NASA Space Apps Challenge 2018 FAQ Guideline PDF

Participant’s Guide for NASA Space Apps Challenge 2018 in Bangladesh
The process for the NASA Space Apps Challenge in Bangladesh ................................................................ 3
Before the Hack-a-Thon Day (By October 15th) ........................................................................................ 3
1) Read all the problems in NASA Space Apps Challenge site........................................................... 3
2) Register with BASIS Students’ Forum by October 10th ............................................................... 4
3) Register with NASA SPACE APPS CHALLENGE based on your LOCATION................................... 5
4) Form your TEAM ........................................................................................................................... 5
5) BE SOCIAL!! ................................................................................................................................... 5
6) Create a YouTube Video of your project ....................................................................................... 5
7) Upload your code into github ....................................................................................................... 6
During the Hack-a-Thon Days (19th & 20th of October) ............................................................................. 7
8) Go to Space Apps Challenge website and upload your project .................................................... 7
9) Win the Hack-a-Thon!! .................................................................................................................. 7
Important sites and links for NASA Space Apps Challenge: ...................................................................... 8
Schedule for the Hack-a-Thon Event .................................................................................................. 9
Day 1 – October 19, 2018 / FRIDAY .......................................................................................................... 9
Day 2 – October 20, 2018 / SATURDAY ..................................................................................................... 9
Contact Information – BASIS Students’ Forum Coordinators ..................................................................... 10
Form for Submission of the Project: .......................................................................................................... 11
1) **Team Leader Name ................................................................................................................. 11
2) **Team Member #2 .................................................................................................................... 11
3) **Team Member #3 .................................................................................................................... 11
4) **Team Member #4 .................................................................................................................... 11
5) Choose a Location ....................................................................................................................... 12
6) **Project Name - ........................................................................................................................ 12
7) **Challenge Category ................................................................................................................. 12
8) **Project Short Description ........................................................................................................ 13
9) Judging Qualification ................................................................................................................... 13
10) Your Guidance for Judging ...................................................................................................... 13
11) **Project Github Link .............................................................................................................. 14
12) Project You Tube Link.............................................................................................................. 14
Judging Guideline & Score Sheet ............................................................................................................... 15
1) Impact ......................................................................................................................................... 15
2) Creativity ..................................................................................................................................... 15
3) Product ........................................................................................................................................ 15
4) Sustainability ............................................................................................................................... 15
5) Presentation ................................................................................................................................ 15
6) Teamwork ................................................................................................................................... 15
7) User Experience .......................................................................................................................... 15
8) Quality of YouTube Video ........................................................................................................... 15
9) Successful Demonstration of the App or Hardware ................................................................... 15
10) Environmental Conservation .................................................................................................. 15
HOW TO DEVELOP A WINNING SPACE APPS SOLUTION! ......................................................................... 17
Mentoring & Mentoring Guideline ............................................................................................................ 20
Who are the Mentors?............................................................................................................................ 20
1) Selecting the teams & Projects for Bangladesh Main Stage ....................................................... 20
2) Provide the Data Bootcamps prior to the hack-a-thon .............................................................. 20
3) Clarifying and questions the teams have .................................................................................... 20
4) Providing technology and tool recommendation ....................................................................... 20
5) Confirming that the teams have been following the steps ........................................................ 20
6) Listening to the 4 minutes presentation ..................................................................................... 20
7) During the hack-a-thon, provide the mentor rounds ................................................................. 20
CHALLENGE CATEGORIES ................................................................................................................ 21
CAN YOU BUILD A... ................................................................................................................................ 21
HELP OTHERS DISCOVER THE EARTH ...................................................................................................... 23
VOLCANOES, ICEBERGS, AND ASTEROIDS (OH MY) ................................................................................ 27
WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS... ..................................................................................................... 29
AN ICY GLARE .......................................................................................................................................... 33
A UNIVERSE OF BEAUTY AND WONDER ................................................................................................. 35
The process for the NASA Space Apps Challenge in Bangladesh
Before the Hack-a-Thon Day (By October 15th)

1) Read all the problems in NASA Space Apps Challenge site
https://2018.spaceappschallenge.org/challenges/ in detail, and make sure you understand
everything. Pick a category and challenge based on your skill level:
CAN YOU BUILD A...
 Design by Nature : Design an autonomous free-flyer to inspect a spacecraft for damage from
Micro-Meteoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD).
 Make Sense Out of Mars : Develop a sensor to be used by humans on Mars.
 Do YOU Know When the Next Rocket Launch Is? : Create a tool to track international rocket
launch information.
 Invent Your Own Challenge : Pose your own challenge, and create a solution of your own
choosing!
HELP OTHERS DISCOVER THE EARTH
 Artify the Earth : Use NASA Earth imagery data to create 1) an art piece, or 2) a tool that allows
the imagery to be manipulated to create unique pieces of art.
 1D, 2D, 3D, Go! : Create and deploy web apps that will enable anyone to explore Earth from
orbit! Visualize Earth science satellites and mission data using interactive virtual globes, such as
NASA’s Web WorldWind. Use data sets from NASA’s Open Data Portal to present fire, ice,
clouds, meteorites, or water temperature spectra.
 Space Apps: The Documentary : Create a short documentary to capture the essence of NASA’s
International Space Apps Challenge.
VOLCANOES, ICEBERGS, AND ASTEROIDS (OH MY)
 Don’t Forget the Can Opener! : Create an easy-to-use way for people to develop their own,
custom checklists – both items and plans – for specific kinds of disasters. Use NASA images,
videos, or data visualizations to illustrate each disaster type, to help people understand how to
prepare.
 Spot That Fire! : Build a crowdsourcing tool for citizens to contribute to early detection,
verification, tracking, visualization, and notification of wildfires.
 Hello, Bennu! : Tell the world about the asteroid named Bennu.
WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS...
 Looking Globe-ally : Analyze and/or display data to communicate interesting findings or

improve public understanding of our home planet.
 The Land Where Displaced People Settle : Characterize land cover/land use at informal
settlements of displaced populations using NASA satellite datasets.
 Health Makes Wealth : Integrate NASA Earth science data and citizen science data to learn
more about the connections between human, animal, and environmental health
AN ICY GLARE
 Polar Quest : Design a quest-like game to teach others about polar environments and how they
are changing. Use NASA data to help adventurers plan their quest and present them with
challenges along the way.
 Find My Cryosphere! : Design an app that lets a user pick a location and learn about the parts of
Earth's cryosphere that impact that location.
 Polar Opposites : Design a data analysis and/or visualization tool to show the spatial and
temporal changes in Arctic and Antarctic ice to a general audience.
A UNIVERSE OF BEAUTY AND WONDER
 On the Shoulders of Giants : Create a game using images from the Hubble Space Telescope as
integral components!
 Remix The Golden Record : Develop a concept for a time capsule with content to educate an
extraterrestrial civilization about human culture and our solar system.
 Mission to the Moon! : Use NASA Data to Plan a Rover Mission on the Moon!
 Virtual Space Exploration : Generate Virtual Reality environments for the surface of the Moon
and Mars! Obtain 3D models from NASA resources, such as Moon Trek and Mars Trek. Integrate
3D models of surface exploration systems and habitats. Develop and deploy the virtual world at
a hosting service.
2) Register with BASIS Students’ Forum by October 10th at

