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NASA's Astronaut Glove Design Competition

Posted by Zonk on from the build-a-better-glove-and-the-world-will-beat-a-path-to-your-door dept.

FleaPlus writes "NASA's Centennial Challenges program has announced its latest prize contest, the Astronaut Glove Challenge. The competition, a collaboration between NASA and the non-profit Volanz Aerospace, will be held in late 2006 and will award $250K to the team which produces the best-performing glove within contest parameters. The basic idea was originally proposed last year on Rand Simberg's Transterrestrial Musings blog to improve on current gloves, which have difficulties with remaining flexible while maintaining constant internal pressure in the vacuum of space. Previously-announced competitions include prizes for superstrong tethers, beaming power, and extracting oxygen from lunar regolith. These prizes are intended to lay the groundwork for larger competitions to further NASA's Vision for Space Exploration, possibly including 'an eight-figure prize for the first privately developed robotic moon lander.'"

2 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. Low and behold by chriswaclawik · · Score: 4, Funny

    Here's my design. Comment on it at will.

    --
    A guy walks into a bar... well, I forgot the joke, but the punchline is that he's an alcoholic.
  2. They really... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I see NASA has really thrown down the gauntlet with this challenge!