NASA Proposal Writing and Evaluation Experience 

Background

The L’SPACE Program’s NASA Proposal Writing and Evaluation Experience (NPWEE) provides participants with the opportunity to learn the NASA proposal creation and evaluation process. To apply the skills I acquired in this academy, I collaborated with a team of students to generate an innovative idea addressing one of NASA’s pain points and to write a proposal advocating for its funding. At the conclusion of the academy, at least one team will receive $10,000 in starting funds to help launch their project.

Project Overview

Due to the confidential nature of this academy and the potential to secure $10,000 in funding, I cannot disclose specific details about our proposal. However, here is an overview of our proposal:

"Astronauts operating in low or zero-gravity environments face significant challenges related to mobility and muscle atrophy. Current exercise regimens to counteract these effects are time-consuming and can limit mission productivity. Enhancing astronaut mobility and reducing muscle fatigue through advanced wearable technology can significantly improve mission efficiency and crew health. Team 03 proposes the development of advanced exoskeleton suits designed to enhance mobility and reduce resistance training to prevent muscle atrophy. This technology enables astronauts to maintain physical fitness without dedicating extensive time to exercising. The exoskeleton will be equipped with sensors to dynamically monitor and adjust resistance levels, ensuring optimal performance and safety. The final deliverable of the $10,000 funding would be a full-scale, functioning prototype of the exoskeleton suit, along with a series of tests to verify its ability to apply resistance to the user and adjust the resistance according to gravity conditions."

Our goal is to tackle the following NASA taxonomies, with a focus on astronauts' health in space:

• TX# 04.2.2 Above-Surface Mobility

• TX# 04.2.3 Small-Body and Microgravity Mobility

• TX# 04.2.4 Surface Mobility

• TX# 04.4.1 Multi-Modal and Proximate Interaction

• TX# 04.6.3 Robot Software

• TX# 06.3.2 Prevention and Countermeasures

• TX# 06.3.3 Behavioral Health and Performance

• TX# 06.3.4 Contactless/Wearable Human Health and Performance Monitoring

• TX# 06.3.6 Long Duration Health

• TX# 08.1.2 Electronics

• TX# 10.3.2 Behavior and Intent Prediction

Our quad chart can be viewed below, and while we await the announcement of the $10,000 grant recipient, I wanted to say this experience has been invaluable. It has been an amazing opportunity to utilize Siemens NX to CAD my team's exoskeleton design prototype and to network with NASA engineers and peers who share similar interests.