http://bit.ly/NASA_Space_Apps_Challenge_2018_BD:
This is a team based registration. You have to choose the name of the Team, and number of the
team members (preferable number is 4). You need to choose a location (Dhaka, Chittagong or
Rajshahi – your intended Hack-a-Thon location. Please choose a category of the problem,
choose a problem, and write a short description of a problem.
THIS ENSURES THAT YOU GET ALL NOTIFICATIONS AND UPDATES, AS WELL AS YOUR PHYSICAL
PARTICIPATION IS RESERVED AT THE HACK-A-THON LOCATION.
3) Register with NASA SPACE APPS CHALLENGE based on your LOCATION you have selected in
the step #1. The location registration URL is https://2018.spaceappschallenge.org/locations/ ;
search for the locations either one of the followings:
a. Dhaka
b. Chittagong
c. Sylhet
d. Barisal
e. Comilla
f. Rangpur
g. Rajshahi
h. Khulna
i. Mymensingh
EVERY INDIVIDUAL MUST REGISTER AT THE SPACE APPS CHALLENGE SITE TO BE ELIGIBLE. THIS IS
A VERY SIMPLE A FEW QUESTION.
4) Form your TEAM and optionally choose mentor(s). Make sure your team is fully prepared to
and understood the problem thoroughly. They have completed UX design, created the
prototype, and tested with data. You should be fully ready for the Hack-a-Thon!!
a. If you need data, please use the space apps challenge site
https://2018.spaceappschallenge.org/challenges/ ; go under the “CATEGORY” > then
“CHALLENGE” > then you will find resources.
5) BE SOCIAL!! Make sure that you are active in the Facebook and Twitter; as we need to publicise
as much as possible all of our activities. Connect with the following and follow. MAKE SURE TO
TWEET AT A LEAST A FEW EVERYDAY, POST IN FACEBOOK A FEW POSTS EVERYDAY.
a. Facebook: BASISStudentsForum, spaceappschallenge, arifulhasanopu,
mohammad.zaman and other related sites/pages
b. Twitter: @NASASpaceappsBD, @SpaceApps, @BASISBD, @SpaceAppsBD,
@MohammadZaman,
6) Create a YouTube Video of your project (very short, no more than 30 Seconds). Use the
following guide to create the Video. The Judges will watch this before your presentation.
7) Upload your code into github and provide the link to github.
During the Hack-a-Thon Days (19th & 20th of October)
8) Go to Space Apps Challenge website and upload your project:

a. Login to the Space Apps Challenge Site
b. Go to your challenge category & topic
c.
d. Click to Submit your project
9) Win the Hack-a-Thon!! There will be FOUR awards selected from each location judged to be
the local winners!
a. Local Judging:
i. TWO AWARDS - Each of the Location would have two awards, based on the
category, challenge & one of the following concept!
1. Best Use of Data
2. Most Galactic Impact
3. Most Inspirational
ii. TWO AWARDS – From each location for OpenNASA’s Innovation Space: This
reflects : Two awards which have not been awarded for other categories, but
has very creative use of NASA’s Open Data.
b. Global Judging: Total of TWO projects gets nominated for Global Judging from each
locations: We have the TWO AWARDS This year, 2 projects to be showcased on
openNASA's Innovation Space. This site salutes the incredible work citizens create with
NASA's open data. The Innovation Space nominations should be projects you did not
submit for global awards, but still want to recognize. The review process for the
Innovation Space will occur after global awards are determined.
The NASA team will review nominations from Hosts across the universe to select
finalists and winners within each category. During our judging process, you'll keep your
community informed and engaged across email, your event page and social media.
Together, we'll all celebrate the reveal of this year's biggest impacts!
i. TWO Globally from: Any of the followings:
1. Best Use of Data
2. Galactic Impact
3. Most Inspirational
ii. Showcasing TWO Innovation Awards for OpenNASA’s Innovation Space
Important sites and links for NASA Space Apps Challenge:
1) BASIS Site for Registration: http://bit.ly/NASA_Space_Apps_Challenge_2018_BD
2) NASA Space Apps Challenges for 2018: https://2018.spaceappschallenge.org/challenges/
3) Earth Data: https://earthdata.nasa.gov/user-resources/remote-sensors
4) NASA Data Site: https://data.nasa.gov/
5) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com
6) GitHub : https://www.github.com
Schedule for the Hack-a-Thon Event
Day 1 – October 19, 2018 / FRIDAY

7:30 AM - Registration & Setup
9:00 AM - Schedule & Logistics Announcement
9:30 AM - Official Opening of the Hack-a-Thon (Development Begins)
10:30 AM – Completion of All Members in NASA Website & Choice of Category & Sub-Category,
Finish the Team Name, Project Name, Project Description
11:00 AM - Hack-a-Thon Continues
11:30 AM – Tea Break
1:00 PM - Lunch Break
2:15 PM – Submission of 30 Second Video & Github Link Update
5:30 PM - Progress Check // Mentor Round
6.00 PM – Submission of 3 Minutes Video
8:00 PM - Dinner Break
8:30 PM - Hack-a-Thon Continues
9:00 PM - Progress Check // Mentor Round
12.00 PM - Tea Break
12.30 AM - Hack-a-Thon Continues
Day 2 – October 20, 2018 / SATURDAY

8:30 AM - Breakfast Break
9:00 AM - Logistics Briefing & Updates
11:00 AM - Final round by mentors and finishing touches
12:00 PM – Judging Begins
12:30 PM - Lunch Break
4:00 PM - Tea Break
4:30 PM - Judges Final Voting
6:00 PM - Closing Ceremony & Awards Distribution
Contact Information – BASIS Students’ Forum Coordinators
Form for Submission of the Project:
1) **Team Leader Name –
a. Phone Number
b. Email Address
c. *Did you register in NASA site? (Yes/No) – Must Register
d. *Your Facebook Account –
e. *Your Twitter Account –
f. Like/Follow Accounts:
i. Twitter - @NASASpaceAppsBD, @SpaceAppsBD, @MohammadZaman,
@EllenStofan
ii. Facebook: BASISStudentsForum, spaceappschallenge, arifulhasanopu,
2) **Team Member #2 –
a. Phone Number
b. Email Address
@EllenStofan
a. Phone Number
b. Email Address
@EllenStofan
a. Phone Number
b. Email Address
@EllenStofan
5) Choose a Location – (Pick from Drop Down Menu)
a. Dhaka
b. Chittagong
c. Sylhet
d. Barisal
e. Rangpur
f. Rajshahi
g. Khulna
h. Comilla
i. Mymensingh
6) **Project Name -
7) **Challenge Category – (Pick One from Category and Then One Sub Category) Drop Down
CAN YOU BUILD A...

launch information.
choosing!


prepare.

AN ICY GLARE

a hosting service.
8) **Project Short Description –
9) Judging Qualification
a. Impact: How much impact (quality and quantity) can this project have? Does it solve a
big problem or a little problem? Will it inspire or help many, or a few?
b. Creativity: How creative/innovative is the approach? Is the project novel and something
that hasn’t been attempted before, or is it an incremental improvement on something
that already exists?
c. Validity: Is the solution scientifically valid? Will it do what it sets out to do? Can it work
in the real world?
d. Relevance: Is this project responsive to the challenge for which it was submitted? Is it a
complete solution or does it have a long way to go? Is it technically feasible? How usable
or user friendly is the solution?
e. Presentation: How well did the team communicate their project? Were they effective in
telling the story of the project: the challenge, the solution, and why it is important?
10) Your Guidance for Judging. Where do you think it should be best suited for – Pick Two?
(Judges may choose different category)
a. Best use of Data
b. Galactic Impact
c. Most Inspirational
11) **Project Github Link –
12) Project You Tube Link – (Needed at Hack-a-Thon) : 30 Sec Limit
Sample of Project Submission (winners of 2015):

1) Best Use of Data: https://open.nasa.gov/innovation-space/nyspacetag/
2) Best Use of Hardware: https://open.nasa.gov/innovation-space/valkyrie/
3) Galactic Impact: https://open.nasa.gov/innovation-space/cropp/
4) Best Mission Concept: https://open.nasa.gov/innovation-space/arachnobeea/
5) Most Inspirational: https://open.nasa.gov/innovation-space/tracking-and-sensing-through-
android-robotics/
6) People’s Choice Award: https://open.nasa.gov/innovation-space/natev-explorer/
Judging Guideline & Score Sheet
Name of the Team:

NASA Space Apps Registered Location:
Project Name:
Challenge:
Topic within Challenge
Point Guideline for 1-5 Questions:
Absolutely WoW – The Concept is Unique, I never could imagine; and I don’t think anyone could have imagined – 20
Unique Idea – The idea is unique, implementation is unique, but I have seen or heard somewhere similar concept, I have not
experienced any implementation – 10
Unique Implementation – The idea has been there for public domain, but the implementation is Unique – 5
Public Domain – Concept, Idea & Implementation is available in public domain - 1
1) Impact: How much impact (quality and quantity) can this project have? Does it solve a big
problem or a little problem? Will it inspire or help many, or a few?
2) Creativity: How creative/innovative is the approach? Is the project novel and something that
hasn’t been attempted before, or is it an incremental improvement on something that already
exists?
3) Product: How well does this project fit the needs of the challenge it addresses? How user-
friendly is the technology? Is it a complete solution or does it have a long way to go before being
ready to use?
4) Sustainability: How good is the plan for next steps? How prepared is the project team to
continue their work beyond the event? OR, Is the project organized in a way so others can take
the project to the next level?
5) Presentation: How well did the team communicate their project? Were they effective in telling
the story of the project: the challenge, the solution, and why it is important? Clear and concise
Presentation of the Solution?

