What is NASA's Lunar Lander Challenge?

[Astronuc]

NASA will sponsor its largest ever competition – with prizes totalling $2.5 million – to develop rockets capable of landing on the Moon, agency officials announced on Friday.

The "Lunar Lander Challenge" is the latest in the agency's Centennial Challenges programme, which aims to spur technological advances through prize competitions. But the top prizes in previous challenges – which include developing astronaut gloves – have been limited to $250,000.

Now, NASA is upping the ante in a competition to build rockets that can take off from the Moon, reach lunar orbit, and return to the Moon's surface. NASA's own plans call for a multi-stage mission to the Moon, with astronauts in the shuttle's replacement (the Crew Exploration Vehicle) docking with a lunar module and an "Earth departure stage" in Earth orbit.

Then, the entire system is sent to lunar orbit, where the lunar lander will take a crew of four down to the Moon's surface. But the lunar lander is only sketchily designed, says NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries.

http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn9122-lunar-lander-is-nasas-biggest-challenge.html

NASA's Centennial Challeges Program
http://exploration.nasa.gov/centennialchallenge/cc_index.html

 

[Intuitive]

I love it, I wish there were more affordable challenges though, You almost have to have a ton of money just to enter when all costs of material and construction and such are included.

Very nice to know though, I am glad this kind of board is available to the Public, Can we have a board on our Physics Group dedicated to these kinds of Projects all the time?

 

[NatSusan]

Wow, this sounds like an exciting competition! It's great to see NASA offering such a large prize to spur on technological advancements. The Lunar Lander Challenge sounds like a daunting task, but I have no doubt that there are talented engineers and scientists out there who will rise to the challenge. I'm also glad to see that NASA is already planning for a multi-stage mission to the Moon, and I'm sure this competition will help in the development of their plans. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this competition and rooting for the competitors. Best of luck to all who enter!