This collection contains a selection of student entries for NASA's annual space settlement design contest in the form of thirty four original artworks and ten technical reports created by students from around the world in grades twelve and under. Also included is a 2008 technical paper about the contest and the lessons learned from it, and a photograph of contest ephemera (a clock). The bulk of the collection has been digitized.

NASA Ames Research Center sponsored an annual international student space settlement design contest from 1994 to 2018, in conjunction with the National Space Society. The contest was co-founded and led by Ames scientist Al Globus. Each year, students were tasked with designing a permanent orbital space colony, with no restrictions on how their design should be executed or presented. Entries ranged from detailed engineering reports to artistic conceptualizations developed by both individuals and teams. The contest was intended for students in the sixth to twelfth grades, with students in different grade levels being judged separately. Over the years, participants in lower grades also submitted entries, which were accepted, and some won awards. Several categories of awards were given out, including one for art and a grand prize for the overall best entry. Submissions had to be mailed by post in paper form to arrive at Ames by March 31 of each year to be judged by a panel of the center's scientists and engineers. To keep costs down while also engaging students from around the world, administration of the contest was largely conducted through an informational website developed by Al Globus. In 2019, sponsorship of the contest, along with the website, was transferred to the National Space Society. (An archived copy of the 2018 version of the website is in the Ames History Archives. See Related Collections.)

2 cubic feet

(with 46 digital copies, 501.4 Megabytes)

Copyright does not apply to United States government records. For non-government material, researcher must contact the original creator.

Collection is open for research.