COMPETITION GUIDELINES

NASA, the Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC) and the Texas Space Grant Consortium (TSGC) are pleased to announce the NASA MarsPort Engineering Design Student Competition 2001 (NASA MarsPort 2001).

WE INVITE YOU to compete for a chance to make a real contribution in support of the human exploration of Mars!

If selected, you and your teammates will perform engineering trade studies to design optimal configurations for a MarsPort Cryogenics and Consumables Station (MCCS) 1 a vital element of the complex infrastructure needed to launch spacecraft from the Martian surface.

If you choose to enter, your team will compete with other student teams by writing and submitting a proposal to the NASA MarsPort 2001 Design Review Committee. In so doing, you will venture into the world of proposal-writing and procurement.

From all proposals received, up to six teams will be selected to investigate MCCS issues that are important to NASA's MarsPort Design Review Committee and to design solutions addressing them .

Then, in the spring of 2001, representatives of your team will attend NASA MarsPort 2001 Design Conference at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. This conference will provide a forum for:

• interaction with leading NASA, industry and university community professionals;
• receipt of status reports on the progress of exploration missions and programs; and,
• receipt of updates on new systems, technologies and approaches to the exploration and development of Mars.

As a member of a selected team, NASA plans to incorporate innovations from your work into its engineering trade studies and evaluate them against other leading concepts.

All six student teams will receive cash awards of $500 (a) upon proposal selection, (b) following an initial Preliminary Design Review (PDR), (c) following a subsequent Delta PDR, and (d) following a Detailed Design Review (DDR) - for a total of $2,000 each. There may also be an additional award of $500 to any team that is recognized for exemplary accomplishments during the Design Phase. Teams will also receive international recognition for their contributions to NASA's Mars exploration planning effort.

The NASA MarsPort Engineering Design Student Competition 2001 program is jointly sponsored by NASA and Science Applications International Corporation, and is jointly administered by the Florida Space Grant Consortium and the Texas Space Grant Consortium.