NASA opens the “CO2 Conversion Challenge” competition

Settlers on Mars will need to live off the land and off the atmosphere as well. For example, methane for rocket fuel can be derived from the Red Planet’s abundant carbon dioxide (CO2).  NASA has now opened a Centennial Challenges contest to find an efficient and Mars-base compatible way to convert that CO2 into other “useful compounds”, particularly glucose.

The NASA CO2 Conversion Challenge invites teams from schools and private industry to compete for the one million dollar purse.

Help us discover ways to develop novel synthesis technologies that use carbon dioxide (CO2) as the sole carbon source to generate molecules that can be used to manufacture a variety of products, including “substrates” for use in microbial bioreactors.

Because CO2 is readily abundant within the Martian atmosphere, such technologies will translate into in-situ manufacturing of products to enable humans to live and thrive on the planet, and also be implemented on Earth by using both waste and atmospheric CO2 as a resource.

The contest will be in two phases:

NASA envisions this competition having two phases with a total prize purse of up to $1 million. Phase 1 (the current phase) is the Concept Phase with a prize purse of up to $250,000. The initiation of Phase 2, a Demonstration Challenge with a prize purse of up to $750,000, is contingent on the emergence of promising submissions in Phase 1 that demonstrate a viable approach to achieve the Challenge goals. The official rules for Phase 2 will be released prior to the opening of Phase 2.

See the timeline for assembling your team, registering, etc:

Do you have an idea to develop or adapt technology for converting CO2 into compounds like glucose, which can then be used to manufacture “food” for microbial bioreactors? You must first register no later than Thursday, January 24, 2019, at 5:00 PM Central.

Here is the official announcement:

NASA CO2 Conversion Challenge 

When astronauts begin exploring Mars, they’ll need to use local resources, freeing up launch cargo space for other mission-critical supplies. Carbon dioxide is one resource readily abundant within the Martian atmosphere. NASA’s new CO2 Conversion Challenge, conducted under the Centennial Challenges program, is a public competition seeking novel ways to convert carbon dioxide into useful compounds. Such technologies will allow us to manufacture products using local, indigenous resources on Mars, and can also be implemented on Earth by using both waste and atmospheric carbon dioxide as a resource.

“Enabling sustained human life on another planet will require a great deal of resources and we cannot possibly bring everything we will need. We have to get creative.” said Monsi Roman, program manager of NASA’s Centennial Challenges program. “If we can transform an existing and plentiful resource like carbon dioxide into a variety of useful products, the space – and terrestrial – applications are endless.”

Carbon and oxygen are the molecular building blocks of sugars. Developing efficient systems that can produce glucose from carbon dioxide will help advance the emerging field of biomanufacturing technology on Earth.

While sugar-based biomaterials are inexpensively made on Earth by plants, this approach cannot be easily adapted for space missions because of limited resources such as energy, water and crew time. The CO2Conversion Challenge aims to help find a solution. Energy rich sugars are preferred microbial energy sources composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. They could be used as the feedstock for systems that can efficiently produce a variety of items. Glucose is the target sugar product in this challenge because it is the easiest to metabolize, which will optimize conversion efficiency.

The competition is divided into two phases. During Phase 1, teams must submit a design and description of a conversion system that includes details of the physical-chemical approaches to convert carbon dioxide into glucose. NASA will award up to five teams $50,000 each, to be announced in April 2019. Phase 2, the system construction and demonstration stage, is contingent on promising submissions in Phase 1 that offer a viable approach to achieving challenge goals. Phase 2 will carry a prize purse of up to $750,000, for a total challenge prize purse of $1 million.

The Centennial Challenges program, part of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, bridges the innovation gap between NASA and the nation by stimulating research and technology solutions inside and outside of the traditional aerospace community. The program offers incentive prizes to generate revolutionary solutions to problems of interest to NASA and the nation. Centennial Challenges is managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

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See also NASA Mars Mission Contest Will Award $1M for Turning CO2 into Glucose | Fortune

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First Annual Space Symposium of Lompoc, California

Vandenberg Air Force Base on the coast of California is the primary spaceport for US rockets launching payloads into polar orbits. Lompoc lies next to Vandenberg and David Tekaat of the Lompoc Senior’s Club tells me about the First Annual Space Symposium in Lompoc, set for October 9-12:

Our First Annual Space Symposium will be at the Dick Dewees Senior Center. ( 50 “Space Company” Exhibits per day + speeches by exhibitors.)

“Everyone Welcome. 400 people Expected per day. Be One Of The 400 People”

“If you are a high school student, college student, someone interested in working in the space industry, or if you are just interested in space exploration, Please be sure to come.”

Tuesday – Friday, 9 – 12 October 2018, 9:30 – 4:30 PM, Address: 1120 West Ocean Ave, Lompoc, CA ( Corner of Ocean Ave & ” R ” street )
Suggested donation of at least $1.00, no membership required, no membership dues.

They are looking for exhibitors and of particular interest are those who would like to display their models of spacecraft and rockets.

We would like to invite your “Space Company” to be an exhibitor at our symposium. Perhaps your sales & human resource departments would be especially interested. Besides inviting other “Space Companies” (about 600) to the symposium, I will be inviting high school & college students, and anyone else who wants to work in the space industry. Also the general public whom are interested in space exploration.

Venue address: Dick Dewees Community & Senior Center
1120 West Ocean Ave
Lompoc, CA, 93436

Mail application to: Lompoc, CA, First Annual Space Symposium
C/O David Tekaat, Lompoc Senior’s Club
184 Village Circle Drive
Lompoc, CA, 93436

The event proceeds will go towards support for the Senior Center and towards development of an Interactive Space Center For Youth.

The Space Show this week – Sept.3.2018

The guests and topics of discussion on The Space Show this week:

1. Monday, Sept. 3, 2018; 2-3:30 pm PDT (4-5:30 pm CDT, 5-6:30 pm EDT): No show due to Labor Day Holiday

2. Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018: 7-8:30 pm PDT; 9-10:30 pm CDT; 10-11:30 pm EDT: We welcome back Dr. Pat Hynes to discuss the upcoming International Symposium on Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS 2018) in Las Cruces, NM.

3. Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018: Hotel Mars. See Upcoming Show Menu and the website newsletter for details. Hotel Mars is pre-recorded by John Batchelor. It is archived on The Space Show site after John posts it on his website.

4. Friday, Sept. 7 2018; 9:30 am -11 am PDT, (12:30 -2 pm EDT; 11:30 am -1 pm CDT): We welcome Sandra Erwin, National Security writer and journalist with Space News.

5. SPECIAL TIME: Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018: 6-7 pm PDT; 8-9 pm CDT; 9-10 pm EDT. We welcome back Dr. Bruce Jakosky regarding his recently published paper on the challenges of terraforming Mars.

See also:
* The Space Show on Vimeo – webinar videos
* The Space Show’s Blog – summaries of interviews.
* The Space Show Classroom Blog – tutorial programs

The Space Show is a project of the One Giant Leap Foundation.

The Space Show - David Livingston
David Livingston

Video: TMRO Orbit 11.34 – “Masten’s Lunar Ambitions”

The latest episode of TMRO:Space is now available on line: Masten’s Lunar Ambitions – Orbit 11.34 – TMRO

Dave Masten of Masten Space Systems joins SpaceMike to talk about his current fleet of vehicle and plans to do more than just flags and footprints on the moon. Interview begins at 17:08

Space news topics covered:

  • OSIRIS-REx and New Horizons’ targets are in sight
  • Leak at ISS detected
  • Our Solar System Is Nothing Special

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