NASA has awarded the University of Washington a $499,864 grant to develop a competition that calls on students to turn a simulated lava tube into a habitat suitable for harboring humans on the moon or Mars.
- The exploration and habitation skills competition will be funded as part of NASA’s Artemis Student Challenges program, which plays off the themes of the Artemis moon program to inspire the next generation of explorers and engineers. The competition will involve navigating a rover through a facsimile lava tube and surface structures, generating maps, identifying valuable resources and deploying an airtight barrier to seal the lava tube as a potential living quarters.
- The team behind the competition has received commitments from NASA Space Grant teams from Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Texas to host regional competitions in coordination with UW. “NASA is proud of this collaborative effort between the agency and our Space Grant partners,” Mike Kincaid, associate administrator for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, said today in a news release about the initiative
- Five other universities across the country received awards for Artemis Student Challenges, adding up to a total of nearly $2.4 million. Those projects will involve creating educational resources, hands-on projects and competitions with space exploration themes.
