Honey, I shrunk the NASA payload!
With all due respects to Rick Moranis and the 1989 comedy, the space agency plans to use miniature payloads to send to the moon in the coming years, and they need your help to make it possible. The payloads would send resources which could sustain life for an extended period of time there.
"These small rovers developed by NASA and commercial partners provide greater mission flexibility and allow NASA to collect key information about the lunar surface. However, existing science payloads are too big, too heavy, and require too much power for these rovers and new, miniaturized payload designs are needed," NASA says on the website where you can enter the competition.
NASA adds the payloads would have to fit in a box the size of a bar of soap in order to fit into the rover.
There are two categories for the competition: lunar resource potential and lunar environment. Each first-place prize wins $30,000.
Those interested should enter by June 8.