NASA reaches out to students to make Moon, Mars missions success: report

The NASA has reached out to everyone — including school students — in a bid to make its Moon and Mars missions a success, tech website End Gadget reported.

According to the publication, the NASA commenced a new round of its Moon to Mars Exploration Systems and Habitation Academic Innovation Challenge (M2M X-Hab) that challenges university students to study and develop space-faring tech.

“The challenge will reward work on habitation, vehicles, robotic advance missions, "foundational systems" [think autonomous mission tech and remote manufacturing] and human spaceflight architecture focused on the lunar Gateway,” said the publication.

Students shortlisted in the programme would get a $15,000-50,000 amount but the agency clarified that the reward money was not set for only tangible products. It could also be given on research that filled "knowledge gaps" or reduces risks, for instance.

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The proposals can be submitted to the agency by April 24.

According to the website, the competition may not result in any major breakthrough in NASA's Moon and Mars expeditions but noted that similar competitions held in the past have developed inflatable airlock modules and other concepts that could play important roles for astronauts.

The NASA said it hoped that its M2M X-Hab mission would allow it to focus on the broader problems involved with travelling to and surviving in places beyond Earth.