American Astronautics & Aeronautics

========== CENTENNIAL CHALLENGES BREAKING NEWS ==========

Three Centennial Challenges Competitions at the X PRIZE Cup

Centennial Challenges begins an especially exciting time as three
competitions--Beam Power, Lunar Lander and Tether Challenges--are held
at the X PRIZE Cup, October 20-21, Las Cruces, New Mexico. The X PRIZE
Cup is a space exposition which features the competitions, rocket
launches, rocket planes, static engine test firings, fly-overs, exhibits
and other events.

The Beam Power and Tether Challenges are being held for the second time
and are offering larger purses--$200,000 for each competition. To win, a
team's climber must ascend a 50-meter ribbon at a minimum speed of 1
meter per second. The competition has been made more difficult this
year--each climber's mass is now constrained to 25 kilograms and teams
must provide their own beam power source.

The Lunar Lander Challenge offers a total purse of $2,000,000-an amount
that is a milestone for the program. The Challenge is divided into two
levels. To win at either level, a rocket-propelled vehicle and payload
must take-off vertically, fly for a period of time, and then land
vertically on a target that is a fixed distance from the take-off point.
After remaining at this location for a period of time, the vehicle must

take-off, fly for a period of time, and land again on its original
launch pad. The primary difference between the two levels will be in the
time of flight, the surface terrain at the landing sites, and the
corresponding degree of difficulty presented for precision landing and
servicing of the vehicles.

For more information about the three Challenges, visit
www.centennialchallenges.nasa .gov or click on the links in the UPDATE
section "LINKS TO COMPETITIONS."

========== CENTENNIAL CHALLENGES IN THE NEWS ==========

Lunar Lander Challenge in August Popular Mechanics

Lunar Lander Challenge: The Challenge and one of the competing teams are
featured in an article in the August Popular Mechanics. See the article
in the following website:
www.popularmechanics.com /science/space/3381226.html ?page=4&c=y

Lunar Lander Challenge in October Popular Science

The competition is featured in this 4-page spread, including a full
illustration of the challenge 'Big Hop' (Popular Sci's term!) scenario.
NASA, X PRIZE Cup and the team leaders are quoted, and information is
provided on other, non-NASA prize competitions.

========== CLASSIC CENTENNIAL CHALLENGES HIGHLIGHTS ==========

Centennial Challenges attended the following meetings and conferences
and participated as shown:

--- American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Joint
Propulsion Conference, Sacramento, California, July 11, 2006, panel.

--- Space Frontier Foundation Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, July 20-21,
2006, mini-workshop.

--- Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Airventure 2006, Oshkosh,
WI, panel.

--- International Workshop on In-Situ Resource Utilization, Cleveland
Ohio, August 15-17, 2006, presentation.

--- AIAA 2006 Space Conference, San Jose, California, September 20,
2006, panel.

--- HopeLab Childhood Inducement Prize Symposium, Palo Alto, California,
September 25, 2006, workshop on prizes.

========== SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS ==========

CENTENNIAL CHALLENGE PROGRAM CHANGES

The Centennial Challenges Program has made a number of changes to the
plan for competitions. Many competitions are now planned to be held on
an annual basis, providing an opportunity for increased challenge,
prizes, and potential for new technologies. Note: Changes in
competitions and competition schedules may still occur. Watch for press
releases from the different Allied Organizations for more information.
Follow future Centennial Challenges UPDATES and the website:
www.centennialchallenges.nasa .gov.

The following competitions are planned to be held annually:

--- Astronaut Glove: 2007-2009

--- Beam Power: 2005-2010

--- Personal Air Vehicle: 2007-2011

--- Regolith Excavation: 2007-2008

--- Tether: 2005-2010

The Lunar Lander Challenge is being initially held October, 2006, and
may be held in future years to claim any purse money not won in previous
years.

The following Challenges have been put on hold:

--- Telerobotic Construction Challenge

--- Planetary Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (PUAV) Challenge

New Allied Organization for MoonROx

The MoonROx Challenge has a new Allied Organization (AO), the California
Space Education & Workforce Institute (CSEWI). As the AO, the CSEWI is
responsible for administering the competition. The Florida Space
Research Institute (FSRI) was the original AO for this competition, but
the organization was dissolved at the end of August 2006 when Space
Florida was created to take its place. Centennial Challenges expresses
it's gratitude to the FSRI staff who helped to get MoonROx off the
ground. MoonROx is a first-to-demonstrate competition, with a deadline

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