These questions will be scored between 0 and 5, except for the #10, that is either 5 or 0.
6) Teamwork: How did the team work? Did they demonstrate a collaborative effort? – Please rate
between 1 and 5; 5 being the absolute best
7) User Experience: How do you think the user would be able to utilize this? Is this very simple &
easy to use vs does this require significant training? Please rate between 1 and 5; 5 being very
easy to use & 1 being require significant training.
8) Quality of YouTube Video : Please rate between 1 and 5; 5 being best representation of the
Solution Created and Provided in Clear English
9) Successful Demonstration of the App or Hardware : Please rate between 1 and 5; 5 being
the best demonstration
10) Environmental Conservation - The Project addresses Environmental Conservation(5 Pts -Yes or
0 Pts-No)
These questions will be scored either 0 or 1.
11) Space Apps 2018 Challenge Category Identified

12) The presentation completed by 4 minutes
13) Link to GitHub Provided and Code Available in GitHub
14) Link to YouTube Provided
15) YouTube Video is 30 second or less in length
16) Space Apps Challenge Project Page completed

If there is women member(s) in the team, they would get additional 5% of the aggregate point.
17) Women Participation Bonus - If Yes, 5% additional point in aggregate
YES/NO for Nomination

 Nominate for OpenNASA Innovation Showcase
 Best use of Data
 Most Galactic Impact
 Most Inspirational
HOW TO DEVELOP A WINNING SPACE APPS SOLUTION!
You heard the call and you are ready to answer it.
You have your crew & you built your winning team!
You have registered with BASIS as well as at NASA Space Apps Challenge website.
BASIS Registration Site: http://bit.ly/NASA_Space_Apps_Challenge_2018_BD
Your computers are charged, your pencils sharpened.
You picked a challenge from:
YOU ARE READY TO SOLVE.
You have the passion, the talent, and the knowledge – so how can you put it together to develop a
winning Space Apps solution?
Here are some tips from the very people who will be judging your solutions, so listen closely!
Space Apps solutions are typically judged based on the following criteria— all equally important:
Impact: How much impact (quality and quantity) can this project have? Does it solve a big problem or a
little problem?
Creativity: How creative is the approach? Is the project new and something that hasn’t been attempted
before? Is it something that isn't being addressed by the current market?
Product: How well does this project fit the needs of the challenge it addresses? How user-friendly is the
technology? Is it a complete solution or does it have a long way to go before being ready to use?
Sustainability: How good is the plan for next steps? How prepared is the project team to continue their
work beyond the event? OR, Is the project organized in a way so others can take the project to the next
level?
Presentation: How well did the team communicate their project? Are they effective in telling the story of
the project and why it is important?
While many Space Apps teams consider the first four criteria carefully and excel at developing solutions
with great potential, the best of these teams pay equal attention to the final criterion, presentation. After
all, how can your solution make a difference if you can’t convince people to see your idea and implement
it?
We recommend devoting time and resources to develop your pitch and build a great story around your
project. Be sure to recruit team members with expertise in storytelling, design, and other means to
capture your project and share the value of your solution!
For all you on-the-ground participants at a Space Apps location, the 240 Seconds of Glory guide below
should help you develop the perfect pitch to give your audience on Saturday.
For initial consideration, you will be making a 30-second video to pitch your challenge solution, so refer to
the 30-Seconds of Glory guide below for some tips.
Mentoring & Mentoring Guideline
Who are the Mentors?

We want to thank the mentors who will be providing valuable times to guide the teams to a winning
project. There will be investment of times (pre-hack-a-thon, 8-10 hours; during hack-a-thon two days
19-20 October). Mentors are the key, who will be providing supports to the teams specially clarifying
any procedures, listen to presentations, provide answers as asked. Mentors *will not* assist in coding or
building the solution (hardware/software/demonstration/presentation), as they will be playing only the
clarification role, and procedural support. Key theme is the IDEA must be the team’s own, mentors can
point to answer question. Mentors are also allowed to provide guidance on choice of tools,
technologies, and recommendations, however, the team would decide on the technologies and tools
they like to use. Another role the mentors will play is guiding the teams to make sure that they finish all
the steps required by the NASA Space Apps Challenge (GitHub, YouTube, Messaging, etc.). The mentors
will also be listening to their presentation, and guide them if there is any gap. Mentors will also assist in
choosing the preliminary set of teams who will be participating at the Bangladesh Main Stage, from all
the submitted solution. So, in sequence the roles would be:
1) Selecting the teams & Projects for Bangladesh Main Stage (Pre Hack-a-Thon task)
2) Provide the Data Bootcamps prior to the hack-a-thon (if possible)
a. Data bootcamp is guiding the teams the basics of the NASA Space Apps Challenge
b. Provide them with some sample of previous winning projects
c. Guide them regarding tools and technologies
d. Can utilize videos generated by the organizing team (i.e., http://bit.ly/BDFAQVideo)
e. Can be 2-4 hours, based on availability of the logistics
3) Clarifying and questions the teams have (utilize this guide to answer)
4) Providing technology and tool recommendation if required by the team (optional)
5) Confirming that the teams have been following the steps outlined for the hack-a-thon
6) Listening to the 4 minutes presentation and guide if there is any gap
7) During the hack-a-thon, provide the mentor rounds, and make sure to cover all the teams
CHALLENGE CATEGORIES
CAN YOU BUILD A...

People build things to support life on Earth, and to explore Space! We build buildings, airplanes, cars
and rockets, computers, satellites, habitats, and a dizzying host of other things. If someone can think
of it, or if someone needs it, then someone can probably build it - whether today or in the future.
Challenges in this category will ask you to use NASA’s data to creatively solve problems and show
how you would create a variety of things, from buildings, to robotic helpers, to tools for citizen
science – the possibilities are endless!
Background : Space explorers need to see the outside of their spacecraft. Remember how the
Apollo 13 crew was almost lost when they had no cameras to image the spacecraft’s exterior for
damage? The Columbia crew was lost after an impact put a hole in its wing’s leading edge
thermal protection system (TPS) – there was no way to see that damage had occurred. For all
post-Columbia missions, astronauts controlled robotic manipulator arms containing 3D sensors
for hours to survey most of the Orbiter’s external TPS surfaces. As a result, the process of survey
for damage detection and characterization of damages was perfected for the Space Shuttle.
Today, International Space Station (ISS) remote manipulator arms are used to inspect the ISS
and visiting vehicles for Micro-Meteoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD). The TPS for future
spacecraft that will travel to and beyond the moon faces a high risk from MMOD impacts. Also,
the remoteness of the journey demands a high degree of autonomy. Limited communication to
Earth and limited image downlink means ground control of inspection tools is challenging.
Analysis of all inspection images on Earth means more ground crews and longer timelines to
reach decisions. Control from in-space crews on future spacecraft or space stations use precious
crew time and robotic manipulator time as well. Currently there are several small satellite
spacecraft projects that are investigating technologies for inspection. When
commanded/scheduled, the designated free-flyer surveys the area assigned, identifies and maps
real damage sites, and— for those damages that are assessed to exceed the threshold or do not
meet decision criteria confidence factors— performs damage characterization of individual
damage sites. Mother Nature’s elegant solutions for this problem are unexplored! What aspects
of Nature could help you design an efficient and effective autonomous operations sequence for
imaging and controlling a free-flyer in order to detect and characterize MMOD impact damage?
Would you scan for damage like a farmer plowing a field, or like an eagle looking for prey?
Results of your efforts could have broad implications for a number of spacefaring entities,
including commercial industry, and could have applications on an international scale.
Potential Considerations
What components, structures, or patterns of Nature (or inspired by Nature) are your machine
and/or operations sequence based on?
What types of sensors will your flyer use? Visual? Electromagnetic? Sensors based on sound?
In your designs, you may consider the following (this is not an exhaustive list):
Dimensions of the damage: The width of the MMOD entry hole is usually small compared to the
depth; angle of impact is not known
Lighting and shadows: light sources/shadows, surface reflections, view angles, camera/sensors
Inspection surface: Cone-shaped inspection surface geometry; distance of free-flyer from
inspection surface
Zero-g, vacuum of space, orbital mechanics/relative motion (would capsule be made to spin to
support survey, or not spin to support damage site characterization?)
Flight plan optimization for reliable results, free-flyer efficiency, and/or spacecraft efficiency
(e.g., propellant/power used, inspection time, etc.)
Autonomy and minimum crew time (In-space or on-ground? Would you use local or remote
communications? On-board imaging and processing? What type of decision logic would you use
to direct the free-flyer operations?)

Background : It’s only a matter of time before we are able to go to Mars and see, touch and
inspect things that have only been visible through the lenses of landers, rovers, and orbiters. We
will have the opportunity to build upon decades of past science experiments from robotic
missions, and we will explore familiar and new terrains and environments on Mars in person.
Your challenge is to create a sensor (or cluster of multiple sensors) to be used by humans on
Mars. For this challenge, your options for scientific exploration are endless! What interesting
features of the Mars environment would you want to observe and measure? Will your sensor be
a wearable device that monitors its target constantly, or will it be a portable device that you
deploy to move underground, on the ground, or even flying around the planet? Will your sensor
uncover something about how humans respond to short- or long-term stays on the red planet?
We are excited to see what you dream up and build!
The sensor could be for an initial short-term Mars mission or to be used while humans are
permanently living on the red planet.
Can you repurpose existing technology on Earth to be used by humans on Mars?
Or, can you improve technologies from NASA’s robotic Mars missions to be operated by
humans? What benefits would you take advantage of with a human (versus robot) operator?
How would you address any drawbacks?
launch information.
Background : In the emerging era of privatized spaceflight, another space-bound rocket seems
to launch every week. Nations around the world have launched rockets carrying satellites and
space probes within the past few years. Private companies are now doing launches as well.
Your challenge is to collect flight schedules and projected launch dates to assemble an
app/website/online tool with all the latest rocket launch information.
What factors go into a decision to launch?
What are the most common causes of scheduling changes in launches?
Where are the world’s major spaceports?
Where are good surrounding sites to view each rocket launch?
Which company or government does the rocket belong to? What about the payload?
Can the launch be viewed live online? If so, what’s the URL?
Include as much useful information as you can!
choosing!
Background : Do you have an idea that doesn't fit any of the other challenges? This is the place
for you, whether you want to design and develop an app, create data visualization, hack on an
Arduino... or anything else you can think of using NASA data! Take a look at the resources we
have provided, and maybe you’ll find something that inspires you.
Develop your own challenge, and then create your own solution.
You can work in a team on something that you're all passionate about
All of NASA’s data are free, open, and publicly available for you to use
By choosing to Bring Your Own Challenge, you will not be eligible for a Global Award

Understanding the field of science is central to living on Earth. For example: How does water move?
How does our atmosphere work? Why are ice and snow important? And honestly, what is dirt? The
Earth is composed of complicated systems - land, water, air, living things, and the planet itself - and
understanding something about these systems is useful. Challenges in this category will ask you to
craft something using NASA data – a story, a game, a video, or some other solution – that helps
people discover how the Earth works.
Background : NASA has collected images of the Earth for over five decades. In addition to
helping us understand the biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere,
these images show us the incomparable beauty of our home planet. For this challenge, take in
these breathtaking images, be inspired, and allow your artistic imagination to go wild!
Your challenge is to adapt NASA images or other spectral data to a medium of your choice, and
develop your own interpretation of NASA’s Earth observations. Or, build a tool or an application
that allows others to transform or enhance NASA’s Earth images or spectral band data into
novel creations. What you create can inform, educate, or inspire.
If you are creating with spectral band data, consider the following:
Optical images, or what we see as multicolored images, are made of measurements of spectral
bands gathered from NASA’s missions. An example of image transformation is assigning spectral
bands to different Red, Blue, and Green (RBG) color assignments to create alternate renditions
There is an incredible number of phone applications used to manipulate imagery for artistic
purposes. These applications change image clarity, adjust color tone, apply unique filters, merge
multiple images together, fragment images into patterns, and transform pictures into works of
art in the style of famous painters, illustrators, and artists. Any combination of these features or
others will also allow users to create unique pieces of art. You might consider how your project
could be used for educational purposes. For example, if developing a tool to manipulate spectral
band data, consider adding features that share information about the satellite missions that
gathered the data, the spectral bands used to create the RBG image, or the area being displayed
(natural history, geography, sociology). Data inputs could run the gamut of NASA data and
include even more than just Earth imagery, allowing for art based on imagery of other planets
Consider incorporating data that go beyond optical properties, like elevation layers (e.g., see
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission resource provided below), or processed products that
represent physical characteristics of the planet.
Examples of Resources
See NASA Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) https://earthdata.nasa.gov/gibs for access to
over 400 satellite products.
NASA Worldview https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/ is an easy way to visualize GIBS data in
your browser.
NASA’s Earth Science Data Systems Program, https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/earth-
science-data, describes several sources of Earth science data.
NASA Earthdata Search https://search.earthdata.nasa.gov/ allows you to search, discover,
visualize, refine, and access NASA Earth Observation data.
The NASA Scientific Visualization Studio https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ wants you to learn about
NASA programs through visualization. The SVS works closely with scientists in the creation of
visualizations, animations, and images in order to promote a greater understanding of Earth and
Space Science research activities at NASA and within the academic research community
supported by NASA.
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission: https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/
Background : Web apps are amazing tools to engage and educate people about Earth through
visualization of science data and the science satellites that orbit the Earth. Think of data files as
one-dimensional (1D). This challenge invites the data scientist in you to create web apps that
convert sets of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) coordinates into 1D data files
that can be displayed on virtual world maps and globes. Programming beginners are invited to
create web apps that present 2D imagery using web-based scripting and block-based
programming environments. Intermediate and advanced programmers are invited to integrate
data sources with virtual globes and web-based programming environments.
Ideas for potential web apps include but are not limited to:
Conversion utilities
Trajectory visualization of orbiting satellites
Mobile phone apps of Earth science data imagery
Reusable code to access data from virtual globes
Integrating virtual globes with web-based programming environments
Mission analysis applications can generate 2D or 3D coordinates in Comma Separated Value
(CSV) format. Potential conversion utilities could, for example, transform the CSV data into
JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) or GeoJSON for presentation on a virtual globe. Earth science
2D images could be imported to web-based programming environments such as Scratch. Several
NASA data sets are in formats that could be imported into virtual globes. Integrating a virtual
globe with Scratch via JavaScript could help students to use virtual globes. Design your web apps
to engage the general public, especially teachers and students!
Free virtual globes provide functions to import Earth science data
Free code libraries and web-based programming environments enable presentations of 2D
images and 3D data visualizations
Free mission analysis tools enable the generation of trajectory coordinates.
Free repositories and web app hosting platforms enable collaborative development and
deployment of web apps that present Earth science imagery and visualization of trajectories
The Example Resource Descriptions section provides links to demonstrations, tutorials, virtual
globes, code libraries, and mission analysis applications.
Many projects and previous Space Apps Challenge products are available on an open source
code repository. A few code repositories offer free web page hosting; thus, projects can provide
their source code and host a web page with the embedded web app within the same repository.
Then you will be able to embed or link to the app from your project page.
Source code and models for interactive 3D web apps should be free for reuse. Additionally, a
good solution would be one that is well commented and documented, and demonstrated via a
working web app embedded in a web page. Code and models ideally might be written so that
they can be adapted and reused by citizen scientists interested in designing their own space
missions.
The Web Mission Visualization Tutorial series provides tutorials and demos on how to use
NASA’s GMAT and JavaScript to create interactive 3D web apps that depict space missions. (Link
coming soon.)
The Inner Solar System is a JavaScript web app that includes an orbital propagator. (Link coming
soon.)
The Elliptical Orbit Design is a tutorial that explains how to implement a relatively simple orbital
propagator that enables animation of visualizations. (Link coming soon.)
NASA 3D Resources is a great place to find models of satellites that can orbit a virtual Earth
globe: 3D Models
NASA’s Open Data portal – An excellent starting point for finding data sets, reusable code, and
Application Programming Interfaces:
NASA Developer Resources
NASA APIs
NASA Open Data
NASA Open Earth Exchange (OpenNEX)
NASA data sets suitable for importing into virtual globes:
Keyhole Markup Language (KML) data sets
GeoJSON data sets
NASA Web Worldwind:
Tutorials
Application Programming Interface documentation
Space Mission Planning Applications
Mission planning applications can generate trajectory coordinate data that can be visualized via
3D code libraries and virtual globes.
NASA’s General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT)
Suggested keywords for online resource searches:
Orbital propagator and JavaScript

