NASA’s Got Talent: Agency Seeks Ideas For Manned Mars Mission

As part of its plans to send a manned mission to Mars, NASA is seeking innovative ideas and technologies from US government agencies, industry and ordinary American citizens.

On Wednesday, NASA stated its intention to send a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s. To fulfill their mission with minimal risk to the astronauts, the agency is seeking support from government agencies, academia, industry and the general public.

The iTech initiative, a yearlong campaign launched by the space agency, seeks ideas pertaining to five focus areas, including radiation protection, life support systems, astronaut health, in-space propulsion, and the ability to achieve high-resolution measurement of key greenhouse gases.

The initiative is open to all US citizens, organizations, academic institutions, and companies. The call for papers opens September 21 and closes October 17. Ten finalists will be invited to the December 5-8 NASA iTech Forum at NASA headquarters in Washington DC where they can share their work with industry participants.

"NASA has programs to address the agency's current exploration goals, but we want to also include non-traditional innovators we haven't heard from before," said Kira Blackwell, innovation program executive within NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist in Washington DC.