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Earth & Space Air Prize
Completed
Description
NASA seeks to advance human space exploration while partnering with industry to develop innovative technology that can improve health and quality of life in space and on Earth. RWJF works to help leaders across the nation build a Culture of Health and promote solutions that increase the flow of local data used to improve the health and well-being of communities. There is both a need in space exploration and in Earth communities for robust, versatile, easily-installed, efficient and affordable aerosol sensors.
NASA is working with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to sponsor the Earth and Space Air Prize competition for a solution that could improve air quality and health in space and on Earth. This project is a technology innovation challenge to promote development of robust, durable, inexpensive, efficient, lightweight, and easy-to-use aerosol sensors for space and Earth environments. The competition asks teams or individuals to design and develop specialized sensor technology that has the potential to be useful in spaceflight as well as on Earth anywhere outdoors in a community where people may be exposed to airborne particles. NASA seeks to advance human space exploration while partnering with industry to develop innovative technology that can improve health and quality of life in space and on Earth. RWJF works to help leaders across the nation build a Culture of Health and promote solutions that increase the flow of local data used to improve the health and well-being of communities. There is both a need in space exploration and in Earth communities for robust, versatile, easily-installed, efficient and affordable aerosol sensors.
Benefits
The NASA Earth & Space Air Prize, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, focused on identifying solutions that can catalyze the development of easy to maintain, small, and affordable aerosol sensor technology that has the potential to be useful in spaceflight as well as on Earth anywhere outdoors in a community where pedestrians may be exposed to airborne particle matter. NASA has identified particulate monitoring as a gap in its technology roadmap to enable future long-term missions. Current technology does not provide the level of sensitivity, the longevity, or the ability to operate in a reduced-gravity environment. In working with the Foundation, NASA has the opportunity to close this gap. The added bonus of the outcome of this technology demonstration competition is the potential benefit to human health on Earth as well. Three solutions have been named as Finalists: AirSpeQ's Gravimetric PM Monitor Employing Thermophoresis; Applied Particle Technology's Optical particle speciation and counter; and The Volckens Group, Colorado State University's Mobile Aerosol Reference Sensor (MARS).
Solved
Planned for future implementation
Prototype/Hardware
Details
| Technology area | Sensors and Instruments > In Situ Instruments and Sensors |
| Program | Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing (PCC) |
| Lead organization | NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC |
| Start date | 2017-05-02 |
| End date | 2019-06-05 |
Project contacts
Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.
How to get involved
This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.
None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.