NASA's Latest Challenge Seeks Mars Spacecraft Payload Ideas

NASA has issued a new challenge, this one called the Balance Mass Challenge, which is seeking ideas from the public on payloads for the Mars Spacecraft. The challenge is detailed under the space agency's newly unveiled NASA Solve website, which was introduced at the World Maker Faire recently.

The Balance Mass Challenge, according to NASA, is to develop ideas on transform the "entry, descent, and landing balance mass" into payloads of some technological or scientific sort. The space agency is looking for ideas that are both practical and able to expand existing tech or knowledge.

Those interested can register for the Balance Mass Challenge on the NASA Solve website, where NASA says it will engage "the public, and specifically the maker community through innovative activities like" the aforementioned challenge. It essentially aggregates the agency's various challenges in a single location.

Registration is running for a month up until November 21 of this year, and the awards clock in at $20,000 USD. This isn't a reoccurring challenge, according to NASA, and it is being sponsored by the SMD Mars Exploration Program and Office of the Chief Technologist.

SOURCE: NASA