The National Space Society (NSS) and educational nonprofit Innovate Our World (IOW) have agreed to collaborate on the Moon Mission Challenge (MMC), specifically to recruit more teams and to have NSS host the MMC capstone event at the NSS International Space Development Conferences starting in 2015.
The Moon Mission Challenge inspires middle and high school student teams, no matter their location, to learn about the Moon through an interactive, game-like learning environment available from Immersive 3D called the Cyber STEM Academy. They work as teams to conceptually design a payload based on lunar robotic rover mission information from one of several Google Lunar X Prize teams including Astrobotic Technology, Penn State Lunar Lion, and Team JURBAN. Students work with these and other experts to develop their concepts and finalist teams will sell their payload ideas to a panel of expert judges at the MMC capstone event. Students not only learn about the Moon and exploration history, but gain an introduction to systems engineering, project management, and communications, all skills needed for college and career.
“We’re very excited to work with the National Space Society to help us build this challenge so we can inspire students toward careers in aerospace and other STEM fields,” said Ron McCandless, IOW Director. “Older generations were inspired to do great things by the Apollo program. Challenges like the Moon Mission Challenge can have the same effect by giving kids a chance to work with leading experts who are planning cutting edge missions to the Moon.”
The Challenge starts in January 2014. More information.
1 thought on “Student Moon Mission Challenge”
Thanks for that. Perhaps the NSS could also encourage a university manned-lunar-landing competition, the purpose of which would be to propose landing missions at orders of magnitude lower cost than Constellation.
This is doable by simply choosing a small lander rather than the 45 mT Altair, by using already existing commercial launchers or soon to exist ones such as the Falcon Heavy, and by adapting already existing stages such as the Centaur or Ariane H8 or H10 for the in-space stages.
Bob Clark