Helpful Tips

Prototypes: Although not required, Finalist Teams are encouraged to design, build, and demonstrate capability demonstrations of their concept to present on-site at the Forum.

Shipping Your Prototype: If your team plans to ship your prototype to the hotel, your shipment must abide by the following:
- Deliveries should be made to the following address: Huntsville Marriott at the Space & Rocket Center, Attn: Team POC, 5 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35805
- The Marriott charges a storage/handling fee for packages shipped to the hotel. Charges are the responsibility of each team and will be added to the room charges of the individual noted above. The fees are as follows: $75 for packages 50+ lbs., per package, per day; $150 for packages 100+ lbs., per package, per day
- Teams are responsible for making all their own shipping arrangements.
- The hotel does not accept freight deliveries or deliveries on pallets. Attempts to deliver packages via freight or on a pallet will be rejected and returned to sender.
- The hotel does not accept packages that require them to pay shipping costs.
- Deliveries in Huntsville can be limited on weekends. Please take this into account when requesting delivery.
- Neither the hotel, NIA, or NASA is responsible for shipping costs, damage or loss of packages.

On-site Forum Information: We are excited to see you in-person for the HuLC Forum! As a reminder, there is no virtual option to participate in the Forum, and it is closed to the public. We ask that you instead invite your friends and family to watch your presentation via the Vimeo livestream link. We will provide you with the link closer to the event.

Check-In (Monday, June 24, 2024)
- On-site check-in for the HuLC Forum will take place in the Grand Ballroom Pre-Function at the Huntsville Marriott. Join us for check-in and an ongoing networking activity from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
- Teams should also plan to set up their poster during this time as well.

Forum Presentations
- Each team has been allotted 45 minutes on the agenda. Team presentations are limited to a maximum of 25 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of Q&A from the judges.
- Teams may choose who delivers the presentation. However, we encourage all team members to stand together at the front of the room during the presentation to be available to answer questions, even if they are not presenting.

Forum Poster Sessions
- The HuLC Forum includes two poster sessions, scheduled at the end of each presentation day. Only teams who presented earlier that same day will be allowed (and required) to present their poster on that given day.
- All posters should be set up on Monday, June 24 during check-in, so that participants and judges can view them throughout the Forum.
- A 36” x 48” tri-fold poster board, thumb tacks, and double-sided tape will be available for each team for use. Please bring your 36” x 48” poster to attach to the tri-fold boards.

Forum Registration and Payment

Deadline to Register and Complete Payment for 2024 Forum: Monday, May 20, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern.

Note: Each participant must register for the Competition Forum individually (including the faculty advisor).

REGISTER AND PAY FOR FORUM

Forum Host Hotel

Huntsville Marriott at the Space & Rocket Center

Deadline to Reserve a Room at the HuLC Group Rate: Thursday, May 24, 2024, at 11:59 PM Central

Single King/Double Queen Room : $129/Night

Cancellation Policy: 72 Hours Prior to Check-In

RESERVE A HOTEL ROOM

Forum Transportation and Directions

Transportation

Huntsville Marriott at the Space & Rocket Center does not offer transportation service to/from Huntsville International Airport (HSV).

Directions

Huntsville Marriott at the Space & Rocket Center is located about 10 miles away from Huntsville International Airport (HSV).

Get on I-565 E from Houston Goodson Blvd SW and Glenn Hearn Blvd SW
Follow I-565 E to Tranquility Base. Take exit 15 from I-565 E
Continue on Tranquility Base to your destination
Arrive at the Huntsville Marriott at the Space & Rocket Center

LOGO

HuLC Teams may use the competition name and logos on anything which specifically and positively represents the competition, but the logos should not be altered in any manner. This includes any presentations or promotions you do before, during, and after the onsite portion of the competition.

