Ken Murphy / 2:58 am January 1st, 2009

January

7th - Passed

Final Entry Due for NASA’s 50th Anniversary Essay Competition

Part of NASA’s mission is to inspire the next generation of engineers, scientists and explorers. Our hope is that the essay competition will inspire and encourage middle school students to continue with science and engineering in high school, college and beyond.

9th - Passed

Initial Submissions due for Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Award

Award Topics:
• Personal Spaceflight,
• Lunar Exploration, and
• Renewable Energy

15th - Passed

International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC) Registration Deadline

This contest puts high school students in the shoes of aerospace industry engineers designing a city in space that will be a home for over 10,000 people. Student engineers demonstrate creativity, technical competence, management skills, environmental knowledge, space, teamwork, and presentation techniques to conquer the problems inherent in siting and designing a Space Settlement (aka Space Colony).

25th - Passed

Deadline for “Name NASA’s Next Mars Rover” Contest

The Contest provides kindergarten through high-school students with the opportunity to suggest names for the Mars Science Laboratory Rover, scheduled to launch in 2011 for a landing on Mars in 2012. Entrants will compete in three (3) grade-level categories: a) K-3; b) 4-7; and c) 8-12 grade

NASA has no obligation to use the winning name.

26th - Passed

2009 NASA Academy Application Deadline

NASA Academy represents an immersive and integrated multidisciplinary exposure and training, for students with various backgrounds and career aspirations of critical importance to the National aerospace program. The academic curriculum balances opportunities for direct contact with advanced science and engineering R&D and an awareness of the complex managerial, political, financial, social, and human issues faced by the current and future aerospace programs. Co-sponsorship of the Academy assures recruitment of meritorious students from previously under-represented areas of the country, into leadership positions for the aerospace programs of the future.

31st - Passed

2nd Rolling ISU Masters Program in Space Studies/Space Management Application Deadline

The ISU Master of Science (M.Sc.) programs are designed for students looking for the competitive edge that will help them obtain a career in the space sector, professionals interested in making a career move into or within the space sector, and researchers wishing to broaden their knowledge or make the move from academic life into the space industry.

For this ISU offers two post-graduate Master of Science (M. Sc.) degrees:
• M.Sc. in Space Studies (MSS)
• M.Sc. in Space Management (MSM)

1st ISU Summer Session Program Application Deadline

SSP09 will be hosted by the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) which stands in the heart of Silicon Valley . NASA Ames is partnering to support SSP09 with Google, Carnegie Mellon West, Santa Clara University , San Jose State University , and the Institute for Human & Machine Cognition.

Application Deadline for AIAA Foundation undergraduate scholarship or graduate award

Through an expanding scholarship program, AIAA awards 30 scholarships annually to undergraduate students and 14 to graduate students in science or engineering programs related to AIAA’s aerospace mission. The AIAA Foundation’s undergraduate scholarship program offers 30 scholarships of $2000 - $2500 to college sophomores, juniors, and seniors each year. All recipients can apply to renew their scholarship annually until they graduate. And through the annual graduate scholarship program, the AIAA Foundation presents ten graduate awards worth $5000 each and four graduate awards of $10,000 each.

Application Deadline for NSS Scholarship to International Space University (ISU) Summer Session Program

Since 2001, this scholarship has been offered by the National Space Society, SEDS and the Space Generation Foundation to benefit exceptional members of the space community. It is our hope that recipients will develop the leadership skills, personal network, and knowledge base needed to contribute to the future of space exploration, development, and advocacy.

Indication of Interest Deadline for the 2009 PISCES Lunar Outpost Student Design Competition

Contributions from student teams are invited in the following areas:

• overall habitat design (architecture).
• lunar resource utilization.
• supporting subsystems (life support systems, communications, robotics, energy conversion and power, surface transportation, etc.) that may be simulated in the PISCES environment.
• issues of operations in space and on planetary surfaces, such as the conduct of field geology, remote exploration from a planetary base, or problems of human performance and health.
• Analog field demonstrations of planetary surface exploration systems.

