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Freelancer.com Launches the NASA Lunar Navigation Challenge: Find Me on the Moon
Freelancer.com Launches the NASA Lunar Navigation Challenge: Find Me on the
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PRESS RELEASE Freelancer.com Launches the NASA Lunar Navigation Challenge: Find Me on the Moon The new competition challenges individuals to develop novel navigation and orienteering solutions for the future Artemis missions. SAN FRANCISCO, California - 10 September 2024 - Freelancer.com (ASX: FLN, OTCQX: FLNCF), the world's largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace by number of users and jobs posted, today announced the launch of the Find Me on the Moon: NASA Lunar Navigation Challenge , a set of innovative challenges developed on behalf of NASA. These challenges aim to create low-tech orienteering tools for astronauts and devise methods to survey and map the bottom of the Shackleton Crater. Shackleton Crater is an impact crater that lies at the lunar South Pole, measuring 13 miles (21 km) in diameter and 2.6 miles (4.2 km) deep. The crater has steep sides, and continuous shadows cause the foor of the crater to be below 90 K and may have water ice trapped beneath the surface. The global challenge will award up to USD $50,000 in prize money to the most promising solutions in two focus areas, as independent competitions: Challenge 1 - Low-Tech Orienteering Device; and Challenge 2 - Navigating and Mapping the Interior of the Shackleton Crater. NASA's Artemis campaign is a series of lunar missions that will land the frst woman, frst person of color, and the frst international partner astronaut on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term, lunar presence to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before and prepare for future astronaut missions to Mars. The Artemis III mission will send humans to land on the moon and explore the lunar south pole, which will be the frst human lunar landing in over 50 years. The lunar south pole has permanently shadowed areas which may be traps for water ice, offering a valuable resource for future missions to Mars. Due to these extreme and unknown conditions, support to astronauts is needed in both areas. For Challenge 1 , NASA is looking for innovative orienteering devices to assist engineers during Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) to ensure safe navigation from and to the spacecraft. These devices shall be made of simple materials - such as paper, metal, or plastic, - and must not rely on software, power, or electronics to operate. While similar devices were used during Apollo missions, such as a cardstock solar compass and a paper range scale, NASA seeks new and creative ideas. This challenge is open to all space exploration enthusiasts, regardless of background, with a total prize purse of USD $15,000 for the most outstanding designs. For Challenge 2 , NASA is seeking innovative solutions that can assist in getting to and mapping the bottom of the Shackleton Crater. The proposed designs should be able to operate in the extreme conditions of the lunar south pole and the Shackleton Crater, map the crater, characterize and quantify what is in the crater, and collect the data to be used for future missions. Unlike Challenge 1, these solutions may use more advanced technologies, provided they do not depend on satellite-based navigation due to the unique challenges posed by the crater's permanent shadow. Participants can win up to USD $20,000 for the best solution. Participants must solve these challenges by writing white papers that describe the design concepts of their proposed device and how it addresses the requirements for the challenge. More in-depth details surrounding the challenges, including guidelines, timelines, prize allocations, and the criteria for the proposals is available here: https://www.freelancer.com/contest/2442541 Challenge Schedule Challenge Launch September 4, 2024 Challenge Close November 25, 2024 5:00 PM ET Judging December 2024 - January 2025 Winners Announced January 15, 2024 ###### About Freelancer.com Twelve-time Webby award-winning Freelancer.com is the world's largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace by total number of users and projects posted. More than 70 million registered users have posted over 21 million projects and contests to date in over 2,000 areas as diverse as website development, logo design, marketing, copywriting, astrophysics, aerospace engineering and manufacturing. Freelancer Limited is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the ticker ASX:FLN and is quoted on OTCQX Best Market under the ticker FLNCF. For more information, contact: Sebastián Siseles Vice President, International +1 415 801 2271 [email protected] Marko Zitko Sr. Marketing & Communications Manager +1 (650) 800-6863 +61 404 574 830 [email protected]