NASA To Offer Prizes For New Space Technologies Hey, it worked for Charles Lindbergh. NASA plans to offer cash prizes for innovations in space technology. The Centennial Challenges were unveiled at an industry briefing in Washington March 3 by officials of the new office of exploration systems. That office will spearhead President Bush’s Moon/Mars initiative. According to briefing materials, NASA believes the prizes can “stimulate innovation in ways that standard federal procurements cannot.” The agency says the competitions will be designed to foster “revolutionary advances in fundamental technologies, breakthrough robotic capabilities and very low cost space missions.” NASA said it plans to solicit ideas at a workshop this spring before announcing the first competition. The 2004 prize will be limited to $250,000, because this year’s budget is already in place, but the agency will ask Congress to authorize larger prizes beginning next year. But some of those attending the industry briefing were skeptical, especially when they learned that prize contestants will have to finance their own projects; NASA does not intend to provide seed money. Several audience members said companies are not likely to participate unless they get some guarantee that NASA will buy the winning products, in addition to giving a cash prize, space.com reported. The idea of a prize competition to encourage technology advances dates to the 18th century, when Britain offered a prize for improvements in ocean navigation. Lindbergh’s pioneering transatlantic flight in 1927 won him the $25,000 Orteig prize. Currently the X Prize Foundation of St. Louis is offering $10 million for the first reusable manned spaceship built and launched with private funds. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on March 13 conducted a race of robotic vehicles in the Mojave desert, with a $1 million prize at stake. Fourteen vehicles started the 140-mile race; none finished. The NASA briefing charts on the Centennial Prizes are available at www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=12064.