美国国家航天局学生航空挑战赛聚焦国家基础设施

美国国家航天局（NASA）下一届“通往蓝天之门”（Gateways to Blue Skies）竞赛邀请大学生团队构思创新方案，探索飞行器检查桥梁和隧道等陆基基础设施的新方法，以期在2035年或更早实现安全性、可靠性的提升并降低成本。

NASA’s next Gateways to Blue Skies competition invites collegiate teams to imagine innovative new ways aircraft could inspect land-based infrastructure, such as bridges and tunnels, to improve safety, reliability, and costs by 2035 or sooner.

基础设施是国家强劲经济、全球竞争力和日常生活质量的基石。当基础设施受损或失修时，会限制人员、货物以及水和能源等关键资源的流动。检查工作在基础设施项目的整个生命周期中都至关重要，但往往伴随着挑战。

Infrastructure is the foundation of the nation’s strong economy, global competitiveness, and daily quality of life. When that infrastructure is damaged or in disrepair, it restricts the movement of people, goods, and critical resources like water and energy. Inspections are important throughout the lifetime of infrastructure projects, but they often come with challenges.

隧道、桥梁、公路、铁路和电网等结构规模巨大且难以触及。对其进行检查可能需要中断交通，或迫使工作人员在极端高度、密闭空间和危险环境中作业。随着基础设施的老化和扩张，利用创新的机载平台（airborne platform）来改进当前的检查实践正迎来机遇。

Structures such as tunnels, bridges, highways, railways, and electric grids can be massive in size and difficult to reach. They can require disruptive shutdowns to access, or force workers to navigate extreme heights, confined spaces, and hazardous environments. As infrastructure ages and expands, there are opportunities to use innovative airborne platforms to improve current inspection practices.

“各界对利用机载平台等创新解决方案来改善基础设施领域的需求正呈指数级增长，”美国国家航天局兰利研究中心（NASA’s Langley Research Center）位于贞女星（Virginia）汉普顿，该竞赛负责人Steven Holz表示，“现在正是创新型学生改变我们处理关键基础设施方式的成熟时机，而这项竞赛为有才华的学生提供了实现这一目标的机会。”

“The demands for creative solutions like airborne platforms to improve the infrastructure sector are increasing exponentially,” said Steven Holz, Gateways to Blue Skies competition lead, NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “The time is ripe for innovative students to transform how we work with our critical infrastructure, and this competition gives talented students the opportunity to do so.”

在“美国国家航天局大学创新项目”（NASA’s University Innovation Project）的资助下，2027年“通往蓝天之门”竞赛鼓励大学生跨学科团队在航空领域构思创新。竞赛每年根据国家面临的复杂挑战选择一个新主题，旨在吸引来自不同背景、专业和大学层次的学生参与。

Sponsored by NASA’s University Innovation Project, the 2027 Gateways to Blue Skies competition encourages multidisciplinary teams of college students to conceptualize innovations in the world of aviation. Each year, the competition selects a new theme based on a complex challenge facing the Nation. It aims to engage as many students as possible from all backgrounds, majors, and collegiate levels.

竞赛面向由两到六名学生组成的团队，分为两个阶段。在第一阶段，团队需提交一份提案及一段两分钟的配套视频，由美国国家航天局和行业专家进行评审。最多八支决赛入围团队将各获得9,000美元奖金并进入第二阶段，届时他们将在2027年5月的论坛上向美国国家航天局和行业专家小组展示其更新后的成果。获胜者将获得在论坛结束后学年内在美国国家航天局航空部门（NASA Aeronautics）实习的机会。

The competition is open to teams of two to six students and divided into two phases. In Phase 1, teams will submit a proposal and an accompanying two-minute video, which will be judged by NASA and industry experts. Up to eight finalist teams will each receive a $9,000 prize and advance to Phase 2, where they will present their updated work to a panel of NASA and industry experts at a forum in May 2027. Winners will be offered the opportunity to intern with NASA Aeronautics in the academic year following the forum.

有意参赛的团队可查阅竞赛网站上发布的指南和资格要求。鼓励团队通过网站在10月12日（周一）前提交一份非约束性的意向通知，以随时了解竞赛动态。提案和视频提交截止日期为2027年2月22日。“通往蓝天之门”竞赛由美国国家航天局研究与技术任务理事会（Research and Technology Mission Directorate）下属的航空部门（Aeronautics Division）负责运营。美国国家航天局协作创新卓越中心（Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation）作为研究与技术任务理事会内“奖项、挑战与众包计划”（Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program）的一部分，负责管理该挑战赛合同。国家航空航天研究所（National Institute of Aerospace）代表美国国家航天局管理此项挑战赛。

Teams interested in participating in the competition can review guidelines and eligibility requirements posted on the competition website. Teams are encouraged to submit a non-binding Notice of Intent by Monday, Oct. 12, via the website to stay apprised of competition news. Proposal and video submissions are due Feb. 22, 2027. The Gateway to Blue Skies Competition is run by the Aeronautics Division in NASA’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate. NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program within the Research and Technology Mission Directorate, manages the challenge contract. The National Institute of Aerospace administers the challenge on behalf of NASA.