TECHNICAL REPORTS / DATA SEARCHING

NASA Standards by Topic
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
NASA Technology Transfer Program: Software Catalog
NASA Materials and Processes Technical Information System (MAPTIS)
- To request access to MAPTIS, choose “Register” from the Menu Bar. Complete the form as prompted. Under “Justification,” denote you are associated with NASA’s RASC-AL Competition. Your request will be reviewed by a NASA Official.
Los Alamos National Laboratory: Research Library
Idaho National Laboratory
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Knovel
Library of Congress (Applied Science)

PROJECT MANAGEMENT / SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Project Plan Template – NASA APPEL
NASA’s Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements
NASA Systems Engineering Handbook – Rev 2
Applied Space Systems Engineering – (Space Technology Series)
- Authors: Wiley Larson, Douglas Kirkpatrick, Jerry Sellers, Lawrence Thomas, Dinesh Verma

SOFTWARE

NASA Technology Transfer Program: Software Catalog
- Project Cost Estimating Capability (PCEC): The PCEC an Excel-based software tool with a collection of cost estimating relationships and models to estimate the development and production costs of spaceflight hardware systems. For more information or help with using PCEC, contact the PCEC Support Desk at msfc-sra-team@mail.nasa.gov.
SOLIDWORKS: SOLIDWORKS for Students
- SOLIDWORKS has offered to provide RASC-AL Competition Teams with free software, if needed. They are offering free SOLIDWORKS with Simulation to each team member for their personal computers. If you are interested in obtaining the free software, please visit the following webpage: SOLIDWORKS Sponsorship for Student Teams.
- Note: Neither NASA nor NIA endorse SOLIDWORKS, and each team needs to make independent assessments of these offers and products.
NASA’s On-Line Tool for the Assessment of Radiation in Space (OLTARIS)
- OLTARIS provides researchers with access to a toll set that can be used to assess the effects of space radiation on vehicles, electronics, and humans.

ORBITAL MECHANICS

NASA Technology Transfer Program: Software Catalog
- General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT), Version 2011A: The GMAT is a software system for trajectory optimization, mission analysis, trajectory estimation, and prediction. For more information or help with using GMAT, contact the GMAT Support Desk at gsfc-softwarerequest@mail.nasa.gov.
Two-Body Orbital Mechanics
- This spreadsheet contains no Ephemeris Calculus, stay-time arrivals, or swing-bys; just Hohmann Transfer.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Horizons System
“Orbit Maintenance and Navigation of Human Spacecraft at Cislunar Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits”
- Authors: Diane Davis, Sagar Bhatt, Kathleen Howell, Jiann-Woei Jang, Ryan Whitley, Fred Clark, Davide Guzzetti, Emily Zimovan, Gregg Barton
“Options for Staging Orbits in Cis-Lunar Space”
- Authors: Ryan Whitley, Roland Martinez
“Targeting Cislunar Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits for Human Space Exploration”
- Authors: Jacob Williams, David E. Lee, Ryan Whitley, Kevin Bokelmann, Diane Davis, Christopher Berry

COST ESTIMATES

NASA Technology Transfer Program: Software Catalog
- Project Cost Estimating Capability (PCEC): The PCEC an Excel-based software tool with a collection of cost estimating relationships and models to estimate the development and production costs of spaceflight hardware systems. For more information or help with using PCEC, contact the PCEC Support Desk at msfc-sra-team@mail.nasa.gov.
NASA Cost Estimating Handbook (CEH), Version 4.0
NASA Cost Estimating Presentation Chart Deck: 2015 RASC-AL Competition Costing Webinar by Jordan Klovstad (25 March 2015)
“Sensitivity Analysis of the Advanced Missions Cost Model”
- Authors: Andrew Owens, Olivier de Weck
“Rapid Cost Estimation for Space Exploration Systems”
- Authors: Dale C. Arney, Alan W. Wilhite

POSTER SESSION

PROPOSAL PACKAGE

Proposal and 2-Minute Video Submission

REQUIRED ITEMS

Vendor/W-9 Information Form (MUST BE FILLED OUT AND SUBMITTED WITH PROPOSAL)
- Note: Teams may receive a pre-filled Vendor/W-9 Form from their institution’s Accounting Department. This form is equivalent to our “Vendor/W-9 Information Form” and is considered an acceptable solution.
Quad Chart Template

RESOURCES

AIP Publishing Resources – Featured Resources for Researchers

Samantha Harris
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Samantha “Sam” Harris spent her childhood in Cincinnati, Ohio before moving to Alabama to pursue an undergraduate degree in Industrial and Systems engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. As an undergrad, she happened upon a Pathways Internship with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center that eventually led to her first job chatting with astronauts aboard the International Space Station. While working various roles in flight control and ground team training for the ISS program, she earned a Master’s degree in Engineering Management. Since leaving the ISS program, she has served in project management functions for a variety of space technology development projects including green propulsion, deployable in-space power generation, Cryogenic Fluid Management and Plume Surface Interaction.

