NASA and TI sponsor space-themed coding contest

By Gina Roos, editor-in-chief

Texas Instruments (TI) and NASA have announced a virtual coding contest to give students (ages 13–19), who are learning remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, a chance to win prizes for designing a better way to help astronauts on the International Space Station to stay in shape or communicate with Mission Control. But the deadline is fast approaching: May 21, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. central time.

The NASA & TI Codes Contest is simple to enter. Teams of up to five students (plus an adult sponsor) can work together virtually to submit a written proposal that outlines what they want to improve onboard the orbiting laboratory.

A panel of judges from TI and NASA will decide who advances to the next stage of the contest. As they advance, teams start coding and building their design, which must be showcased in a video. The public will vote on their favorite video. Top teams, up to five, will receive a trip to visit NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston this fall, if travel conditions improve, for a tour and to present their designs in person.

Each team that submits a proposal in the first stage is automatically entered to win NASA-themed items and choice of TI technology. For the grand prize, each member of the winning team receives a TI-Innovator Rover and their choice of graphing calculator. Adult sponsors will receive a $250 gift card.