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NASA Unveils Centennial Challenges

Posted by samzenpus on from the step-right-up dept.

wonderfesten writes "NASA has finally got its Centennial Challenges program off the ground. Like the X Prize, the Challenges award cash prizes to private inventors who come up with solutions to problems. The first challenges are to design a light-weight, ultra-strength tether and a means of transmitting power wirelessly. But with a prize of just $50,000, will anyone give it a shot?" Details also available on MSNBC and Space.com.

5 of 262 comments (clear)

  1. Gasp! by aendeuryu · · Score: 5, Funny

    Good lord! They want to combine a light-weight, ultra-strength tether with a means of transmitting power wirelessly. Read that again. A light-weight, ultra-strength tether with a means of transmitting power wirelessly. My God! Do you know what this means? Do you?!?

    Yeah, neither do I.

  2. Re:Ultra strength tether by imrec · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh... LIGHT weight...

    Damn...

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  3. New prizes announced by DanielMarkham · · Score: 4, Funny

    With NASA trying to do too mnay things with too little money, I'd like to get in on the action as well.

    - $10 for first person to discover tenth planet
    - $15.75 for invention of anti-gravity device. Must include batteries
    - $17.50 for first person to deliver truckload of gold bullion to my house
    - $37.50 for proof of alien life

    I've got the money right here (pats wallet). Let's all not rush. Stand in line, please.

  4. $50,000?! by Anita+Coney · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does NASA realise you can make that kind of money by simply working?!

    --
    If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
  5. Re:Space elevator? by gr8_phk · · Score: 4, Funny
    I have wondered why the space elevator people want to use transmitted power. Why not just have your tether be a loop with a pully on the satellite? Then you just clamp a payload on and turn a crank on the ground. You get bi-directional delivery at the same time. Now there are potential issues with the 2 strands and associated payloads running into each other, but that seems like it should be easier to solve than all the issues with robotic climbers with beamed power.

    Oops, I should have patented this variation of the Space Elevator before writing about it....