NASA Space Settlement Contest

Event: NASA Space Settlement Contest (Website)

Conducted by: NASA Ames and National Space Society(NSS)

Key Dates:
Deadline for Submission of Entries: March 31, 2008


For Whom:
Students from 6-12th grades (11-18 years Old) from anywhere in the world. There can be individual or team participation where team size may vary from two to six or more.

NASA Space Settlement Contest is an annual contest co sponsored by NASA Ames and the National Space Society(NSS). In this contest the Students are required to develop space settlement designs and related material.

Space colonies are permanent communities in orbit, as opposed to living on the Moon or other planets. The work of Princeton physicist Dr. O’Neill and others have shown that such colonies are technically feasible, although expensive. Settlers of this high frontier are expected to live inside large air-tight rotating structures holding hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people along with the animals, plants, and single celled organisms vital to comfort and survival. There are many advantages to living in orbit: zero-g recreation, environmental independence, plentiful solar energy, and terrific views to name a few. There is plenty of room for everyone who wants to go; the materials from a single asteroid can build space colonies with living space equal to about 500 times the surface area of the Earth.

While designing a space colony, students will have a chance to study physics, mathematics, space science, environmental science, and many other disciplines.Contest submissions may include designs, essays, stories, models, and artwork. Students can design entire colonies or focus on one aspect of orbital living. A class or school may submit a joint project where small teams tackle different areas in a coordinated fashion.

Note: Grades 6-9 and 10-12 are judged separately, except for the grand prize.

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