<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:
13.0pt;font-family:Courier;mso-bidi-font-family:Courier">Hello Hackerspace
List,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:
13.0pt;font-family:Courier;mso-bidi-font-family:Courier">NASA has three new
Centennial Challenge competitions starting in 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:
13.0pt;font-family:Courier;mso-bidi-font-family:Courier">The three new
challenges have a prize purse of $5 million. </span><span style="font-size:13.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Courier;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">NASA
sponsors prize competitions because the agency believes </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 17px; ">citizen-inventors,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 17px; "> student teams and private
companies of all sizes can provide creative solutions to
problems of interest to NASA and the nation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 17px; ">The
Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge is to place a small satellite into Earth orbit,
twice in one week, with a prize of $2 million. The goals of this challenge are
to stimulate innovations in low-cost launch technology and encourage creation
of commercial nano-satellite delivery services.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 17px; ">The
Night Rover Challenge is to demonstrate a solar-powered exploration vehicle
that can operate in darkness using its own stored energy. The prize purse is
$1.5 million. The objective is to stimulate innovations in energy storage
technologies of value in extreme space environments, such as the surface of the
moon, or for electric vehicles and renewable energy systems on Earth.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 17px; ">The
Sample Return Robot Challenge is to demonstrate a robot that can locate and
retrieve geologic samples from wide and varied terrain without human control.
This challenge has a prize purse of $1.5 million. The objectives are to
encourage innovations in automatic navigation and robotic manipulator
technologies.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 17px; ">Centennial
Challenges are extended to individuals, groups and companies working outside
the traditional aerospace industry. Unlike most contracts or grants, awards
only are made after solutions are successfully demonstrated.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 17px; ">All
three are just beginning and should have rules out for public comment this year
with team registrations happening later in 2011</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 17px; ">There
are three current Centennial Challenges:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 17px; ">--
The Strong Tether Challenge: Teams must demonstrate a material that is at least
50 percent stronger than the strongest commercially available. This competition
is still open to new competitors.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 17px; ">--
The Power Beaming Challenge: Teams must transmit power wirelessly to a device, so
it can operate in various situations. Currently teams have been transmitting ~8kw
to power devices. This competition is still open to new competitors.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 17px; ">--
The Green Flight Challenge: Teams will fly aircraft they designed to travel 200
miles in less than two hours using the energy equivalent of less than one gallon
of gasoline per occupant. It is expected to attract electric, hybrid and
bio-fueled aircraft. This competition is no longer accepting team registrations
and will be conducted July 11 -17, 2011.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:
13.0pt;font-family:Courier;mso-bidi-font-family:Courier">For more information
visit </span><a href="http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/Centennial_Challenges"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Courier;mso-bidi-font-family:Courier">http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/Centennial_Challenges</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:
13.0pt;font-family:Courier;mso-bidi-font-family:Courier">Or send any questions
to </span><a href="mailto:centennialchallenges@nasa.gov"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Courier;mso-bidi-font-family:Courier">centennialchallenges@nasa.gov</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Courier; font-size: 17px; ">Thank You,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:
13.0pt;font-family:Courier;mso-bidi-font-family:Courier">Sam Ortega<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:
13.0pt;font-family:Courier;mso-bidi-font-family:Courier">NASA’s Centennial
Challenges Program Manager<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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