February

1st - Passed

Registration Deadline for NASA’s Great Moonbuggy Race

The 16th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race will be held April 3-4, 2009 in Huntsville, Alabama, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Students are required to design a vehicle that addresses a series of engineering problems that are similar to problems faced by the original Moonbuggy team.

Each Moonbuggy will be human powered and carry two students, one female and one male, over a half-mile simulated lunar terrain course including “craters”, rocks, “lava” ridges, inclines and “lunar” soil. Moonbuggy entries are expected to be of “proof-of-concept” and engineering test model nature, rather than final production models.

Indication of Participation Deadline for the Mars Society’s 2009 University Rover Challenge

For the third year, teams of university students will design and build the next generation of Mars rovers. May 28-30, 2009 the teams and their rovers will face off at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah.

2nd - Passed

Application Deadline for LPI Career Development Award
This award will be given to graduate students who have submitted a first-author abstract for presentation at the 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC). A travel stipend of $750.00 will be awarded to the top applicants to help cover their travel expenses for attending the LPSC in March.

6th Passed

8th Continent Business Plan Competition Final Entry Deadline

The 8th Continent Project is accepting entries from around the globe for its 2009 Business Plan Competition for university students. The 8C Business Plan Competition (formerly Lunar Ventures) challenges students in business, engineering and science to collaborate in creating business plans that utilize space-derived technology that has immediate commercial application here on Earth. Teams should consist primarily of graduate students, although undergraduate participation is welcome. Teams from anywhere in the world may enter.

Prizes for the winner include a ride for two on the Zero Gravity Corporation aircraft and $50,000 in cash and in-kind services.

RASC-AL Deadline for Abstract submission

RASC-AL, Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts Academic Linkage, is sponsored by NASA and is a design project competition aimed at university-level engineering students. RASC-AL was formed to allow engineering students a chance to integrate their academics into real life learning. The RASC-AL contest challenges university students to think about what sorts of conditions astronauts will face when we return to the moon, then design projects that may become part of actual lunar exploration.

16th - Passed

Letter of Intent Due for ESMD Space Grant Systems Engineering Paper Competition

Show off your senior design project and systems engineering skills by forming a team to compete in the 2009 Exploration System Mission Directorate (ESMD) Space Grant Systems Engineering paper competition. The competition is designed to assist NASA with strengthening the agency and the nation’s future workforce.

Awards
• First Prize: $3500 cash scholarship
• Second Prize: $2500 cash scholarship
• Third Prize: $1500 cash scholarship

In addition to cash scholarships, team winners will also receive VIP seating at an upcoming launch.

March

11th - Passed

International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC) Due Date for Qualifying Competition Proposals from the U.S. and Canada, and eligible Semi-Finalist Teams

13th - Passed

Letter of Intent Due for 2008/2009 AIAA Foundation:
• Undergraduate Team Space Transportation Design Competition: Commercial Lunar Space Transportation System
• Undergraduate Team Space Design Competition: Design of an Integrated Crew Health Care System for Lunar Outpost Missions
(AIAA members)

Commercial Lunar Space Transportation System
The goal of this project is to design a transportation system to provide a COTS solution for servicing the ISS and exploration missions beyond Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).. This transportation system will have the capability to transport both cargo and crew between Earth and the ISS. The specific requirements for this project are adapted from NASA requirements for the COTS program.

The transportation system should be ready for a first flight in 2012. Therefore, current technology readiness levels for new technologies to be integrated into vehicle design should be carefully considered. Design decisions include selection of propulsion system components and propellants and launch vehicle configuration. The overall design solution should consider safety, reliability, affordability, low operability and maintenance time.

Design of an Integrated Crew Health Care System for Lunar Outpost Missions
The goal of this proposal is to design an integrated clinical diagnostic and crew health care system that is small, lightweight and versatile, and requires minimal power and thermal control, and is compatible with the microgravity transit period and functional in reduced-gravity (1/6g) for lunar surface use. The design should be well rationalized in terms of specific functional-ty selected to address concerns and constraints of long term (6 months or more) Lunar Outpost missions, should identify commercially available candidate systems, describe the necessary modifications needed for space flight compatibility, and consider integration of all the devices into an appropriately packaged system design.

