WHEN and WHERE the Program Will Take Place

Participation begins with your decision to compete and ends with our receipt of your team's Outreach Plan deliverables, which are due by July 30, 1999.

Team Selection (Fall 1998 Semester)

A Peer Review Committee, consisting of representatives of NASA, industry and universities, will select from among the proposals received six (6) student teams to participate in the 1999 NASA Means Business program. The Committee will assess each proposal according the following criteria:

• Strength and depth of thought invested in the Proposed Plan set forth in the proposal, with particular emphasis on recognition of core planning issues facing NASA and its prospective partners;
  
  
• Institutional and community resources obtained in support of the team's proposal-writing and post-selection activities (e.g., course credit, coverage of expenses, local publicity, community outreach support, etc.)
  
  
• Quality of the team's proposed "Outreach Plan," according to which it will share with other students and the general public its experiences working on the NASA Means Business program;
  
  
• Presence of a formal, written commitment of the proposing team's home institution and/or other qualified organization (e.g., National Space Grant state consortium, corporate underwriter, etc.) to arrange for funding to cover all costs associated with its participation, except those covered by HEDS UP for travel to the NASA Customer Engagement Conference in Houston (see below).
  
  

We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented groups, including those attending institutions serving underrepresented groups, to submit proposals.

Data and Mentoring (Spring 1999 Semester)

Once the six (6) student teams have been selected, each will be partnered with key scientists, engineers, and administrators in NASA and the aerospace industry, who will act as information sources or mentors. They will also provide access to other professional NASA and industry personnel who will share with each team useful information and experiences.

NASA Customer Engagement Conference (May 1999)

HEDS UP and NASA will jointly convene a NASA Customer Engagement Conference, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston from May 24-26, 1999. In addition to providing a forum for the presentation of each student team's Business Plan segment, this conference will be structured to allow useful dialogue among NASA, industry and university community professionals; provide status reports on the progress of exploration missions and programs; and introduce updates on new systems, technologies and approaches to the human exploration and development of space.

Students may also expect to initiate relationships at the conference that could ultimately lead to professional employment opportunities.

1999 NASA Means Business Student Competition is a HEDS UP Program. HEDS UP is sponsored by NASA and is administered by the Lunar and Planetary Institute and Texas Space Grant Consortium.