DailyDirt: It's Not So Simple To Get To Mars...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The shortest distance between the Earth and Mars varies depending on where the two planets are in their respective orbits. In July 2018, Mars will be a little under 36 million miles away (pretty close to the closest possible distance of 33.9 million miles). However, it's not quite as simple as shooting a big rocket aimed in the right direction. If astronauts are going to survive the trip (and the return?), no one has the technology to do that yet. Manned space exploration sounds like a noble venture, but funding it seems to be a big problem.

• NASA has a bunch of unsolved problems that it's asking the public to help solve. There are monetary rewards for solutions that could help establish colonies on Mars. Innocentive is handling the submission process, and some of the challenges have already been awarded. (The challenge for achieving independence from Earth is ending just a couple days after July 4th.) [url]
• How does the US measure up in the modern space race? Perhaps we're asking the wrong questions, and the space race shouldn't be about competition as much as global cooperation and collaboration. Over 70 countries have some kind of space program now, but maybe we shouldn't be trying to elbow our way past fellow humans to claim mining rights in deep space? [url]
• If people really see Mars as a "backup planet" for our existing biosphere, perhaps we ought to make it more comfortable before we go there. Terraforming Mars with genetically engineered microbes might be the way to do it. Or not. Should we really be messing around with planetary-scale biology experiments? [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: astronauts, biotech, crowdsourcing, gmo, manned missions, mars, space, space exploration, space race, terraforming
Companies: darpa, innocentive, nasa

DailyDirt: Space Explorers Need Your Help...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

We've mentioned a few DIY space projects before where nearly anyone can participate in an effort to expand our knowledge of our solar system or to develop a cheaper way to get into space. More and more space exploration seems to rely on the help of a growing ecosystem of space geeks who can volunteer their time/resources to learn more about the universe around us. Here are just a few other crowdfunding or crowdsourcing efforts to explore space.

• Lunar Mission One is an ambitious Kickstarter project to send a probe to the moon and drill deep down below the surface in order to get a more complete picture of the moon's composition. This project also includes a "time capsule" mission so backers can send up information (and maybe hair/DNA samples?) to the moon for posterity. [url]
• In case you missed it, NASA open sourced the code for Apollo 11 -- and actually, all of the software NASA writes is open. A catalog of NASA's software is available for budding space scientists, but it's not just for space nerds -- some biologists adapted the Hubble Space Telescope's star-mapping algorithm to track endangered whales -- and presumably there are other gems just waiting to be adapted to other good uses. [url]
• NASA is looking for anyone with good suggestions on how to do something more productive with the "dead mass" that is typically ejected during the descent phase of a probe. The Mars Balance Challenge wants to know what you'd do with 150kg of mass that would be ejected at different times prior to landing a probe on Mars. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: apollo, crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, diy space, lunar mission one, nasa software, space, space exploration
Companies: innocentive, kickstarter, nasa

DailyDirt: Video Challenges

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Do you have a video camera and untapped creative juices? There are more and more outlets for uploading your videos, and there are even people willing to pay you for your contributions. Here are just a few open video contests out there.

• Create your own Public Service Announcement on how technology has made an impact on creativity. There's a $1000 prize available, and it's due on October 28th, 2011. (Oh yeah, and you can keep the copyright to your submissions for this one because we're sponsoring it!) [url]
• The USDA has a Fruits&Veggies contest looking for a 30-second video on how to add more plants to your diet. The first prize is $1500, and the submission period ends November 15, 2011. [url]
• Submit a video on the theme of Unlikely Innovation here. The winner receives $5000, and it's due on December 30, 2011. [url]
• To find other interesting links for entrepreneurial folks, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

Filed Under: challenges, creativity, prizes, psa, video contests
Companies: innocentive, usda

DailyDirt: The Field Of Open Innovation Is Still Wide Open...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Over the years, we've been really interested in various platforms for engaging folks to participate in all sorts of projects. We've pointed out cool prize contests such as the Netflix Prize, and generally, when there's a really interesting concept that seems to catch on, there are plenty of copycats ready to try their hand at reproducing success. Here are a bunch of open innovation marketplaces that have the same basic idea -- and there are plenty others -- but we're still waiting on one player to really stand out.

• Innocentive was spun out of Eli Lilly as a way to get some chemistry R&D answers from an open market. It still has a lot of chemistry-based challenges, but it's slowly expanding into other areas. [url]
• ChallengePost is aimed at software developers -- who want to create apps that help others out. These are the folks behind Challenge.gov. [url]
• Hypios is yet another chemistry-heavy market for R&D solutions. Chemistry is hard, apparently... [url]
• To discover more interesting challenges, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: challenges, open innovation, prizes
Companies: challengepost, hypios, innocentive, netflix