Nov. 29, 2004 — Taking a cue from the private sector, NASA is fleshing out plans to award prize money for space missions, technology demonstrations and student educational programs.

The agency envisions four tiers of competitions, including spaceflight missions, such as the $50-million America's Space Prize contest sponsored by hotel operator Robert Bigelow.

NASA is considering partnering with Bigelow, who plans to award the money to the first team that can develop and fly a reusable orbital vehicle capable of carrying at least five passengers.

The contest follows the successful conclusion of the $10-million Ansari X Prize competition, which was won by partners Burt Rutan, aircraft designer and owner of Mojave, Calif.-based Scaled Composites, and venture capitalist Paul Allen, the cofounder of Microsoft.

Brant Sponberg, head of NASA's Centennial Challenges office in Washington, D.C., plans to spend between $5 million and $50 million per year for one or two of what he calls "flagship" missions.

In addition to orbital spaceflight, flagship missions may include a lunar robotic lander, which would demonstrate soft-landing techniques; a miniature re-entry vehicle to return small payloads from the space station or other spacecraft; and a solar sail that would become a propulsion system for keeping a satellite in orbit well beyond the capability of chemical propulsion systems.

A fourth proposed flagship mission would stimulate design and creation of a vehicle that can use a planet's gravity to enter orbit and change planes.

NASA's next prize tier includes three to five contests per year in the $250,000 to $5 million range. Potential missions include: an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, that could stay airborne for 30 days; an autonomous cargo-carrying UAV; a more flexible glove for space-walking astronauts; light-weight, low-power drills for off-planet subsurface exploration and mineral extraction; and an all-terrain vehicle for transportation on the moon.

The third class of challenges under consideration is intended to measurably increase the numbers of students pursuing careers in math, science, technology and related fields, as well as increase scientific literacy overall. These contests, called "Quest Challenges" would offer up to $1 million in prize money.

NASA currently is soliciting proposals from agencies, institutes, businesses and private entities that want to develop and administer the Centennial Challenges contests. Initial responses are due mid-December.