NEW YORK: Nasa has disclosed the winners of its first Mars Balance Mass Challenge that asked for design ideas for small science and technology payloads that could provide dual purpose as ejectable balance masses on spacecraft entering the Martian atmosphere.
A team of engineers from Grand Rapids, Michigan, received an honourable mention and $5,000 for their idea to study Martian weather by looking at wind patterns near the planet’s surface.
$20,000 was given to Texas-based Ted Ground for his idea to study the Martian atmosphere by releasing material that could be seen and studied by other Martian spacecraft in orbit and on the ground.
“The 219 submissions from 43 countries to the Mars Balance Mass Challenge show the interest the public has in directly engaging with Nasa,” said Nasa chief technologist David Miller.
“The two winning ideas highlight how effective these activities can be at helping Nasa bring innovative ideas into our missions,” he added.
Submissions to the challenge ranged from analysing Martian weather or the Martian surface, to demonstrating new technologies such as 3D printing or parachutes, to pre-positioning supplies for future human missions on the planet’s surface.
