NASA isn’t only interested in putting adults to work, but also students to contribute to its future Moon missions. The space agency has launched a Lunabotics Junior contest that tasks K-12 students in the US with designing a Moon-digging robot.

The participating students will have to envision a compact automaton that is capable of digging and moving lunar regolith while dealing with the stickiness of the soil. Students have until January 25th, 2022 to submit their entries. They need to submit an image of the robot and a summary of how the automaton will operate.

Paving the way for young space enthusiasts

Two winners of the K-5 and 6-12 categories will get a virtual classroom to chat with Kennedy Space Center director Janet Petro, while four finalists in every group will have virtual sessions with a NASA expert. 10 semifinalists will be awarded an unspecified prize pack.

The space agency will announce the semifinalists on March 8, finalists on March 22, and the winners on March 29. NASA wants to inspire a new wave of engineers who could lead Moon colonization efforts one day. It’s a modest investment that could pay dividends for the space agency’s future plans.

NASA preparing for Moon missions

Besides, NASA is testing a 3D printer developed by Redwire for use in its upcoming Artemis moon missions. The space agency hopes to make the moon’s dusty soil as raw material for printing. The idea behind the project is to make use of available materials on the lunar surface to make what is required rather than having to send heavy equipment all the way from earth.

Engineers have been working on this idea for some time now and have demonstrated the process on Earth. But carrying a 3D printer into the microgravity of the ISS will provide more insight on how to use the tech beyond Earth. The researchers want to determine whether the tech works without gravity and how strong the printed materials will be.