{"id":230217,"date":"2025-06-06T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=873889"},"modified":"2025-06-06T04:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T18:00:00","slug":"auburn-team-wins-2025-nasa-moon-and-mars-design-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=230217","title":{"rendered":"Auburn Team Wins 2025 NASA Moon and Mars Design Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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4 min read<\/p>\n

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Auburn University\u2019s project, \u201cDynamic Ecosystems for Mars ECLSS Testing, Evaluation, and Reliability (DEMETER),\u201d won top prize in NASA\u2019s 2025 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems \u2013 Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Competition Forum. <\/div>\n
National Institute of Aerospace<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A team from Auburn University took top honors in NASA\u2019s 2025 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Competition Forum, where undergraduate and graduate teams competed to develop new concepts for operating on the Moon, Mars and beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Auburn\u2019s project, \u201cDynamic Ecosystems for Mars Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) Testing, Evaluation, and Reliability (DEMETER)\u201d advised by Dr. Davide Guzzetti, took home top prize out of 14 Finalist Teams from academic institutions across the nation. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University took second place overall for their concept, \u201cAdaptive Device for Assistance and Maintenance (ADAM),\u201d advised by Dr. Kevin Shinpaugh. The University of Maryland took third place overall with their project, \u201cServicing Crane Outfitted Rover for Payloads, Inspection, Operations, N’stuff (SCORPION),\u201d advised by Dr. David Akin, Nich Bolatto, and Charlie Hanner.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The first and second place overall winning teams will present their work at the 2025 AIAA Accelerating Space Commerce, Exploration, and New Discovery (ASCEND) Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada in July. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University took second place overall in NASA\u2019s 2025 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems \u2013 Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Competition Forum for their concept, \u201cAdaptive Device for Assistance and Maintenance (ADAM).\u201d<\/div>\n
National Institute of Aerospace<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The RASC-AL Competition, which took place from June 2-4, 2025, in Cocoa Beach, Florida, is a unique initiative designed to bridge the gap between academia and the aerospace industry, empowering undergraduate and graduate students to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world challenges in space exploration. This year’s themes included “Sustained Lunar Evolution \u2013 An Inspirational Moment,” “Advanced Science Missions and Technology Demonstrators for Human-Mars Precursor Campaign,” and “Small Lunar Servicing and Maintenance Robot.”  <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe RASC-AL Competition cultivates students who bring bold, imaginative thinking to the kinds of complex challenges we tackle at NASA,\u201d said Dan Mazanek, RASC-AL program sponsor and senior space systems engineer at NASA\u2019s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. \u201cThese teams push the boundaries of what’s possible in space system design and offer new insights. These insights help build critical engineering capabilities, preparing the next generation of aerospace leaders to step confidently into the future of space exploration.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

As NASA continues to push the boundaries of space exploration, the RASC-AL Competition stands as an opportunity for aspiring aerospace professionals to design real-world solutions to complex problems facing the Agency. By engaging with the next generation of innovators, NASA can collaborate with the academic community to crowd-source new solutions for the challenges of tomorrow. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Additional 2025 Forum Awards include: <\/p>\n

Best in Theme: Sustained Lunar Evolution: An Inspirational Moment<\/strong> <\/p>\n