3D graphics code libraries
Keplerian parameters
Two Line Element sets or TLE resources
Current NORAD Two Line Element sets
Background : Since the first International Space Apps Challenge in 2012, thousands of
participants from hundreds of locations have developed unique and inspiring solutions for NASA
challenges. Participants like YOU come together for a weekend full of excitement, storytelling,
and fantastic multi-disciplinary science and engineering. We want to hear your sensational
stories!! Whether it’s preparing for and traveling to the event location, making friends and
connections at the hackathon, or developing a winning solution – share your memorable Space
Apps experiences with the rest of the world!
Your challenge is to produce a five-minute (or less) documentary of NASA’s International Space
Apps Challenge and what it means to you.
For this challenge, you and your creative team may choose to cover:
The mysteries of Earth and space that you have learned about through Space Apps
Your local event where you follow one team, or all teams
Particular solutions and the stories behind them
The heroes behind the scenes – how local hosts lead and bring an event together
The history of Space Apps, previous teams or solutions, or anything from the Space Apps past
that has inspired you
Any aspect of the hackathon that you find interesting
Document the experience in a creative film. Make sure to include as much material as possible
when you upload or embed your content into your project page (final edit of your film, scripts,
cast and crew listing, equipment list, storyboards, etc.).
Since your team may only have a short amount of time to produce and edit your film, you might
divide and conquer the tasks ahead of you, including script writing, directing, acting,
interviewing guest speakers, adding music, editing, managing lighting, sound, serving as artist,
or production assistant etc.
Consider what equipment your team might need to produce your film, such as audio/video
recorders, microphones, and lighting. A modern smart phone should be able to perform all of
these functions, but think about how you can increase production quality with specialized
equipment. If your team does not already have specialized equipment, your team may be able
to collaborate with others to provide it.
Keep in mind is that sound is often considered the most important component of a video. An
audience can forgive poor video quality, but hardly forgive poor audio quality.
Consult resources available on the internet to help you plan and produce a short film. For
example, there are sites with tools that allow 3D modeling and animation, audio recording, and
editing, and/or there are sites that guide you through the process of going from idea to
researching, outlining, making a shot list, and writing a script.
If chosen as a Global Award finalist, think about how the footage could be edited in order to
create a trailer to submit as your 30-second video entry.

Our planet and solar system are full of surprises – good ones, and tough ones. The good ones are
the ones we see as helping us, such as when a long-awaited rainstorm refills a lake or reservoir. We
call the tough ones “disasters” – such as when that same rainstorm causes a damaging flood. What
such events all have in common is that 1) they affect us; and 2) we would like to know ahead of time
when they are coming, if we possibly can, so that we can prepare. Challenges in this category will
ask you to analyze NASA data to help anticipate, monitor, and recover from (or make best use of!)
surprise events.
prepare.
Background : When Earth surprises you, make sure you have an emergency preparedness kit. In
fact, have more than a kit – know your disaster, and know your plan. Some things everybody
always needs – water, food, a family meetup/contact plan – but some things are specific to your
family (e.g., medicines, diapers) and some items/preparations are specific to certain disasters
and situations, for example: plywood for boarding windows before typhoons; face masks for
dust, ash, or smog; a go-bag for bugging out; or a safe refuge for you and your pets. What you
develop should help people understand the different kinds of preparedness for each disaster –
what are the main threats for each? For example, in an impending storm, people tend to think
about the wind, but it’s often the storm surge or flooding that hold the potential for greatest
harm; when a volcano erupts, it’s not just the lava – it’s the ash that falls, and the noxious gases
in the air, too.
Different surprises need different strategies. Help people know whether they are likely to need
a go-bag for evacuating, or a kit and plan for sheltering in place, and what should go in each.
Help them figure out what order to do things in. Illustrate and explain each disaster type with
one or more NASA images, videos, or data visualizations, so that people genuinely understand
what they are preparing for. Whatever you design, have it be something that can still be used
when the internet goes down. You might have it prompt people to think about their own
special-need items and things they might be forgetting – and have it warn them if their virtual
go-bag gets too heavy to carry!
Background : Over the past year, we have witnessed long and arduous battles against record-
breaking wildfires across the world. Some of these fires burned thousands of acres of land and
destroyed hundreds of homes and buildings. Additionally, smoke from the fire creates issues
related to poor air quality, raising health concerns for people not just in the vicinity of the fire,
but at distances hundreds of miles away. A key to preventing harmful wildfire destruction and
spread is early and effective detection. NASA researchers have been striving to reduce the time
it takes to detect fires using satellite information from 3-4 hours to ten minutes or less.
Crowdsourcing can support real-time detection and monitoring of natural disasters, including
wildfires. Your challenge is to develop a web-based or phone/tablet-based app that helps
engage the public in wildfire prevention and early wildfire detection.
Teams are invited to develop a web-based or phone-based app that will allow citizens to
participate in wildfire early detection, verification, tracking, visualization, and/or notification.
Apps can focus on one or more of the following suggested topics, but you are not limited to
these!
Report a fire: e.g., upload textual and multimedia (such as picture or video with geolocation)
materials, etc.
Verify and screen fire reports: e.g., check with NASA fire database, cross-checking, verify
whether a picture/video is fire-related (through machine learning for example), etc.
Notify communities at risk: e.g., notify close-by residents and local fire departments, notify
people driving in the vicinity, allow people to subscribe to fire warnings, etc.
Track and visualize fires: e.g., show fire locations and tracks on maps, embed animation, display
detailed fire data, etc.
Build mashups: i.e., integrate geospatial data from various sources to provide innovative
services to citizens (e.g., local weather and local traffic), typically through their published APIs
(application programming interfaces)
In order to make your efforts sustainable after the event and to allow the community to
continue with your innovative ideas, your solution may:
Provide a brief description of the app or solution goal and design – what does it do and how?
Offer the description (a story) of why this app or solution is important and what insights or
future capabilities it provides with regard to fighting wildfires. Leverage NASA state-of-the-art
technology, including: near-real-time fire database and satellite image processing APIs
accessible through the NASA OpenNEX App Store. Provide a description of and links to other
open-source tools used in the development. How does your app encourage citizen participation
to support this human-based remote sensing initiative on wildfires?
Background : Where did we come from? What is our destiny? Asteroids, the leftover debris from
the solar system formation process, can answer these questions and teach us about the history
of our sun and nearby planets. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is traveling to Bennu, a carbonaceous
asteroid whose regolith may record the earliest history of our solar system. Bennu may contain
the molecular precursors to the origin of life and the Earth’s oceans. Bennu is also one of the
most potentially hazardous asteroids, as it has a relatively high probability of impacting the
Earth late in the 22nd century. OSIRIS-REx will determine Bennu’s physical and chemical
properties, which will be critical to know in the event of an impact mitigation mission. Finally,
asteroids like Bennu contain natural resources such as water, organics, and precious metals. In
the future, these asteroids may fuel the exploration of the solar system by robotic and manned
spacecraft.
Your challenge is to make a video to tell the world what you think about Bennu!
Use your imagination and tell your story of what you think about Bennu. What part of NASA’s
OSIRIS-REx mission is most exciting to you? What discoveries do you think we will make at
Bennu? Whatever you think is cool about Bennu, tell the world about it!! You can share a poem
or a song, a dance or a presentation— you can even make a video from Bennu’s perspective!

Earth-dwellers need many things: food, water, clean air, shelter, and other things too – the list is
long and diverse. What are those things? What does it take to sustain and improve life on Earth for
all of its inhabitants? And what will it take, eventually, to do that on other planets? Challenges in
this category will ask you to tackle problems affecting some important aspect of life in this world (or
on others!), and to interpret NASA data and concepts creatively to help find solutions.
 Looking Globe-ally : Analyze and/or display data to communicate interesting findings or improve
public understanding of our home planet.
Background : With the GLOBE Observer app, NASA collects data from citizen scientists around
the world who are looking at clouds, mosquito habitats, and land cover. These data have the
potential to be displayed or used in concert with NASA satellite data to identify or communicate
information, and to educate the public about planet Earth. For example, linking “ground
observations” (observations made by citizen scientists at ground level) of clouds to satellite
observations provides a unique perspective, allowing us to see atmospheric processes from two
very different viewpoints. As another example of citizen science in action, data on mosquito
occurrence can be linked with environmental information gathered through remote sensing to
predict where else mosquitoes are likely to be found. This information can be useful for public
health officials wishing to reduce the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses, like malaria and Zika
virus fever. What ways can you analyze and/or display NASA data to communicate interesting
findings or improve public understanding of our home planet? This could include technical
platforms like apps and/or websites, but it also could include creative uses like games, images,
or videos!
The data collected from citizen scientists consist of photographs as well as descriptive
information – for example, type of clouds, percentage cloud cover, type of mosquito habitat,
percentage of land covered by trees, etc. Each observation has a latitude/longitude location.
The different types of data may need to be displayed in different ways
The GLOBE Visualization System and the GLOBE Advanced Data Access Tool contain data from
all protocols in the GLOBE Program, not just those collected via the GLOBE Observer app. You
will find the layer for Clouds under the Atmosphere section, Mosquito Habitat Mapper under
Hydrosphere, and Land Cover under Biosphere. Feel free to explore the other types of data if
you wish.
The data summary for data points on individual clouds in the GLOBE Visualization System will
have a link to a satellite matching page, which indicates if a match was made. Other useful types
of data (plus examples of satellite sources – see Resources for the locations of data) to compare
to the citizen science ground observations include:
Clouds: Cloud Fraction (Aqua/MODIS, Terra/MODIS)
Mosquito Habitat Mapper: Precipitation (GPM/IMERG), Soil Moisture (SMAP), Vegetation
(Landsat, Terra/MODIS), Surface Temperature (Aqua/AIRS)
Land Cover: Vegetation (Landsat, Terra/MODIS),
Feel free to think creatively! An example application could create a game where individuals test
their ability to know an environment based on viewing it from space. The game would give
players a choice of images gathered from the land cover app and an optical remote sensing
image. Can players pick the correct image associated with that location? This application would
help the public connect with satellite imagery and could also gather data on locations that are
frequently misidentified. This capability could be used to outline future educational needs or
identify images that have been incorrectly logged in the GLOBE App.
GLOBE Data Sources
GLOBE Observer App: https://observer.globe.gov, and downloadable from the App Store and
Google Play. It’s not necessary to download the app to complete this challenge, but collecting
some data yourself may be helpful.
GLOBE Visualization System: https://vis.globe.gov. Displays GLOBE data on a map, and allows
you to look at detailed information about individual data points. Also allows downloading of
data tables of an entire layer or a selected subset of a layer. At the moment, this is the only way
to access photos taken as part of data collection, which must currently be done for each data
point individually.
GLOBE Advanced Data Access Tool: https://datasearch.globe.gov. This tool allows you to find
and retrieve GLOBE data using several different search parameters. You will be presented a
summary of sites that have data available based on your search parameters. From those sites,
you can further refine your search and/or download the data into a CSV file for detailed analysis.
A summary CSV file is also available that summarizes the data available for each site.
Tutorials for retrieving and visualizing your data: https://www.globe.gov/get-trained/using-the-
globe-website/retrieve-and-visualize-your-data.
Satellite Data Sources:
Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS): https://earthdata.nasa.gov/gibs, provides access to over
400 satellite products.
NASA Worldview: https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/, an easy way to visualize GIBS data in
your browser.
NASA’s Earth Science Data Systems Program: https://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/earth-
science-data, describes several sources of Earth science data.
NASA Earthdata Search: https://search.earthdata.nasa.gov/, allows you to search, discover,
visualize, refine, and access NASA Earth Observation data.
 The Land Where Displaced People Settle : Characterize land cover/land use at informal
Background : The number of people displaced from their home communities because of natural
disasters or conflict has grown to 68.5 million people worldwide. Approximately 40 million of
these people are Internally Displaced People (IDP), since they remain inside their country's
borders. Another 25.4 million leave their countries and settle abroad as refugees, with the
remaining roughly 3.1 million being at an intermediate stage of seeking asylum.
Many IDP and refugees re-settle in urban areas or settlements planned by a humanitarian
organization, while others self-settle in unplanned, usually rural settlements. Despite vulnerable
people living in these informal settlements for many years and even decades, informal
settlements are usually not well mapped and tend to be broadly excluded from census data
collection and environmental monitoring. This leaves little systematic information about these
settlements regarding their history, land-based opportunities (e.g., local access to water,
firewood, and food), and environmental challenges.
Remote sensing imagery collected by NASA satellites and instruments, such as Landsat, MODIS,
GRACE, VIIRS, and others, capture an abundance of data related to environmental and climatic
conditions, infrastructural change, and nighttime lighting conditions, as well as the multi-year
and potentially multi-decadal changes therein. These data can thus give unique insights, and can
help to improve global awareness of living conditions at informal settlements, which are home
to ever-increasing populations of displaced people around the world.
Your challenge is to design an approach that uses NASA Earth observations data to
characterize land cover/land use conditions at informal settlements.
Your approach should be:

