\nfor Powering Exploration on the Moon<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s Watts on the Moon Challenge<\/strong> — the agency’s newest public prize competition — is now open and accepting submissions. NASA invites innovative minds from across the United States to provide ideas for sustainable energy storage, distribution, and management on the lunar surface.<\/p>\n \u201cOperating throughout the lunar night creates some of the most demanding energy storage and thermal management challenges in our exploration of the solar system,\u201d said Walt Engelund, the deputy associate administrator for programs within NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate. \u201cWe are calling on the public for their fresh ideas to help us innovate power solutions for the Moon.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Goal<\/strong><\/p>\n On much of the Moon’s surface, daylight lasts a little over 14 Earth days, followed by 14 days of darkness and extremely cold temperatures. State-of-the-art power systems cannot operate in such harsh conditions. While sunlight is more available at the lunar poles, there are irregular periods of darkness and locations, like within craters, where the Sun never shines.Existing state-of-the-art power systems cannot operate in such harsh conditions or are too heavy and bulky for flight.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/side_image\/public\/thumbnails\/image\/wattsonthemoon1.png\")
<\/a>As part of the Artemis<\/a> program, NASA will send astronauts to new areas of the Moon including the lunar South Pole, and prepare for human exploration of Mars. As noted in the agency\u2019s recent lunar surface report<\/a>, sustainable missions will require an unprecedented capacity for power. Astronauts will need a continuous supply of power from multiple sources to live and work on the Moon for long periods. A flexible and robust system for surface power is key to safe and robust lunar exploration.<\/p>\n