Three teams have been chosen as winners of a NASA challenge to develop miniature science instruments that could one day help astronauts explore the Moon. Each team delivered one flight unit and two qualification units to NASA for testing earlier this year. The instruments, which are about the size of a bar of soap, are designed to fit on a miniature lunar rover.
NASA’s Artemis program includes landing astronauts on the Moon, which will require new hardware needed for a long-term human presence on the lunar surface. For sustainable operations, astronauts may need to use resources found on the Moon – such as lunar soil and possibly even water – to create critical tools for life, like oxygen, fuel, and building material for in-space construction.
Small instruments that identify minerals and measure environments could play a key role in supporting a sustained lunar presence, providing valuable information at a lower cost. In 2020, the public was asked to submit ideas for miniature rover payloads in the Honey, I Shrunk the NASA Payload challenge. The effort resulted in 132 entries from 29 countries. NASA awarded $160,000 across 14 submissions. The winning teams went on to compete in the two-phase Honey, I Shrunk the NASA Payload, the Sequel challenge. After two years of development, building, and prototyping, the final winners have been selected.
First place winner: SunSlicer – Miniaturized XRAY Spectrometer by Team Sun Slicer
SunSlicer is a miniature, low power, versatile, XRAY Spectrometer with many impactful mission possibilities for the Artemis program. SunSlicer is adapted to survive and operate in both a harsh lunar equator environment and in a mobile spacecraft configuration such as the intended Miniature Lunar Rover platform.
Second place winner: Puli Lunar Water Snooper by Puli Space Technologies
Puli Space Technologies’ Puli Lunar Water Snooper identifies hydrogen and all hydrogen-bearing volatiles, like water-ice. The system measures quantity and distribution of these resources in lunar surface regolith.
Third place winner: µRAD, A Micro-Scale Lunar Radiation Detector by Christian Haughwout and Thomas (Joey) Murphy.
The µRAD payload is a miniaturized instrument that measures high-energy radiation, with many of the same features as the Radiation Assessment Detector on the Curiosity rover, but whose size, weight, and power are compatible with smaller exploration vehicles. This miniaturized radiation detection capability will be key to a wider understanding of the lunar surface environment.
“We need to fully understand the conditions and available resources on the Moon in order to safely live and operate on its surface,” said Niki Werkheiser, director of technology maturation within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “These miniature systems could provide extremely valuable information, such as the radiation levels of a certain area and whether water ice is present beneath the surface.”
As human space exploration evolves toward a long-term presence on the lunar surface, In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) will become increasingly important. Practical and affordable ways to identify and use lunar resources could help reduce costly resupply missions. The ability to prospect, map, and characterize these in-situ resources not only increases NASA’s progress towards a sustained presence on the Moon, but also could bolster mining, purification systems, and other industries.
This series of challenges tasked the global community to assist in these efforts, helping to develop miniaturized payloads that could be ready to be sent to the Moon in the next 1-4 years to bridge lunar strategic knowledge gaps. Out of the 14 finalists from the original challenge, only four teams were chosen to advance to stage 2 of the sequel challenge. These four teams shared $675,000 in award money to support development. As the first-place winner, Team SunSlicer will receive an additional $100,000. Puli Space Technologies will receive $25,000 for second place. The µRAD Team will receive $15,000. NASA will evaluate the three winning technologies for potential accommodation on a future mission.
“This challenge was a great opportunity to work with the public to develop miniature payloads that are applicable to our science and exploration missions,” said Josh Ravich, an engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, who provided expertise for the challenge teams.
For more information on the challenge, visit: https://www.herox.com/NASAPayload2.
HeroX administered both challenges. The NASA Tournament Lab, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program in STMD, managed the challenges. The program supports public competitions and crowdsourcing as tools to advance NASA research and development and other mission needs.
Learn more about opportunities to participate in your space program via NASA prizes and challenges at:
For News Media:
Sarah Frazier
Headquarters, Washington
(202) 853-7191
Sarah Douglas
NASA Johnson Space Center
(281)244-2999