Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Space Prize Roundup: Nanosat Use, Move an Asteroid, SAVE Award, Nanosat Launch Seminar/Deals/Options, Much More

SGAC Announces the Winner of the 2011 Move an Asteroid Competition ("Smart Cloud" for Asteroid Mitigation) - Planetary Defense - I didn't catch this the first time around; it's from September.

***

NASA DEVELOP Teams Compete in Virtual Poster Session for Comments and Cash Prizes - Spaceports

***

The 2nd Mission Idea Contest for Micro/Nano-satellite Utilization Contest - This is organized by UNISEC and the University of Tokyo.  The finalists can present at Japan's 4th Nano-satellite symposium.  A number of news items appeared for the contest in the last few days, such as details about a student prize.

***

Team America Rocketry Challenge 2012 - Teaching with Contests notes that the registration deadline for TARC is November 30.

***

And the SAVE Award Goes to… - The White House Office of Management and Budget presents the winner, from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

***

XCOR and SwRI offer space flight prize for NSRC 2012 participants - RLV News

***

Briefs: Space travel insurance; Cash vs space trip - RLV News

***

I don't think I've mentioned the Google Science Fair.  The prizes include scholarships, science and technology trips, and more from Google, CERN, National Geographic, Scientific American, and LEGO.

***

Paralyzed by options - Unreasonable Rocket - Some of the options are related to the Nanosatellite Launch Challenge

A Snapshot: The Team Phoenicia/Techshop Nanosat Launcher Seminar - Team Phoenicia - More pictures have also been released in later Team Phoenicia posts.  You may recognized some of the participants.  Expect presentations and video from the seminar to be posted later, too.

Third Engine Sold! - Team Phoenicia

***

NASA Makes Science Communication Competition Interplanetary - SpaceRef: 

NASA, Cheltenham Festivals (UK) and the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science (BMSIS) are pleased to announce a partnership to operate a FameLab competition for the first time. The competition will be held in the fields of astrobiology and planetary sciences, and is open to all scientists working in these diverse areas of research.

***

Google, NASA work together on space exploration - SFGate (San Francisco Chronicle)

***

3D printing on the Moon + a Challenge concept - RLV News - Clark suggests a Centennial Challenge based on 3D printing and lunar ISRU.  Now that the MoonROx Challenge has expired with no winner, it does seem like there is a hole in NASA's Centennial Challenge portfolio in the ISRU area.

***

Photo Release -- Scaled Composites' Burt Rutan Hailed for Lifetime of Achievement - press release at GlobeNewswire

***

Fisher Space Pen joins Spirit of Innovation Challenge - Conrad Foundation: 

The Innovative Teacher Award will include a cash prize and a custom-designed bronze trophy by Erik Lindbergh that resembles the rocket built by his famous grandfather and aviator Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh. The Conrad Foundation will select one teacher per year who demonstrated excellence in guiding his or her team through the Spirit of Innovation Challenge competition.

***

SpaceX Dragon - PopSci - The Dragon is the Grand Award winner in the Aviation and Space category.  Some others in the top ten with strong space prize connections (other than the PopSci award itself) include the Pipistrel Taurus G4 from the 2011 NASA/Google Green Flight Challenge and the Carnegie Mellon Astrobotic Red Rover from the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition.