Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concept – Academic Linkage is a NASA operated full mission architecture design competition compliant with technical standards and human integrated design. The possible themes for 2019/2020 missions were:

• South Pole Multi-Purpose Rover
• International Space Station (ISS) as a Mars Mission Analog
• Short Surface Stay Mars Mission
• Commercial Cislunar Space Development
• Autonomous Utilization and Maintenance for Science Payloads on the Gateway and/or Mars Class Transportation

Mission Architecture and Design is also analyzed based on compatibility with planned NASA missions, unique combinations of new technologies, and realistic assessment of costs and development options.

AIAA at Mines’ 2019/2020 team was Project TErRAIn.

Design Build Fly is an official AIAA competition centered around the design, construction, and flight of radio operated aircraft. Competition is based around three components:

• The preliminary and final report on the aircraft and the design process
• How well the air frame meets the challenges put forth by the committee in October of each year
• The performance and flight of the aircraft according to the outlined challenges

These factors are weighted according to a standardized formula to calculate the teams’ final scores. Previous challenges have included aircraft that can carry smaller aircraft, a frame that can fold to fit within a tube, and an air frame that can be quickly reconfigured to hold differing amounts of passengers and cargo.

AIAA at Mines members who are paying members of the national AIAA organization may apply for any of the scholarships provided by the AIAA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships Program. These scholarships range from $500 to $10,000 and are open between October 1st and January 31st of every academic year. Please see this link for more details.