NASA Announces Finalists for 2024 RASC-AL Student Competition

NASA has selected 14 university teams as finalists for the 2024 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage competition.

The long-running competition challenges students to develop innovative concepts for exploration and operations on the Moon, Mars and beyond, NASA said.  

The finalist teams include Clarkson University, Stanford University, University of Texas at Austin, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Iowa State University, South Dakota State University, Tulane University, University of Maryland, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.

Each team will receive a $6,500 stipend to support its concept development. In June, the teams will present their proposals to a panel of NASA and industry experts in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

The top two teams will have the opportunity to present their work at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ 2024 ASCEND Conference.

The 2024 competition’s themes focus on AI-powered probes, lunar exploration, Mars simulation and sustained lunar presence. Every year, RASC-AL showcases the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration and helps bridge knowledge gaps in NASA’s strategic vision as it fosters student involvement in space exploration.

Patrick Troutman, RASC-AL sponsor, noted the consistently high quality of proposals NASA receives, emphasizing the value of the program in addressing real-world space exploration challenges.