NASA is partnering with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and shoemaker Nike to issue a global call for innovative fabric systems with the potential to lead to stronger, lighter and more affordable fabrics for spaceflight, as well as other non-NASA applications, NASA said in an April 26 press release.
NASA and its LAUNCH Council partners will select “innovators” to present their fabric solutions at the LAUNCH: System Challenge 2013 forum NASA is hosting Sept. 26-28 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “The selected LAUNCH innovators will receive networking and mentoring opportunities from influential business and government leaders, as well as portfolio presentations,” the press release said. Proposals are being accepted through July 15.
The LAUNCH Council was formed by NASA, Nike, USAID and the U.S. State Department “in an effort to bring collective genius, unprecedented networks, and new resources to overcome some of humanity’s toughest sustainability challenges,” according to the organization’s website.
Previous LAUNCH Challenge forums have focused on water, health, energy and waste management.