The prizes shall be:
First place-USD 2,500;
Second place-USD 1,500;
Third place-USD 1,000.

30th - Apr 24th

UND Summer & Fall Early Registration for Masters Program in Space Studies

This interdisciplinary program is an in-depth study of the implications of humankind’s entry into space: the scientific, technical, political, and legal impacts, on a national and international level, that are associated with the evolutionary development of a new frontier away from Earth. The goal is to integrate, rather than separate, traditional disciplines related to space. While specialized technical training is an essential part of the space community, the all-encompassing nature of space development also requires people who possess a broader background that links policy, business, law, science, and technology. The Space Studies Department seeks to prepare this vital segment of the community. An online curriculum is available.

31

NASA Space Settlement Contest Submission Deadline

This annual contest, co-sponsored by NASA Ames and the National Space Society (NSS) is for 6-12th graders (11-18 years old) from anywhere in the world. Individuals, small teams of two to six, and large teams of seven or more (often whole classrooms with teacher leadership) may enter. Grades 6-9 and 10-12 are judged separately, except for the grand prize. Students develop space settlement designs and related materials.

April

2nd

ThinkQuest Competition Entry Submission Deadline

Assemble a Team: All teams need a Coach (teacher) and 3-6 students. There are 3 age groups: 19 & Under, 15 & Under, and 12 & Under. Extra points will be awarded to teams that have members from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds.

Build a Website: Choose a category and create a website that you will upload to our server. The Evaluation Criteria explains how your site will be scored. Be sure to review the Rules before you begin and submit your entry before April 2, 2009.

Prizes:
Age Division 1st Place
Laptop computer with approximate retail value of $1,500 USD, Trip to ThinkQuest Live, $5000 USD School Award*

Age Division 2nd Place
Laptop computer with approximate retail value of $1,250 USD, Trip to ThinkQuest Live

Age Division 3rd Place
Laptop computer with approximate retail value of $1,000 USD, Trip to ThinkQuest Live

Global Perspectives Award
Digital camera with approximate retail value of $750.00
Trip to ThinkQuest Live

Age Division Honorable Mention Award
Laptop computer with approximate retail value of $750 USD

15th

Entry Due for “Life & Work on the Moon” NASA Art Contest

NASA invites high school and college students from all areas of study to enter, including the arts, industrial design, architecture, computer design, and the fine arts. Students are asked to submit their work on the theme: Life and Work on the Moon. Artists are encouraged to collaborate with science and engineering students. Such collaboration is not required, but would help to ensure that the art is valid for the Moon’s harsh environment. Any full time student can enter, regardless of major or area of study.

Entries will be accepted in three categories: two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and digital, including video. Each category will have pre-determined size limits.

• All entries are due no later than April 15, 2009 for College entries and April 15, 2009 for High School entries.
• Cash prizes, certificates of achievement, and exhibit opportunities are planned.
• We expect that winners will be announced in May of 2009.
• All entries will initially be submitted digitally as 300 dpi jpeg images.
• An on-line gallery is planned for public viewing of the artwork.
• Winners will be asked to ship their work to NASA for exhibit purposes.

Entries will be evaluated not only on their artistic qualities, but also on whether they depict a valid scenario. Prizes include awards and exhibit opportunities. Entries are due no later than April 15, 2009.

Please direct any questions to Dr. Elizabeth Ward at Elizabeth.B.Ward -at- nasa.gov

April 30th

Last ISU Summer Session Program Application Deadline

The University of Alabama at Huntsville offers a 4-page pdf of Summer Internship Opportunities. More Education and Training opportunities can be found here, though it is a bit dated.

h/t to the ever helpful Hobbyspace and Space Prizes

Know of more? Let us know in the comments!