Next NASA Centennial Challenge Competition

Andrew-Unit writes "NASA today announced the next competition in the Centennial Challenge series. A prize of $250,000 USD will be awarded to the team that can autonomously deliver the most lunar regolith to a collection device in 30 minutes. From the press release: 'This challenge continues NASA's efforts to broaden interest in innovative concepts ... We hope to see teams from a broad spectrum of technical areas take part in this competition,'"

Comments

Meritocracy over aristocracy

[Safe Sex Goddess]

The article does make a good point when it says that these competitions let everyone compete on a level playing field.

We get to see a published set of standards, an open competition, and the winner isn't based on who has taken whom to dinner.

Wow! Making awards based on what one has accomplished rather than who one knows. This could have a major impact on business integrity if it's widely adopted.

Re:Wow, Imagine that.

[paco3791]

I don't think it can be overstated how important automation is to our future.

If we can turn technologies like this into something that: collects, proccesses, and utilizes' raw matireials, and self replicates, the possibilites are limitless. If we can get automation sufficiently advanced we can send a small robotic factory to the moon or mars and have a habitate, fuel, air, water, and bio-mass ready for use when we get there. Terraforming and other "sci-fi" ideas become a little more plausable.

The raw matirals are out there that will allow the human race to expand away from the "one planet, one disaster away from extinction" problem. And the solution isn't people in space it's automatons as an extention of our will.

*checks above post* Whoa! Too much Red Mars today.