1. Thoroughly review the Challenge Guidelines.
2. Find a qualified advisor and a team of students with diverse skills.
3. Ensure that your team meets the eligibility requirements.
4. Submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) by the deadline.
5. Develop and submit a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) by the deadline.
6. PDR submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the FLOATing DRAGON judges, with feedback provided to each team.
7. Teams will take that feedback into consideration, update their systems accordingly, and submit a final Conceptual Design Review (CDR).
8. CDR submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the FLOATing DRAGON judges.
9. Selected teams will advance and begin development of their proposed technology.
10. Finalist teams will be paired with a NASA Mission Manager to collaboratively manage development of the technology. 
11. Finalist teams submit a Software Design Review (SDR).
12. Finalist teams will participate in multiple reviews with subject matter experts as they prepare for the test flight.
13. Upon passing Pre-Integration Review (PIR), the finalist teams conduct on-site integration, flight, and testing of their technology at Ft. Sumner, NM.
14. Upon completion of flight, data is returned to the finalist teams.
15. Finalist teams submit a technical report and technical poster with experimental results.
16. The winning team may be given the opportunity to incorporate their technology into official NASA development.

COLLEGIATE DESIGN TEAMS MUST INCLUDE:

• Team sizes vary widely, but must contain, at a minimum, one (1) faculty advisor at an accredited U.S.-based academic institution, and two (2) students from that institution who work on the project and are able to participate in the on-site testing activities in Ft. Sumner, NM in August 2023.
• There is no limit to the number of participants on each team, however, a maximum of four (4) students and one (1) advisor can attend the on-site testing activities in Ft. Sumner, NM.
• Please note that due to prohibitive restrictions and ever-changing security regulations, foreign nationals will not be able to attend the on-site activities at Ft. Sumner, NM. There will be no exceptions to this policy.
• One faculty advisor is required to attend the on-site testing activities in Ft. Sumner with each team and is a condition for acceptance into the FLOATing DRAGON Balloon Challenge. Teams who do not have a faculty advisor present during the testing will be disqualified from competing and stipends will be subject to return to NIA.

• An individual may join more than one team.
• A faculty advisor may advise more than one team.
• A university may submit more than one proposal.
• Team members may not be federal employees acting within the scope of employment (this includes co-op students with civil servant status)

Federal Co-Op Interns may participate in FLOATing DRAGON anytime when they are on Leave Without Pay (LWOP).

FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES 

Change Made 8/2/22: Students attending foreign universities can participate only as team-members/collaborators with a U.S.-led collegiate team. The U.S. team’s primary advisor and student team lead will be the main point-of-contact between the joint team and FLOATing DRAGON staff. All foreign partnering universities must have a faculty advisor whose role is to facilitate the relationship between the U.S.-based university and the international university.

• Please note that due to prohibitive restrictions and ever-changing security regulations, foreign nationals will not be able to attend the on-site activities at Ft. Sumner, NM. There will be no exceptions to this policy. 

• Verification Matrix Template (added 11/7/22)
• Structural Analysis Example (added 11/7/22)
• Mechanical Fastener Torque Guidelines (540-PG-8072.1.2B)
• Procedures and Guidance (820-PG-8700.0.1)  
• Intellectual Property and Media Release
• Quad Chart Template
• Template Vendor W-9 Form
• FLOATing DRAGON Logo

Based on a review of the CDR submissions, up to four teams will be selected as finalists. Each finalist team will receive a $5,000 monetary award to off-set some development and participation costs.

Finalist teams will also receive a standardized equipment and hardware package from NASA, including:

• The “data vault payload” which includes an iridium-enabled GPS tracker and Trident shock sensor (TRIG)
• Miniaturized DINGO package – Onboard accelerator and gyroscopes to analyze system performance
• Mechanical interface, electrical interface, and cameras for drop confirmation

The top winning team may have the opportunity to infuse their technology into NASA development.