FY21 SUITS Information Session | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

NASA's Suits Challenge is seeking proposals from undergraduate and graduate students to design heads-up displays for astronaut suits to enhance navigation and science sampling during future lunar missions.

Key Insights

• 🥮 The Suits Challenge is part of NASA's broader Artemis program, aiming to return humans to the moon by 2024.
• 🤕 The challenge focuses on developing heads-up displays for astronaut suits to enhance navigation and science sampling capabilities during lunar missions.
• 😤 Teams have the opportunity to collaborate with NASA engineers, receive technical feedback, and gain firsthand experience in developing solutions for space exploration.
• 🤗 The challenge is open to undergraduate and graduate students across the US, providing a valuable platform for learning, networking, and potential career opportunities in the space industry.
• 😤 The virtual format allows for larger team sizes and flexibility in collaborating with students from different institutions.
• ⚾ Proposals will be evaluated based on their technical aspects, outreach potential, and alignment with NASA's objectives for lunar exploration.
• 😤 Selected teams will progress to the design review phase, where they will present their prototypes and ideas to NASA experts for further evaluation.

Transcript

johnson space center um office of stem engagement and we just got done with micro g next in testing tools all day in the neutral buoyancy laboratory and they actually close at four and so i'm sitting in my car um for this information session and so with that um i i'm going to go ahead and keep my camera off initially you can turn yours on and initi... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the objective of the Suits Challenge?

The main objective is to develop a heads-up display for astronaut suits that enhances navigation and science sampling during lunar missions, as part of NASA's Artemis program.

Q: What are the specific goals for the heads-up display design?

The goals include providing navigation guidance for astronauts to move from one location to another, displaying information about geology points of interest, and aiding in science sample collection and analysis during extravehicular activities (EVAs).

Q: What are the eligibility requirements for participating teams?

Teams must consist of at least five full-time undergraduate or graduate students aged 16 or older from US institutions. Teams can include students from different universities and have additional faculty members for support.

Q: How will the challenge be conducted virtually?

Due to the pandemic, the Suits Challenge will be conducted virtually. Teams will receive hardware, such as Hololens or Magic Leap devices, to code augmented reality solutions remotely. Shipping costs will be covered by NASA.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Suits Challenge is part of the Artemis program, focused on putting the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024.

• The challenge requires students to research and develop components for the heads-up display of the astronaut helmet, aiming to improve navigation and science sampling in deep space.

• The challenge is open to undergraduate and graduate students in the US, with no team size limit, and provides opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration.