Brilliant Minds for Pure Blue Skies

This challenge is open to anyone age 18 or older, participating as an individual or as a team. Team captains must be a United States citizen , legal permanent resident, or asylum grantee. Further team members may originate from any country, as long as United States federal sanctions do not prohibit participation. See the Official Challenge Rules at the end of this page for more eligibility information. 

If you wish to participate in this challenge but are not a United States citizen or legal permanent resident, we suggest that you take advantage of our website’s team-building features in order to collaborate with a team captain who is from the USA.

Welcome, passionate innovators and bold visionaries, to an extraordinary quest to redefine the future of aviation, to bring forth a world where the skies are clear, and the flights are green. The challenge at hand is not just a call to reimagine aircraft but an invitation to unleash your creativity in scripting an environmentally-conscious success story for the ages.

Picture this – the year is 2050. A dark, smoky haze shrouds the flightline, casting a shadow of uncertainty on the future of our planet. The world watches as aircraft crisscross the skies, leaving trails of emissions in their wake, fueling a looming climate crisis. Yet, amid this grim reality, a new hope emerges: YOU! We are asking for your brilliant minds to come together and transform the aviation industry, wielding innovative technologies that save the planet from the grips of an environmental catastrophe. The skies are your canvas, and the spotlight is on you.

NASA beckons you to take center stage in this thrilling saga. We are seeking novel, revolutionary ideas that directly address the harmful emissions produced by narrow and wide-body aircraft during flights that last longer than two hours. Ideas that boldly break away from conventional thinking and take aviation to a future where aircraft are benign to the environment. These are the ideas the world needs! If someone has published a scientific paper, or there is chatter about a crazy idea on Quora, NASA probably knows something about it. We are looking for something substantially novel! NASA's charter is to seek extraordinary solutions to extraordinary problems; to look out into the impossible for something possible. Near-term net zero carbon dioxide solutions are in the works. But will these solutions succeed? Is net zero CO₂ enough? Can we do better?

We are focused on eliminating or mitigating the harmful effects of carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxides (NOx), nvPM (non-volatile particulate matter / soot), water, and other emissions. While Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) holds promise, we are looking for something beyond SAF – unique, sustainable solutions that minimize emissions at their source. Ideas that do not merely offset emissions but rather redefine the way aircraft operate, embracing green technology and out-of-the-box thinking, are of immense value. Nothing is too bold or crazy if it can help solve this wicked problem we’re facing. Remember though, your ideas cannot add some new harmful emission or be unsafe for widespread use.

They also need to be novel. If your idea involves concepts like lithium-Ion batteries, liquid hydrogen, cracked ammonia turbines, or fuel cells you may not win as there is active research on these fuels and sources in aviation.

We are looking for breakthrough ideas like these industry disruptors:

• The turbofan engine revolutionized aviation, blending power with remarkable efficiency. By harnessing a mix of jet thrust and ducted fan propulsion, turbofans drastically slashed fuel consumption by up to 25% compared to their turbojet predecessors. This not only led to more cost-effective long-haul flights but also resulted in a significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. In an industry where efficiency and sustainability are paramount, the turbofan's emergence was a game-changing leap toward a cleaner, more economical future in the skies.
   
• Fast forward to today. In just eight months, Whisper Aero designed, built, and flew a custom demonstrator drone with its unique electric propulsor, validating the company’s ultra-quiet, efficient electric jet technologies. Or take Astron Aerospace’s engine, the Omega 1, which combines parts of both a regular combustion engine and a turbine design, with hints of rotary interspersed. The company claims that hydrogen can be used as an ideal fuel for the engine, with emissions “close to zero.” Is your breakthrough idea ready to join these?
   
• Let’s not forget about process! The National Airspace System (NAS) is the unsung hero of modern aviation. By meticulously orchestrating the intricate dance of thousands of flights daily, the NAS ensures safety while optimizing routes for maximum efficiency. Its establishment streamlined operations, slashed flight times, and mitigated air traffic congestion, paving the way for a more fuel-efficient and environmentally conscious aviation era. In the vast skyways above, the NAS silently operates as the backbone of contemporary air travel, embodying a blend of precision, safety, and eco-friendly foresight. Do you have a machine learning solution that could further enhance the NAS process marvel? Perhaps this could form a part of your solution!

OK amazing solvers, channel your inner Lawrence Sperry! In 1927 he invented the artificial horizon, enabling none other than the great Jimmy Doolittle to take the first “blind flight!”

Submit your white papers outlining your groundbreaking ideas and detailed demonstration plans. Note that you will not be asked to develop your ideas alone! Challenge winners may have the chance to partner with NASA and a US-based academic institution to develop their ideas further.

Join us in crafting this unforgettable story, where you play the hero in keeping our skies pure and blue forever. Together, let's turn this film noir into a tale of hope, innovation, and a cleaner, greener future for aviation. Your role awaits. Seize the moment, and change the world.

Background

Modern planes predominantly rely on gas turbines, with Jet A as their go-to fuel. When burned, it releases water, CO₂—a long-lived greenhouse gas, and other pollutants like nitrous oxides and soot. These contrail-producing emissions not only exacerbate global warming but also present an atmospheric dilemma as air travel is poised to grow by 2.9% annually over the next decade. Thus, as the world pivots to greener transport modes, aviation's carbon footprint will loom even larger. Tackling this airborne challenge head-on, the U.S. is aiming to achieve net-zero aviation carbon emissions by 2050, with Sustainable Aviation Fuel fronting the charge.

In this challenge, however, we are setting our sights higher than merely offsetting aviation emissions with Sustainable Aviation Fuels. The mission? Forge direct pathways to eradicate harmful airborne culprits. While CO₂ steals the limelight as a global warming antagonist, we're equally wary of other emissions like water, NOx, and the sooty nvPM. NASA's University Innovation Project has championed groundbreaking ideas from academic corridors, but it's time to expand their horizons. We're on the hunt for untapped, avant-garde concepts that not only champion the environment but also hold promise for a holistic, eco-friendly aviation future. You better bring your double digit improvement game! So, let's rethink, reimagine, and revamp our skies. Join the ascent!

The Challenge

This is a very straightforward crowdsourcing challenge. Express your innovative idea through the questions provided in the submission form and then hit submit! The difficult part is coming up with the breakthrough that leads to gloriously clean and healthy skies wherever planes fly. After the submission deadline, experts from NASA and our celebrity judges panel will review the submissions and determine the winners. The world needs your ideas. Please think hard and submit today!

How do I Win?

Submit your breakthrough idea via the submission form at the top of this page. Each question in the submission form has a maximum character limit to help guide the length of your replies to each item, though in total your submission should be no longer than about 10 pages of single-spaced text. The submission form allows for text formatting, so you will also be able to embed images, videos, and links in your responses. At minimum, your submission must contain the following information to be considered eligible:

• A plausible technical method for significantly reducing or completely eliminating harmful emissions from flights of 2 or more hours (737 class or larger vehicles),
• Quantified estimates of the benefits that can be achieved, and
• A credible demonstration plan for researching and testing how the proposed solution could be viable.

Since a key feature of this challenge is to enable future development of the winning solutions through collaboration with American academic institutions, your demonstration plans should take this next step into account. You may propose potential university partners that you already have a working relationship with, groups who you do not yet know but who would be knowledgeable around your solution, or you may request NASA's support in finding an academic partner. Please include references where appropriate.

If you are a U.S. Citizen, Green Card holder, or have been granted asylum within the U.S., then you can submit your idea outright without any additional partners at this stage. If you are a foreign national, you will have to partner with a U.S entity or institution who will then serve as the Team Captain for your submission.

Furthermore, to be eligible for an award, your proposal must, at a minimum:

• Satisfy the Judging Criteria requirements to a reasonable level.
• Thoughtfully address the Submission Form questions.
• Be scored higher than your competitors!

Prize Purse - $30,000 total

You may now be asking, "What unique and historic poster?" 

Well, all award winners will receive a framed 16" x 20" copy of this Space Shuttle poster seen below. This poster was created by Matt Melis, a highly accomplished NASA engineer who led the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation's testing of the shuttle's leading edge failure. Matt recently retired from the NASA Glenn Research Center and is a Shuttle enthusiast who has given talks around the world on the shuttle program's history and vehicle system technical details. This poster was never for sale and can be viewed as a collector's item with very little distribution.

Timeline

Judging Criteria

Submission Form

Challenge Rules

Participation Eligibility:

The Prize is open to anyone age 18 or older participating as an individual or as a team. Team captains and individual (solo) competitors must originate from the U.S. as a citizen, legal permanent resident, or asylum grantee. 

Further team members may originate from any country, as long as United States federal sanctions do not prohibit participation (see: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Pages/Programs.aspx). 

If you are a NASA employee, a Government contractor, or employed by a Government Contractor, your participation in this challenge may be restricted.

Submissions must be made in English. All challenge-related communication will be in English.

You are required to ensure that all releases or transfers of technical data to non-US persons comply with International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 C.F.R. §§ 120.1 to 130.17.

No specific qualifications or expertise in the fields of Aviation or Energy is required. Prize organizers encourage outside individuals and non-expert teams to compete and propose new solutions. 

To be eligible to compete, you must comply with all the terms of the challenge as defined in the Challenge-Specific Agreement.

Intellectual Property Rights:

Innovators who are awarded a prize for their submission must agree to grant the United States Government a royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license in all Intellectual Property demonstrated by the winning/awarded submissions. See the Challenge-Specific Agreement for complete details.

You may be required to complete an additional form to document this license if you are selected as a winner.

Registration and Submissions:

Submissions must be made online (only), via upload to the HeroX.com website, on or before 5pm ET on December 14, 2023. All uploads must adhere to the requested formats. No late submissions will be accepted.

This challenge allows multiple submissions per individual/team. Should you have multiple entries to submit to this challenge, they will be considered separately. Whether or not multiple entries from the same individual or team may be chosen for a prize is up to the discretion of the Challenge Sponsor. You do not have to submit multiple entries to this challenge to be eligible for a prize.

Selection of Winners:

Based on the winning criteria, prizes will be awarded per the weighted Judging Criteria section above.

Judging Panel:

The determination of the winners will be made by a panel of relevant NASA specialists and 3rd party subject matter experts.

Awarding of the Prize:

The Individual Submitter or Team Captain is automatically designated as the Recipient of the prize monies. The Individual’s or Captain’s name must also match the Authorized Person on the receiving Bank Account. No changes are permitted to the prize Recipient after the Submission Deadline date. If you wish to change who would receive the prize monies, those changes must be completed prior to the Submission Deadline. View our Knowledge Base article here for how to change Team Captains.

 Additional Information

• By participating in the challenge, each competitor agrees to adhere to the HeroX Intellectual Integrity Policy and promises to submit only their original idea. Any indication of "copying" amongst competitors is grounds for disqualification.
• All applications will go through a process of due diligence; any application found to be misrepresentative, plagiarized, or sharing an idea that is not their own will be automatically disqualified.
• All ineligible applicants will be automatically removed from the competition with no recourse or reimbursement.
• Challenge Sponsor has the right to make updates and/or make any changes to, or to modify the scope of the Challenge Guidelines, Challenge Schedule, and Winning Criteria at any time during the Challenge. Innovators are responsible for regularly reviewing the Challenge site to ensure they are meeting all rules and requirements of the Challenge. 
• No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win the competition.
• Void wherever restricted or prohibited by law.