HUMAN HEALTH

NASA’s Human Research Program Integrated Research Plan: Contains important information on health-related issues and problems that NASA needs to tackle.
NASA’s Human Research Program: Contains information on health-related issues and problems that NASA is currently working towards.
Human Research Roadmap: This website takes a look at specific gaps that NASA is working on, which should help provide areas to consider relating to health and space travel.
Curiosity’s Radiation Results: Contains information regarding potential radiation levels for humans traveling to Mars and its implications.

Forum COVID-19 Policy

2024 HuLC Competition Forum COVID Policy as of April 5, 2022

NOTE: Participants must abide by the COVID Policy in place at the time of the event.

In accordance with guidance and metrics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as revised policies of the National Institute of Aerospace and NASA, the following COVID-19 Policy is in effect for the 2024 HuLC Competition Forum for all attendees, as of April 5, 2022:

Masks are not required for participation in this event, but are encouraged when practical. The decision to wear a mask is a personal preference, informed by your personal level of risk and comfort. Individual choices should be respected.
Participants are asked to stay home and get tested if showing any COVID-19 related symptoms. Tests are available at most pharmacies. Free COVID-19 tests can be ordered in advance at covidtests.gov or may be available through your insurance provider. Symptoms may include:
- Cough
- Extreme Fatigue
- Congestion
- Runny Nose
- Body Aches and Pains
- Scratchy or Sore Throat
- Loss of Taste or Smell
- Fever or Chills
Program staff will have a temperature gun available for participants to take their temperature if they are not feeling well. If any participant has a fever of more than 100.3, they will not be permitted to attend HuLC Competition Forumevents.
Participants in the HuLC Competition Forum are encouraged to be up to date with COVID-19 vaccines (i.e., received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s), when eligible).
Participants are encouraged to practice proper and frequent hand-washing protocol.
If a person has a recently confirmed case of COVID-19 (within 5 days prior to the Forum):
- Do not attend the Forum.
- Stay at home and isolate from others for at least 5 full days (day 0 is the first day of symptoms or the date of the positive viral test for asymptomatic persons). Wear a mask when around others for an additional 5 days.
- If unvaccinated:
  - Get tested and self-quarantine for at least 5 full days if you have been exposed to someone that tested positive for COVID-19.
  - Stay home and self-quarantine for a full 5 days after international travel.
- All travelers, vaccinated and unvaccinated, should get tested 3-5 days upon return from international travel and monitor for symptoms.

This policy and requirements are subject to change at any time leading up to the Forum. Participants will be made aware of any changes to this policy. It is every participant’s responsibility to remain apprised of the policy and any changes prior to arrival in Huntsville, AL.

Jamshid Samareh
NASA’s Langley Research Center

Jamshid Samareh is a senior research aerospace engineer in the Vehicle Analysis Branch of NASA Langley Research Center. His research interests are in Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL), mass modeling, multidisciplinary analysis and design optimization (MDAO), fluid-structure interaction, geometry modeling, and shape optimization.

Ashley Korzun
NASA’s Langley Research Center

Dr. Ashley Korzun is an Aerospace Engineer at NASA Langley Research Center and Principal Investigator for NASA’s Plume‐Surface Interaction ground testing and capability development. Her primary specialization is in entry, descent, and landing aerosciences and systems, with an emphasis on technology development for propulsive descent and landing on the Earth, Moon, and Mars. Dr. Korzun has served as the Aerodynamics Lead for the successful InSight Mars lander mission and the LOFTID technology demonstration mission. She holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech.

Matt Simon
NASA’s Langley Research Center

Dr. Matthew Simon currently serves as the Capabilities Integration Lead within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD), where he supports ongoing NASA work to define technology needs for human lunar and Mars exploration missions. In addition to these roles, Dr. Simon has supported multiple other NASA projects on spacecraft design, habitation, medical capability development, radiation shelter design, strategic decision analysis, and technology portfolio characterization. He has an interest in progressing towards human settlement of space through the development of innovative concepts with large potential to enable future human exploration missions and improve the quality of life here on Earth. He received his Ph. D. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech in May 2016 with his thesis on automated spacecraft interior layout evaluation and design.

