[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 158 (Wednesday, August 16, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47257-47258]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-13499]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 06-055]


Centennial Challenges 2007 Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of Centennial Challenges 2007 Lunar Regolith Excavation 
Challenge.

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SUMMARY: This notice is issued in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 2451 
(314)(d). The 2007 Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge is now scheduled 
and teams that wish to compete may now register. The NASA Centennial 
Challenges Program is a program of prize contests to stimulate 
innovation and competition in space exploration and ongoing NASA 
mission areas. The 2007 Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge is a prize 
contest designed to promote the development of new

[[Page 47258]]

technologies to excavate lunar regolith. The 2007 Lunar Regolith 
Excavation Challenge is being administered for NASA by the California 
Space Education & Workforce Institute (CSEWI). Their Web site is: 
www.californiaspaceauthority.org/html/level-one/institute.html. The 
Centennial Challenges Web site is centennialchallenges.nasa.gov.

DATES: The 2007 Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge will be held May 
12, 2007.

ADDRESSES: The 2007 Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge will be held at 
the Santa Maria Fair Park, Santa Maria, California. Questions and 
comments regarding the NASA Centennial Challenges Program should be 
addressed to Mr. Ken Davidian, Suite 2M14, Centennial Challenges 
Program, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, NASA, 20546-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
regarding the NASA Centennial Challenges Program should be directed to 
Mr. Ken Davidian, Suite 2M14, Centennial Challenges Program, 
Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, NASA, 20546-0001, (202) 358-
0748, [email protected]. To register for and get additional 
information regarding the 2007 Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge, 
visit: www.californiaspaceauthority.org/regolith.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Summary

    The 2007 Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge promotes the 
development of new technologies to excavate lunar regolith. Excavation 
is a necessary first step towards lunar resource utilization, and the 
unique physical properties of lunar regolith make excavation a 
difficult technical challenge. Advances in lunar regolith extraction 
have the potential to contribute significantly to the nation's space 
exploration operations. Teams competing in the 2007 Lunar Regolith 
Excavation Challenge will build autonomously operating systems to 
excavate lunar regolith and deliver it to a collector. This Challenge 
will be conducted in a ``head-to-head'' competition format. Teams will 
be challenged to excavate and deliver as much regolith as possible in 
30 minutes.

II. Challenge Basis and Prize Amount

    The 2007 Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge total purse of 
$250,000 will go the winning teams excavating the most regolith above 
150 kilograms.

III. Eligibility

    The Centennial Challenges Program has established the following 
language in the Challenge Team Agreements governing eligibility. 
Challenge is the 2007 Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge.
    Team is defined as an individual, organization or corporation, or a 
group of individuals, organizations or corporations that register to 
participate in Challenge. Team is comprised of a Team Leader and Team 
Members.
    Team Leader is defined as a single individual, organization, or 
corporation, which is the sole agent representing Team regarding its 
participation in Challenge. Team Leaders that are individuals must be 
U.S. citizens. Team Leaders that are organizations or corporations must 
be incorporated in the U.S. and majority-owned and controlled by U.S. 
citizens. Corporate or other organizational Team Leaders must appoint 
an individual who is an officer of the Corporation or organization to 
represent the Team Leader.
    Team Members are defined as the participants on the Team that are 
not the Team Leader. If a Team consists of a single individual, then in 
this case the Team Member is also the Team Leader. Individuals and 
corporate entities that are other than U.S. citizens or entities may be 
Team Members, subject to written request to and approval by CSEWI.
    All Team Members will apply to register for the Challenge through 
Team Leader and must receive written concurrence by CSEWI.
    All Team Members must execute an ``Adoption of Agreement'' 
committing to all terms of this Agreement. By signing below, Team 
Leader represents that all Team Members have executed the Adoption of 
Agreement and that no one else will become a member of the Team or 
participate in the Challenge until such new Team Member has signed this 
Agreement. CSEWI may disqualify any Team if it discovers that a person 
is acting as a Team Member who has not signed this Agreement. Team 
Leader will provide CSEWI with a copy of the ``Adoption of Agreement'' 
signed by each Team Member.
    Any U.S. Government organization or organization principally or 
substantially funded by the Federal Government, including Federally 
Funded Research and Development Centers, Government-owned, contractor 
operated (GOCO) facilities, and University Affiliated Research Centers, 
are ineligible to be a Team Leader or Team Member.
    U.S. Government employees may not participate in the Challenge as 
Team Leader or Team Member.
    Team Members may participate in Challenge on more than one Team.

IV. Rules

    The rules for the 2007 Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge can be 
found at: www.californiaspaceauthority.org/regolith.

    Dated: August 8, 2006.
Scott J. Horowitz,
Associate Administrator, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.
 [FR Doc. E6-13499 Filed 8-15-06; 8:45 am]
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