Vehicles, or as an integration site for Launch Vehicles carried aloft for air-launch.
Teams using Launch Vehicles based on U.S. Government or foreign government designs must certify to SFSSRC that these designs are available to all other competitors, and their vehicles will be available for commercial launch operations after the Challenge.
As mentioned in an earlier post, the total prize purse has been increased to $3M, spread across 3 potential awards. In the area of prize funding, I also think the following section is interesting:
The SFSSRC, in cooperation with other Challenge sponsors, may offer Bonus Prizes to incentivize additional activities associated with the Challenge objectives. Initial Bonus Prizes are listed below. Other Bonus Prizes may be added before the Challenge is expired.
7.2.1 Space Florida will provide an additional $______ cash prize to a Team that wins the Challenge by staging both of its winning Challenge Launch Attempts from Florida. This includes the use of Cape Canaveral Spaceport or the Cecil Field Spaceport as a launch base for expendable or reusable Launch Vehicles, or as an integration site for Launch Vehicles carried aloft for air-launch.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Prize Events this Weekend
Visioneering 2012 - The Launch Pad - This post describes this year's X PRIZE Foundation event where problems and potential X PRIZEs to solve those problems are reviewed by prominent innovators. It also gives some social media accounts to check to see how the event is going. It's held April 20-21. Participants include @AnoushehAnsari, @PaulGAllen, @gtwhitesides, and many others.
International Space Apps Challenge Is Happening This Weekend - NASAHackSpace
@SLI_1MILEHIGH - NASA Student Launch Initiative - Originally scheduled for April 21, this is being moved to April 22 due to weather. See more at Student Launch Initiative.
Create NASA Earth Day Video, Win Seats To A Launch - NASA Earth
International Space Apps Challenge Is Happening This Weekend - NASAHackSpace
@SLI_1MILEHIGH - NASA Student Launch Initiative - Originally scheduled for April 21, this is being moved to April 22 due to weather. See more at Student Launch Initiative.
Create NASA Earth Day Video, Win Seats To A Launch - NASA Earth
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