Due to low number of registrations received The 2007 Event has been CANCELED
Please check back later this year for information on the 2008 event.
February 9 - 11, 2007
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Design a Space Colony or Settlement -
Somewhere in the Universe,
Somewhere in the Future!
Sound like Science Fiction?
It's not as far out as you may think!
There will be a tour of the LANSCE facility during the judging on Sunday afternoon
News about LANSCE
The Rocky Mountain Space Settlement
Design Competition (RMSSDC) pits teams of
High School students from around the Rocky
Mountain region against one another in a
competition to design a futuristic space
settlement mechanism. You and your team
have just 21 hours to come up with a
design and "sell it" to the sponsor.
Meet and work with space scientists and
engineers - people who really do this stuff
for a living! Learn from the experts!
This event is an industry simulation for teams
of High School students, set in the future. It
emulates, as closely as possible, the experience
of working on an aerospace industry proposal
team. Participating teams prepare designs for
cities in space where thousands of people will
live, known as Space Settlements or Space
Colonies. The competition is an exercise in
creativity, technical competence, management
skills, environmental knowledge, resources in
space, teamwork, and presentation techniques.
Competition Paradigm
The competition takes place in a simulated
future year. Technological advancements
beyond the current state of the art have
accrued. See spaceset.org for links
describing technologies the judges will accept
in your design. Any other technologies assumed
in your design must be fully justified (for
example, if you plan to use "warp drive", you
must explain how it is constructed).
The only information provided on day 1 of the
competition is the year of the scenario and the
general guidance that you will be designing
something related to a future space colony.
Just as in industry, competing teams submit
designs in response to a Request for Proposal
(RFP), which describes exactly what the
customer wants to see in the design. Students
forming teams to enter are advised to select
members with diverse experiences and/or interests;
successful designs balance structural integrity,
operating efficiency, use of computers and robotics,
and pleasant living conditions. It is also helpful
to have at least one good artist and/or one good
writer on your team.
Students will receive a Program Book the first
night that describes available technologies at the
time of the scenario and a few other generalities.
Details of the RFP are not revealed until late in
the morning of day 2. Teams have 21 hours to
prepare a design and presentation (if they don't eat
or sleep).
The goal of the competition is not to get a perfect
design, but to present the best proposal in the
time available.
Details & Process
Teams are responsible for arranging their own
transportation to the competition. Room rate for
the entire event is $150/room; up to 4 people may
share a room. Meals will be complimentary during
the competition. Individual students may register
and will be assigned to a team at the competition.
As an individual, or as a team, you must register
with the competition organizers by January 31, 2007.
Only entrants from registered individuals or teams
will be eligible to participate.
The competition begins at 6:00 PM Friday, February 9
and ends by 4:30 PM February 11, 2007.
To Register: As an Individual Student Please do not register more than 30 students for a single team
Rocky Mountain Semi-Final
Semi-Finalist teams are formed into four
competing companies. The four companies
meet to prepare designs in an intensive two
and-a-half day version of the Finalist
Competition.
This year's design task at the Rocky Mountain Semi-Final
will be a large fusion-propulsion ship to provide
transportation for passengers and high-value cargo
between Earth and Mars, in the year 2067.
The winning Semi-Finalist team
becomes the Rocky Mountain Region Finalist
Team and will participate in the
International
Space Settlement Design Competition to be
held in Houston, Texas in July 2007.
Twelve Finalist teams from all over the world are
selected to compete in a live competition at
NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
These teams will be paired to form four
competing companies which will design a
settlement on an extraterrestrial surface. Teams will be coming
from the U.S., Australia, the U.K., and Asia.
Students will work in conditions that resemble
those experienced by members of high-pressure
proposal teams in industry, with assistance
from actual working engineers and managers.
Designs will be presented to an audience that
includes the judges and other competing
teams. Presenters will answer the judges'
questions about their designs. Information
about the international competition may be
found at spaceset.org.
"I learned I don't know everything. You
need inputs from all. It's the parts that
make the whole."
-- Student
"I am thrilled to see my students involved
in this program. It...provides [students]
exactly the kind of educational experience
that is described as ideal by current
[Gifted/Talented program] literature and
conferences."
-- Teacher
"It's an amazing idea & engages students in
learning to a degree I have rarely seen
anywhere else. The students really do get a
taste of real-world work pressures and
collaboration."
-- Advisor
Get Your Community Involved!
We encourage your community to donate
to the event to make this event a success -
contact the organizers or mail a check to:
Los Alamos Kiwanis c/o RMSSDC
PO Box 1384
Los Alamos, NM 87544
Note that all contributions are tax-deductible.
Many thanks to the Los Alamos Kiwanis Club
for providing necessary organizational help!
Logistics
February 9 - 11, 2007
The Best Western Hilltop House
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Contact Information: Kristy Keane,
Director of Sales and Marketing
kristy@bwhilltop.com (505) 662-1118
Mention the group name "RMSSDC" when reserving
a room. Reservations will be guaranteed until
January 26, 2007. Please do not reserve a room
through the web or travel agent.
Send completed registration form (found on
www.lanl.gov/csse/rmssdc website), including
signed teacher/mentor recommendation, to
organizers by January 31, 2007.
