NASA is convening a new competition for the 2021-22 school year, giving student teams the opportunity to design, build, and launch experiments on suborbital rockets and high-altitude balloon flights. NASA and Future Engineers, the contest administrator, will offer a series of virtual events for educators to listen to the agency’s experts and learn more about this great opportunity for students.
Nasa’s TechRise student contest will begin accepting submissions in August. Student teams can present ideas for weather or remote sensing experiments to fly a high-altitude balloon and space exploration experiments to fly aboard a suborbital rocket.
Winning teams will receive $ 1,500 each to build their payloads, as well as a reserved seat on a NASA-sponsored commercial suborbital flight. Balloon flights will offer more than four hours of flight time, while suborbital rockets will allow about three minutes of testing in microgravity conditions.
“This contest is a great opportunity for students across the country, whether they are already passionate about space exploration or looking for a new challenge,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). . “Student teams will gain hands-on experience creating and building their own experiments and then they can see them fly into suborbital space, just like NASA engineers and university researchers. “
The contest seeks to inspire a deeper understanding of Earth’s atmosphere, space exploration, programming, and electronics, as well as a broader understanding of the value of test data. It will also allow students to connect with NASA and the technology communities, and introduce them to potential careers in the fields of science, technology, and space exploration.
Before the contest opens in August, Educators can hear from NASA experts and learn more about the opportunity through a series of virtual activities.
The launch of the contest, which is part of the Department of Education’s eighth annual gaming expo, will take place on June 1. NASA is working with three flight providers to support the contest. Student payloads will fly in one of the following: Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, UP Aerospace’s SpaceLoft rocket, or Raven Aerostar’s Zero Pressure high-altitude balloon.
Nasa’s TechRise Student Challenge will be open to teams of students affiliated with public, private, and charter schools in the United States, including those of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and all other US territories. NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, based at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and part of STMD, runs the contest.