Michelle Munk
NASA’s Langley Research Center

Michelle Munk has been serving as the Chief Architect within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) since May 2022. In this role, Mrs. Munk is responsible for creating technology infusion paths to science and human exploration missions, and commercial industry. She works with NASA’s System Capability Leads and STMD Principal Technologists to identify gaps and investment strategies, and to prioritize investments across STMD’s capability areas. Mrs. Munk has over 30 years of experience in Entry, Descent and Landing flight hardware development and technology management from four different NASA centers. Mrs. Munk holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech and is an AIAA Associate Fellow.

Philip Metzger
University of Central Florida

Dr. Philip Metzger is a planetary scientist and the director of the Stephen W. Hawking Center for Microgravity Research and Education at the University of Central Florida. He worked at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for about 30 years, where he co-founded the KSC Swamp Works. He performs research related to solar system exploration: lunar mining, soil mechanics, rocket exhaust interactions with planetary surfaces, etc. He received the astronaut’s Silver Snoopy award in 2010, was selected as the Kennedy Space Center’s NASA Scientist/Engineer of the Year for 2011, received the ASCE Aerospace Division’s Outstanding Technical Contribution Award for 2016, and became a NASA NIAC Fellow in 2020. In 2021, The International Astronomical Union (IAU) named asteroid 36329 Philmetzger (2000 LU35) after him, citing his research into rocket exhaust blowing soil and efforts to protect the Apollo heritage sites from those effects.

Manish Mehta
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Dr. Manish Mehta is a subject matter expert within the Aerosciences Branch at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. His main area of focus is aerothermodynamics, base aerodynamics and gas-granular flow physics and has been working in these disciplines for the last 20 years. Dr. Mehta has worked multiple technical disciplines within aerosciences for the Space Launch System (SLS) Program and currently is the induced environment disciple lead engineer for the Human Landing System (HLS) Program. He received his doctorate in engineering from the University of Michigan in 2010.

Mark Lewis
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

Mark Lewis received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Cleveland State University. Mr. Lewis is a systems engineer at NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and has over 30 years of experience at NASA working on numerous research and spaceflight projects at Glenn Research Center (GRC) and at KSC. He has research experience in the development of damage detection and health management systems, and various types of gas sensors for use in launch system operations, spaceflight experiments, and biomedical applications. His flight hardware development experience includes satellite servicing and microgravity physical science experiments. Mr. Lewis is listed as an inventor on seven patents and received the NASA Silver Achievement Medal in 2018.

Lora Dishongh
NASA’s Johnson Space Center

Born and raised in rural Indiana, Lora Dishongh was invited to the University of Houston as a National Merit Scholar. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Summa Cum Laude, before joining the US Navy to serve as an instructor at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command. After one tour of duty, she returned to the Houston area to pursue a career at the Johnson Space Center. Lora has worked in various project and systems engineering roles in the twenty years since. She has built hardware for biological monitoring and exercise activities aboard the International Space Station, written test requirements and performed integration activities for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, and led teams of various sizes with far-flung membership. Lora currently works for Booz Allen Hamilton, and serves NASA’s Lunar Architecture Team as the Artemis IV Surface Planning Analysis Lead and curator of the publicly-released Lunar Surface Data Book.

Wesley Chambers
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Dr. Wesley Chambers is a physicist working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. His research interests include planetary surface environments and the gas-granular physics of rocket plume-surface interactions. He is Deputy Principal Investigator for the Plume-Surface Interaction Project, Principal Technologist for Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS), a plume-surface interaction flight instrument, and a member of the Human Landing System Natural Environments team. Wesley earned an A.A. from Seminole State College of Florida and a B.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Central Florida.

Esther Lee
2024 Chairwoman
NASA’s Langley Research Center

Esther Lee earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from Rutgers University and University of California, Davis. She began her career at NASA’s Langley Research Center in 2014, and has made contributions to the Space Launch System, crew health, Human Lander System, and more. Her experiences span the areas of aerothermodynamics, model-based systems engineering, flight mechanics, and database/tool integration. She currently leads the navigation sensors technology assessment capability team and is passionate about expanding the capability to enable decision-making in technology investments. Outside of work, Esther can be found unleashing her creativity and experimenting across art mediums, tending to her garden when the weather is right, and engaging in STEM outreach.

2024 Judging panel