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BROWNSVILLE — Expanding Frontiers (ExF), an advocate for the STEM education and skill development fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, hosted a Space Settlement Design Tournament over the weekend.
More than 200 high school students from South Texas and northern Mexico collaborated to tackle the critical challenges of lunar settlement for lunar mining during the tournament on Dec. 2 and 3, ExF reported in a news release.
In an industry simulation, participating students acted as an organization and developed comprehensive and feasible business plans. The students responded to a request for proposal to build a settlement that would work in a parallel with lunar mining bases that gather and store refined lunar resources.
A NASA retiree, industry experts and leaders acted as mentors throughout the competition, enhancing the students’ experience.
At the competition’s conclusion, the teams presented their solutions to a panel of judges consisting of space professionals and current and former NASA executives.
SpacePort Mexico, led by Catalina Ramirez, and IDEA Guanajuato sponsored the tournament.
The event provided participants with invaluable insights and applicable skills essential for the emerging commercial space industry, ExF said in the release.
The winning team earned international recognition, certificates, and a winner’s prize package.
Expanding Frontiers remains committed to hosting the Space Settlement Design Tournament, with the vision of transforming South Texas into a thriving hub for the space industry. The tournament showcases the remarkable ingenuity, creativity, and potential of South Texas and Mexico, ExF said the release.
By nurturing the passion and talent of young individuals and encouraging STEM education, Expanding Frontiers, SpacePort MX, and IDEA GTO aim to empower the next generation of pioneers in the space industry, shape the future of space exploration, and foster sustainable advancements.
Expanding Frontiers worked closely with these organizations: Aerospace Education Competitions (AEC), National Space Society (NSS), SpacePort MX, Mexican Space Agency (AEM), and IDEA GTO.
Notable individuals for the event included Anita Gale, NSS chief executive officer, who acted as event facilitator. David Cheuvront, a former NASA engineer and architect of the International Space Station, was a pivotal mentor to the students.
Also, from NASA Johnson Space Center, Montgomery Goforth, Assistant Director, Engineering Directorate, was the keynote speaker.
His presentation was on current NASA missions, Artemis: NASA’s Plan for Sustainable Lunar Exploration.
More information about Expanding Frontiers and its mission is available at https://expandingfrontiers.org/.
