Special Announcement
This is the “special announcement” from Flight School – not quite as exciting as I had hoped.
Brant Sponberg, Program Manager at NASA announced 2 new Centennial Challenges. One is for beaming power through space, and the other is for high strength-to-weight materials.
Read the Wired article for more info, or see my notes in the extended entry.
Vision for Space Exploration - document at NASA site that sets priorities and approach: NASA
Key points: create a predictable environment and sustainable budget
Transition from government assets to private assets and services contracts
New prize competitions
Centennial challenges:
Build on Longitude Prize, X-Prize, DARPA Grand challenge, etc.
Competition for non-federal teams led by US Citizens.
Goals: stimulate innovation, high return on investment, inspire and educate the public
Have prize ideas in 4 categories:
* Flagship Challenges - encourage major private space missions
* Keystone Challenges - address tech priorities
* Alliance Challenges - leverage partnerships
* Quest Challenges - promote STEM (Science, Tech, Energy, Math) learning and careers
Two challenges announced today:
* Beam Power Challenge
* Tether Challenge
Spaceward Foundation administers Challenges,
Centennial Challenges provides prize purses
High strength-to-weight materials;
Wireless power transmission at high power densities
2005 Beam Power Challenge:
* Deliver Climber and Receiver (transmitter provided)
* Mass of climber and receiver limited to 25kg
* 3 attempts to climb 50m cable in 3m
* most mass lifted wins
* $50k first place prize
2006 same, but
* Teams must deliver climber, receiver, and transmitter
* $100k purse for first place, $40k for second, $10k for third
Tether challenge:
* Develop and deliver tethers made from high stw materials
* Each team's tether stretched in tension rig head to head
* Tether that doesn't break advances
* Winner of all brackets must beat "house" tether by 50% to win prize
* $50k for first
2006 same but
* May be new "house" tether based on 2005
* 100k first, 40k second, 10k third