Scalable (i.e., appropriate for application to several settlements),
Sensitive to the local geography and climate, and
Easily understandable for the residents, humanitarians, policy makers, scientists, and others
who are committed to the welfare of vulnerable populations
Your approach could include many kinds of assessments, such as (but not limited to):
Tracking changes in agricultural or garden greenspace within or surrounding informal
settlements;
Tracking changes in nighttime lights emissions;
Estimating fuel-wood consumption around the settlement;
Measuring changes in groundwater; and/or
Tracking changes in local land cover to identify the specific date when the settlement was
established.
These are merely suggestions. You are not required to take on all, or any, of the above, but
rather you are encouraged to have a targeted question and application, even if some
uncertainty or limitations remain.
Your approach may not be consistently effective across a variety of landscapes populated by
informal settlements. That is okay! Consider applying your approach at a range of different sites
and identifying where and why your approach works or does not work.
 Health Makes Wealth : Integrate NASA Earth science data and citizen science data to learn more
about the connections between human, animal, and environmental health
Background : Our surrounding ecosystems are constantly adapting to a range of environmental
conditions, such as seasonal variation, extreme weather patterns, and unexpected natural
hazards. These changes, however, may not be easily observed or appreciated in real-time
accounts by the human eye. How have your daily activities been affected by a changing
environment? How have you observed these changes? As humans and animals share disease
risks within their atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic environments, we should survey the
planet’s biodiversity through a holistic approach. Using this One Health concept, we can
describe the biodiversity through real-time measurements in a two-fold manner. First, Earth
science data can provide global measurements of diverse environmental conditions, such as
land cover and precipitation levels. Second, citizen science observations by community
members are local measurements, like photographs (e.g. photovoice methodology), field notes,
and physical measurements. Combining large-scale satellite data with small-scale community
observations can serve as a valuable visualization tool for our dynamic ecosystems.
Your challenge is to match NASA Earth science data with potential sources oflocal citizen
science observations to identify how our changing environment may influence human and
animal health!
As you brainstorm on the elements of this challenge, consider the following:
How can you describe the daily, monthly, and annual temporal changes of your local terrain?
How can we better understand real-time changes (e.g., average vs. extreme measurements)?
How can we showcase real-time environmental changes to enhance educational programs for
community members of all ages?
CDC Wonder (https://wonder.cdc.gov/): Data include heat wave days, daily air temperatures
and heat indices, daily sunlight, daily precipitation, daily land surface temperatures, and daily
fine particulate matter.
North America Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) (https://ldas.gsfc.nasa.gov/): Data
include daily air temperatures and heat indices, daily sunlight, and daily precipitation.
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
(https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/dataprod/mod11.php): Data include land surface
temperatures and aerosol optical depth.
AN ICY GLARE
Green, blue, grey, and white: there’s a lot going on at Earth’s poles, and in the high mountain
regions where it is cold. These parts of the world are important; what happens there affects not only
the poles and high places and their inhabitants, but the whole planet. From ice sheets and glaciers,
to ice caps, frozen ground, and oceans, Earth’s cold places are dynamic. This challenge category will
ask you to use NASA data to better understand, monitor and interpret Earth’s cryosphere. (Oh, and
just one more thing: there are other planets with cryospheres, too!)
Background : Traveling in the polar regions can be quite challenging. The locations are remote,
and the weather is extreme. Careful planning is required to have a successful trip! Each year,
scientists plan expeditions to the Earth's cryosphere to conduct experiments and set up field
sites. They use environmental data collected over many years to know what to expect, and
models predict what kind of terrain and conditions they will likely face. It is important for them
to be able to look back at past conditions, predict future conditions, and anticipate possible
hazards or dangerous scenarios. Weather, terrain, route, food, and supplies all need to be
considered. On top of that, conditions in the cryosphere are changing. The area covered by
Arctic sea ice is shrinking, glaciers are melting, and melt ponds can develop on the ice sheets in
the summer months.
When should your explorers leave?
What kind of transportation will they take?
What hazards will they face along the way?
What supplies will they pack?
What will the terrain look like (Sea ice? Glaciers?)
How can you present NASA data to help the explorers plan their trip? What data could the
explorers use during their trip to avoid hazards that come up?
How would the quest be different if it occurred 10 years ago? 30 years ago? 100 years ago?
What has changed in the environment?
Background : Where is your cryosphere?
The cryosphere encompasses the parts of the world where water is frozen. This includes frozen
water on land— ice sheets, glaciers, snow, and frozen ground (permafrost)— as well as sea ice,
lake ice, and river ice. Mostly, the cryosphere is found near the north and south poles and in the
mountains. In winter, the cryosphere extends further south as the ground freezes and snow
falls. Although most people do not look out their window and see a frozen tundra, the
cryosphere impacts everyone. Some communities are directly impacted by the cryosphere —
they rely on frozen ice to travel and hunt, or to get their water from melting snow and glacier
runoff. Other communities feel the impact of the cryosphere less directly. Weather patterns and
sea levels around the world depend on the frozen poles and mountainous regions, for example.
Scientists, planners, policy makers, and citizens need to understand how the cryosphere, and
changes in our frozen landscapes, affect everyone around the world.
Allow users to identify the nearest glacier, area of permafrost, snowpack, ice sheet, etc.
How far away is the nearest glacier? Ice sheet? Snow pack?
How does access to food, water, and shelter depend on the cryosphere? What about lifestyle or
recreation?
How would life change in your location if that piece of the cryosphere changed? Disappeared?
How does the food in your location (crops, fish, etc.) depend on the cryosphere?
Design creative and interesting ways to display the data!
Background : The Arctic and Antarctica are polar opposites, not just because they house the
North and South Poles, respectively, but also because their geographies are opposite as well!
The Arctic is a semi-closed ocean almost entirely surrounded by land, while Antarctica is a
landmass that is entirely surrounded by an ocean. Data about ice at the poles aren’t just useful
to scientists who study the cryosphere, but they are also useful for international trade (sea ice
forecasts for the Northwest Passage), and planetary science (comparing changing ice on Earth to
that on other planets). NASA studies help us understand how ice structures in the Arctic and
Antarctica are evolving in a changing environment. In addition to presence and absence of sea
ice, ice sheets are also observed in three dimensions, so that measurements of how the sheets
are changing from above and below, as well as side-to-side, can be made.
Analyze and visualize NASA’s Arctic and/or Antarctic ice sheets and sea ice data to tell their
story over time and over the three spatial dimensions. In addition to seasonal changes in the
extent of the ice, are there other patterns of change to be seen? For example, are there
differences in ice coverage in the same location between one day of the year (e.g. April 29,
2017) and the same day of other years (April 29, 2016; April 29, 2015; and so on…)?
Consider comparing changes in ice sheets and sea ice over time and space with atmospheric and
ocean conditions in the two regions.
*NASA in no way endorses any particular entity listed, nor can it attest to the accuracy of
information provided on non-US Government sites.
NASA repository for polar data and other information about polar science at the National Snow
and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) Distributed Active Archive Center
- https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/daacs/daac-nsidc
ArcticDEM (digital elevation model) – This is a map of the land surface elevation for (nearly) the
entire Arctic, at one snapshot in time
IceBridge DEM – This map of the land surface elevation captures multiple points in time.
Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) – Measures the height of vegetation in the polar regions.
Gravity anomalies from AIRGrav – Measures how the gravity differs in local regions (which
happens due to more or less local mass, e.g. mountains)
IceBridge Image Gallery

Sometimes it is hard to take it all in: Space is filled with amazing things. Studying the stars, galaxies,
and planets can tell us so much about the Universe – and looking at the Universe can tell us so much
about ourselves. There is room for both study and for appreciation of the sheer beauty of it all, as
anyone who has gazed at shooting stars in a night sky can attest. From our vantage points here on
Earth, from the International Space Station, and from NASA’s telescopes, satellites, and missions to
explore the solar system, we are learning so much – and there is still more to learn and to see.
Challenges in this category will invite you to think hard and be creative about space science and
exploration, whether your viewpoint is scientific, technologic, artistic – or all three!
Background : Since the early 1990’s, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has provided the world
with a nonstop stream of data that has helped resolve some of the biggest questions in
astronomy – while providing fodder for brand-new questions, as well. As the first major optical
telescope to be placed in space, Hubble views the universe from an unobstructed vantage point
above the distortion of the atmosphere, far above Earth’s clouds and light pollution. Scientists
have used Hubble to observe the most distant stars and galaxies as well as the planets in our
solar system. The Hubble Space Telescope has made more than 1.3 million observations since its
launch, as it whirls around Earth at 17,000 miles per hour. It has peered back into the distant
past, to locations more than 13.4 billion light-years from Earth – and yet it can view objects as
nearby and small as the collision of asteroids in our own solar system. The scientific discoveries
that have resulted are legendary – and as it has done all these things, it has also given us images
of stars, galaxies, and nebulae that are awe-inspiring and stunningly beautiful. Hubble images
are not CGI; they are not simulations. They are REAL, and they have shown us our universe as
we had never seen it before.
Your job is to create a game using Hubble images as integral components of the game-play. You
can design and prototype a board game, a card game, a computer game, an app or virtual reality
game. You can make it competitive or collaborative, from single-player to massively multiplayer;
you can focus on the science, the aesthetics, the inspiration, or all three – the choice, and the
story of your game, are up to you.
Background : Several interstellar communications— containing music, math, science, art, and
more— are aboard satellites or radio waves exiting our solar system. They were developed to
inform an advanced civilization of our many human cultures and our local star system. Physical
communications have used diagrams to deliver instructions for deciphering their content, the
location of our Sun, etc. Radio communications have been transmitted from ground-based radio
telescopes and targeted at specific star systems. Examples of these projects include the Pioneer
plaques, Voyager golden records, the Arecibo message, Teen Age Message, and Cosmic Call
messages.
Your challenge is to design content to educate an advanced spacefaring civilization about

