NASA Texas Space Grant
March 11 – May 5, 2024
You are the architects and engineers for the first city on Mars! Design it, build it, experience and share it in virtual reality!
- University-level design competition,
- teams of 1-10 grad and/or undergrad students,
- up to 5 teams will win $2,000 for the best city designs.
Team Qualifications
- Texas undergraduates and/or graduate Students in STEAM fields.
- Complete a team application form on the Texas Space Grant website.
- A designated Team leader and contact information.
- Faculty advisor (optional).
Team Registration
Click here to access the Team Registration form.
Approved Teams will receive ‘Getting Started’ information and account access to Space Teams.
Important Dates
| March 1st | Applications Open |
| March 11th | Competition Begins |
| March 29th | Applications Close |
| May 5th | Submissions Due |
| May 10th | Winners Announced |
| May 13th | VR Public View of Designs |
Design Objectives
- An Integrated Engineering Architecture for a future but near-term growing Martian Colony
- Select/Request Desired City Site Location
- Infrastructure and System Design Elements – including aspects such as Power, In-Situ Resource Utilization, Life Support, Water, Food, Transportation, robotics, Habitation, Science & Exploration
- Create CAD models (Blender, Solidworks, others) and demonstrate your design using virtual reality simulation (using Python) in the Space Teams platform (provided)
- Explain and demonstrate your Concept of Operations (ConOps) and why your design is ideal for the Martian environment at your selected site.
Design Platform
Space Teams PRO – provides a complete modeling and simulation environment of the entire solar system, including the Martian surface. Integrates models and algorithms into a VR mission simulation. Participants receive a free account.
The Space Teams University Mars City Design Competition is limited to the first 30 qualified teams that apply!
