NASA Announces 2013 International Space Apps Challenge Categories
redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports – Your Universe Online
NASA has announced the individual events for the second annual International Space Apps Challenge, a technology development event in which citizens from all over the world join forces to solve challenges designed to improve life on Earth and in space.
The US space agency and its more than 150 partner organizations have released a total of 50 challenges for the 2013 event, which will be held on the weekend of April 20 and 21.
Among them are the “Hitch a Ride to Mars” challenge, during which participants will be tasked with designing a small research satellite or CubeSat for an upcoming mission to the Red Planet; a “3-D Printing Challenge,” which will require individuals to create an open source model of space hardware that can be reproduced using a three-dimensional printer; and “Catch a Meteor,” which requires programmers to develop an app to allow citizen astronomers to trace the location, color and size of any meteor showers that they observe.
“Participants are encouraged to develop software, hardware, data visualization, and mobile/web applications that will contribute to space exploration missions and help improve life on Earth,” NASA said in a statement Friday.
Additional challenges include “Spot the Station,” which requires participants to expand upon the functionality of a website which allows individuals to share sightings of the International Space Station (ISS) with each other; “Curiosity at Home,” which challenges participants to “foster a connection between citizens and the Mars rover” using software, an app, or other visual methods; and “Why We Explore Space,” which requires people to share their reasons behind their interest in astronomy through “the creation of compelling narratives and visualizations.”
The two-day event will be held in a total of 75 cities in 41 different countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Greece, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Poland, Scotland, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the US.
According to the FAQ page on the event’s official website, participation in the International Space Apps Challenge is open to anyone, but it “requires individuals with a broad range of skills,” including “engineers, technologists, scientists, designers, artists, educators, students, entrepreneurs – anyone who has a passion for changing the world and is willing to contribute.”
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2013-04-13 07:16:45
Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1112822094/nasa-2013-international-space-apps-challenge-041313/
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