# NASA Announces First Centennial Challenges Prizes
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-announces-first-centennial-challenges-prizes/296445
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [March 27, 2005, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-announces-first-centennial-challenges-prizes/296445 "2005-03-27T07:06:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2005, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-announces-first-centennial-challenges-prizes/296445/1 "2005-03-27T07:06:25Z")
[Prize money’s not exactly huge.](http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=16473)
> [@](#):
>
> NASA and its partner, the Spaceward Foundation, today announced prizes totaling $400,000 for four prize competitions, the first under the agency’s Centennial Challenges program.
>
> NASA’s Centennial Challenges promotes technical innovation through a novel program of prize competitions. It is designed to tap the nation’s ingenuity to make revolutionary advances to support the Vision for Space Exploration and NASA goals. The first two competitions will focus on the development of lightweight yet strong tether materials (Tether Challenge) and wireless power transmission technologies (Beam Power Challenge).
>
> “For more than 200 years, prizes have played a key role in spurring new achievements in science, technology, engineering and exploration,” said NASA’s Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Craig Steidle. “Centennial Challenges will use prizes to help make the Vision for Space Exploration a reality,” he added.
And here’s the [details on the space elevator challenge.](http://www.elevator2010.org/site/competition.html)
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### Author:  [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2005, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-announces-first-centennial-challenges-prizes/296445/2 "2005-03-27T07:22:15Z")
Well I doubt it but I hope my speculation on the Domain names
[CentennialChallenges.org](http://CentennialChallenges.org), .net, .us, .info, and .biz pan out. Someone got the .com before the thing was even publicy announced.
If I have time I would love to develope the sites and track the programs and compititions.
It may take some years but I think this program is a great thing. Nasa is on the right path.