NASA offers $100K to anyone who can design aerosol sensor for astronauts

Artist’s illustration of astronaut in space. File photo

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is one of the most technologically advanced organizations in the world, but it hasn’t stopped them from seeking the public’s help every once in a while.

The space agency’s latest contest will award $100,000 (over P5 million) to anyone who can design a low-cost and lightweight aerosol detector—which could aid astronauts to breathe while in space.

According to the India Times, aerosols are tiny airborne particles that can contribute to a variety of respiratory problems, such as asthma and tract irritation.

The winning device will be used to monitor the breathability and potential danger of any air source and alert engineers of possible threats.

“NASA has identified particulate monitoring as a gap in its technology roadmap to enable future long-term missions,” the details of competition on NASA’s website read.

“Current technology does not provide the level of sensitivity, the longevity, or the ability to operate in a reduced-gravity environment. The added bonus of this technology demonstration competition is the potential benefit to human health on Earth as well as in space.”

The Earth and Space Air Prize competition, meanwhile, was made possible by NASA’s partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), which aims to improve the air-quality conditions both in space and on earth.

Interested applicants may now enter Phase 1 of the competition, as registration is now open until Dec. 13.

Those who pass are required to submit a sensor design by Jan. 31, 2018, while three finalists will be determined by March and will be awarded $50,000 to create their prototype.

Each device will be subject to testing and final evaluation come Sept. 30, 2018, and the grand prize winner will be selected in mid-October 2018.

More information about the competition is available on NASA’s Earth Space Air prize page.  Khristian Ibarrola /ra