Ever since 1994, NASA has looked to grade school students from around the world to dream up potentially viable orbital settlements that humanity could thrive in for a chance to win $5,000, and this year is no different!
While each participant/team will earn a certificate for sharing their stellar space station, the greatest submission of them all will win $5,000 to be evenly divided between the team members and an invitation to give a presentation about their settlement at the National Space Society’s 33rd annual International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles, California from May 14-18, 2014. Note that the contest is divided between the following categories: 7th grade and younger, 8th grade, 9th grade, 10th, grade, 11th grade and 12th grade. If you’re itching to leave your mark outside of Earth’s atmosphere and you are 18 or under, this is the contest for you!
Forget the Earth and Moon, let’s live in orbit!
Just consider the many aspects that one should consider if you were building a sustainable orbital space settlement, such as endless solar energy, the complicated air-tight structure, how gravity will impact the station and most importantly, how the settlement will be able to comfortably hold hundreds to millions of people, animals, plants and single celled organisms. Since the contest IS being hosted by NASA, you are encouraged to be as technical as possible with the images, descriptions and overall presentations included with the presentation of your space settlement, but don’t forget to have fun with it!
No, you can’t just rip off the Trade Federation’s Battleships as your own idea!
Click here for the official rules, entry form and all of the other technical bits and pieces, but you have until March 1st, 2014 to submit your space settlement to NASA, so blast off and get some work done, junior astronauts!
