Space Settlement
Look decades into the future and compete with students across the world to design the best space settlement.
SpaceSet competitions are run by Aerospace Education Competitions are are intended to immerse students in the actual roles that they might play in planning and implementing a space settlement. Participants adopt roles within the space settlement company, including CEO, Department Heads, and technical staff within each Department. Competitors are challenged to collaborate and think creatively, and to call on design that might plausibly be used in a future space project.
“SpaceSet competitions are set fifty years in the future, in a fictional futuristic society where humanity has expanded into the solar system. Each competition cycle involves the design and development of the next iterative expansion from Earth – from the very first settlement in earth orbit through to the colonization of the asteroid belt.
Participants enter the SpaceSet environment, and discover a rich, immersive world – ‘futuristic’ technology extrapolated from today’s cutting edge, sub-contractors that specialise in off-world equipment, and existing inter-system infrastructure they can leverage in their designs. This canon is annually incremental, meaning that each settlement is available for use in the next competition scenario; the overall canon refreshes on a roughly five-year cadence.”
How do I get started? Your first step is to enlist a teacher-mentor. This is a very involved, team-based competition, and you will need intensive supervision. Check out the SpaceSet website, and reach out to the organizers for more help on how to get started.
How do I expand this narrative arc? If science is in your narrative arc think about supplementing this larger project with one of the smaller science (or space)-based opportunities. For example:
Compete to build the best Mars Space Settlement.
Relatedly, explore diverse aspects of space exploration in the selective, intensive Mars Mission Program.
HOT TIP: This this an incredible, immersive and impressive applied STEM experience. If you are interested in aerospace in particular, this is potentially a terrific addition to your portfolio.