NASA Launches Summer Contest for Inflatable Space Houses

NASA has launched a summer contest for students to design the best inflatable loft for life in space or on another world and a cash reward and a field test of the winning design are also arranged.Three awards of up to $48,000 each will be granted to the university student teams that produce the best loft-like inflatable space habitats that can be attached to a hard-shell NASA structure and the winner of a head-to-head competition of the modules' performance in the Arizona desert will earn another $10,000 as said in an announcement by NASA officials.The main purpose is that the students will be able to learn about teamwork, systems engineering, about the future of design for habitat designs, and also innovative technology like inflatable structures.This summer contest is sponsored by NASA's Exploration Mission Directorate in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Technologist's Innovative Partnerships Program, although NASA has produced prototypes of inflatable habitats in the past, the space agency now wants to engage and encourage students.