Moon mission recruits proposals from space fans
Suburban Chicago students have a rare opportunity to contribute ideas that could be used by scientists who are planning next year's mission to the moon.
On Monday, Oct. 29, Nokia is hosting a "Shark Tank" style competition featuring finalists from Naperville Unit District 203 and Indian Prairie Unit District 204 who submitted proposals about the "next big thing" on the moon.
After evaluating a collection of entries from various school teams, eight finalists were selected to present their project to a group of judges at 4 p.m. at the Nokia Naperville Campus, 2000 Lucent Lane.
Student winners will receive free tickets to the upcoming TEDxNaperville conference, where they will have the opportunity to present their ideas at the Nokia table to hundreds of people attending the event on Nov. 10.
"The association with TEDx is about changing the world, making an impact," TEDxNaperville founder Arthur Zards said. This year's TEDxNaperville lineup of speakers and performers will focus on the theme "One Step Beyond."
As a TEDxNaperville partner, Nokia will give attendees an early look at the "Mission to the Moon" worldwide campaign that has been in development with Audi, PTscientist and Vodaphone Germany.
Nokia is the primary provider of the first mobile communications network to be deployed on the moon as part of the mission scheduled to launch in late 2019 from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Nokia is working with PTScientists, Vodafone Germany and Audi to achieve the first privately-funded moon landing, which will send back videos and data about Earth's closest neighbor.
The Nokia student competition will be in the Schacht Auditorium, which is located in the north building. Parking is available in the North West lot, near the door for entrance to the building. Preregistration is required and a photo ID must be presented to gain entry. Members of the press are invited and will be given opportunities to interview the students, judges and representatives from Nokia and TEDxNaperville.
Everyone attending the "Shark Tank" style contest must register in advance at missiontothemoongeneral.eventcombo.com. Check-in will begin at 3:30 p.m. More details can be found at /bit.ly/2ymKSVh.
TEDxNaperville is a nonprofit organization that shares powerful ideas from the Chicago area's most original and visionary thinkers at its annual conference. The local gathering is sanctioned by the international TED organization, which amplifies creative movements through large-scale events, community initiatives and an ever-growing library of online talks.