NEW YORK, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- NASA is hosting an exhibit at the World Maker Faire in New York, and they announced Saturday they have launched a new website called NASA Solve and have opened registration for the Mars Balance Mass Challenge competition. "The Mars Balance Mass Challenge seeks design ideas for small science and technology payloads that could potentially provide dual purpose as ejectable balance masses on spacecraft entering the Martian atmosphere," according to their website.
They're looking to get citizens involved in attempting to design a payload that can help analyze Mars and can "provide the necessary weight to balance planetary landers." Competitors who can complete the challenge by the November 21 deadline will have a chance to win the $20,000 award. "This challenge is a creative way to bring innovative ideas into our planning process, and perhaps help NASA find another way to pack more science and technology into a mission," said Lisa May, lead program executive for NASA's Mars exploration program.