humanity and our solar system. Your concept should be able to be integrated into a time
capsule and flown aboard an interstellar spacecraft.
Form as diverse a team as possible. The team may include members with diverse disciplines,
such as philosophers, artists, musicians, mathematicians, scientists, engineers, etc.
What type of content will your team include to capture the essence of humanity and our solar
system? How would the content be stored in a time capsule, and how would the target
civilization decipher the content? The civilization may need to ‘play back’ the recordings. So
think about how the content would be recorded (i.e. language, diagrams, math, etched
recordings, etc.), and how it would be accessed by the audience. Also consider how the time
capsule could stand the test of time, because it may not be discovered until tens of thousands—
or more— years from today.
What did previous communication missions do right? Can your team improve upon their
methods? Think about what technology is available today compared to the technology available
during the previous missions. Whatever technology you envision using, you should explain your
approach, and show how your time capsule will withstand both time and the long journey
through space.
There are many resources available on the internet to research how the Voyager golden records
were developed. Think about how the Golden Record team approached the project and
narrowed down content to include only the most important representations of our cultures.
Other available resources may be used to discover how the various extraterrestrial
communications projects include clever ways of encoding messages and making decisions on
what content to include.
Background : Scientists wouldn’t send a rover to the moon without a detailed plan. There are
numerous scientific and engineering considerations that would come into play in deciding what
research a lunar rover will conduct, including where it will land. Scientists use imaging data from
satellites orbiting the moon to learn about its surface and guide their decision-making to choose
scientifically significant landing sites. Astro-visualization software tools allow users to visualize
the universe. Some of these tools incorporate NASA data, which NASA scientists use to plan and
interpret scientific observations from space-based instruments aboard robotic spacecraft.
Your challenge is to use NASA data to create a lunar rover mission

plan to themoon, and to use astro-visualization to identify and evaluate possible landing sites
for a lunar rover.
As you develop your mission plan and visualization, you may consider the following criteria for
choosing a moon-landing site for a lunar rover:
What are the scientific goals of your mission? What do you hope to learn?
Will a rover be able to land safely and travel easily at the landing site?
Is it possible for a rover to search for water at the landing site?
How much of the moon’s geological past can be studied at the landing site?
a hosting service.
Background : Interesting areas of the Moon or Mars could be near the North or South Poles, or
any regions that have remarkable surface features. For example, flat areas are attractive as
places to land. Permanently shadowed craters may have frozen water at the bottom of them.
Skylights are holes that lead to lava tubes that could provide shelter. Areas rich in nickel and
titanium are important from the perspective of manufacturing.
Virtual Reality (VR) enables anyone to explore the Moon and Mars from a distance. With the
web apps Moon Trek and Mars Trek, it’s possible to create models that are suitable for VR or 3D
printing. Digital Terrain Models from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
can be converted into 3D surface models.
Your challenge is to create VR experiences that enable the public to explore the Moon and/or
Mars.
This challenge involves VR models of areas of interest on the surfaces of the Moon and Mars,
but you can also add surface exploration assets. Your VR environment could provide
interactivity, such as riding a lander to the surface, or driving a rover.
To complete this challenge you may consider the following:
Several websites offer free hosting of VR models and popular game engines are available for
free for self-education. Developing a VR model will require some work with a 3D graphics
program. Typically, 3D graphics programs and game engines include a script editor to define
behaviors. Depending upon the program, the scripting language might be Python, JavaScript,
Lua, or a C like language.
Inspire others to reuse and build upon your VR models! Consider how you can use this challenge
to educate the public and inspire students through virtual exploration. Use your project page to
explain how you developed and integrated the VR experience and your thoughts about why you
selected a particular region of the Moon or Mars. Establish a repository where you can share the
3D models and scripts your team used or developed to create the VR experience. Don’t forget to
attribute credit to the organizations that provided the applications that your team used. Provide
a link to the VR model or embed it in your project page.
Surface data about the Moon and Mars include bitmap height maps, Digital Terrain Models, and
3D models. Graphics programs and game engines provide functions to manipulate models, apply
texture maps, add lighting sources, and develop behavioral scripts. Hosting services enable the
deployment of VR experiences that can be linked to a web page.
Surface Data Sources
Developed at JPL, the web apps Moon Trek and Mars Trek provide a function to generate a 3D
Print File in STL or OBJ format. When you open these web apps in your web browser, you will be
offered a brief tutorial that explains the functions and features. A wrench icon in the upper left
corner of these web apps opens a menu with an option to generate a 3D-printable model;
selecting that option will open a dialog box. Select OBJ, and decrease the resolution to a number
around 100. Exaggerate the surface features by a value greater than one and less than 11.
Virtual Reality Development Systems
After identifying interesting areas and exporting an OBJ file or selecting a DTM for conversion, a
game engine provides the capability to integrate models of surface exploration systems
from NASA 3D Resources and to develop scripts for interaction or animation.
Virtual Reality Hosting Web Services
After integrating your virtual reality model, you can upload it to a hosting service. A few VR
hosting services provide a web-based editor; so, it’s possible to skip a game engine.
Suggested keywords for online resource searches:
Virtual world hosting
3D game development system
Virtual Reality development kits
Virtual reality Application Programming Interface or API
3D graphics code libraries for Javascript
Categories and Challenges published for 2018 NASA Space Apps Challenge
(https://2018.spaceappschallenge.org/challenges/)
CAN YOU BUILD A...

launch information.
choosing!


prepare.

AN ICY GLARE

a hosting service.

NASA Space Apps Challenge 2018 FAQ Guideline PDF

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Participant’s Guide for NASA Space Apps Challenge 2018 in Bangladesh

Before the Hack-a-Thon Day (By October 15th)

CAN YOU BUILD A...

 Make Sense Out of Mars : Develop a sensor to be used by humans on Mars.

HELP OTHERS DISCOVER THE EARTH

VOLCANOES, ICEBERGS, AND ASTEROIDS (OH MY)

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS...

 Looking Globe-ally : Analyze and/or display data to communicate interesting findings or

A UNIVERSE OF BEAUTY AND WONDER

2) Register with BASIS Students’ Forum by October 10th at

8) Go to Space Apps Challenge website and upload your project:

Day 1 – October 19, 2018 / FRIDAY

Day 2 – October 20, 2018 / SATURDAY

CAN YOU BUILD A...

HELP OTHERS DISCOVER THE EARTH

VOLCANOES, ICEBERGS, AND ASTEROIDS (OH MY)

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS...

A UNIVERSE OF BEAUTY AND WONDER

8) **Project Short Description –

12) Project You Tube Link – (Needed at Hack-a-Thon) : 30 Sec Limit

Sample of Project Submission (winners of 2015):

Name of the Team:

Point Guideline for 6-10 Questions:

11) Space Apps 2018 Challenge Category Identified

Point Guideline for 11-16 Questions:

17) Women Participation Bonus - If Yes, 5% additional point in aggregate

YES/NO for Nomination

YOU ARE READY TO SOLVE.

Who are the Mentors?

CAN YOU BUILD A...

 Make Sense Out of Mars : Develop a sensor to be used by humans on Mars.

We are excited to see what you dream up and build!

HELP OTHERS DISCOVER THE EARTH

NASA’s General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT)

Suggested keywords for online resource searches:

Orbital propagator and JavaScript

VOLCANOES, ICEBERGS, AND ASTEROIDS (OH MY)

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS...

Your approach should be:

A UNIVERSE OF BEAUTY AND WONDER

Your challenge is to design content to educate an advanced spacefaring civilization about

Your challenge is to use NASA data to create a lunar rover mission

CAN YOU BUILD A...

HELP OTHERS DISCOVER THE EARTH

VOLCANOES, ICEBERGS, AND ASTEROIDS (OH MY)

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS...

A UNIVERSE OF BEAUTY AND WONDER

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