Application Deadline Extended

Mar 26

Good news! We’ve extended the deadline for applications for this year’s NASA FDL research program so you’ve still got time to submit your application! It’s a fantastic opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary environment, learn from peers and world-class mentors, and create something with real impact.

With the recent shutdown of the US government – and thus of our FDL partner NASA – we have decided to update some of our scheduling. This is good news for you, as it means you’re not too late to apply to be part of NASA FDL 2019.

Our AI and space research accelerator program gives PhD and post-doctoral researchers the chance to spend eight weeks over the summer working in small interdisciplinary teams developing tools that could extend space exploration or benefit people here on Earth. Previous teams have had papers published, presented at leading AI and space conferences, and become a valuable part of our growing FDL network.

This year’s challenges fall under a range of mission areas which are detailed on the FDL 2019 research page.

The magic of FDL research sprint comes from the interdisciplinary nature of the teams, with data scientists gaining from the knowledge and experience of space scientists, and vice versa.

If you know someone who would be benefit from the program please encourage them to apply. We offer a stipend and accommodation and as well as access to world-class mentors and cutting-edge technology.

You’ve still got time to get your application sent in to us, so what are you waiting for?

Apply now, or check out the frequently asked questions, to find out more.

2019 PENDING CHALLENGES AT A GLANCE:

(NOTE SOME OF THESE CHALLENGES MAY BE RUN IN 2020)

Mission Control for Earth

DISASTER PREVENTION, PROGRESS AND RESPONSE

How can AI improve our capabilities to forecast and respond to natural disasters using orbital imagery, coupled with ground observations and social data?

Living with Our Star

EXPANDING THE CAPABILITIES OF NASA’C SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has greatly expanded our understanding of the Sun, but can we use AI to enhance the value of the SDO even more? This will help inform the reduced instrumentation strategy that will be central to the success of future SmallSat missions.

DECIPHERING THE IMPACT OF SOLAR VARIABILITY ON EARTH’s CLIMATE

Weather forecasting has advanced substantially in recent years, but long-term climate trends continues to challenge our understanding of Earth’s environmental dynamics. Can AI help to detect the subtle fingerprints of the solar cycle variability on Earth’s climate?

ARE WE ALONE?

SIMULATING LIFE’S GENESIS ENGINE

How might we use the tools of chemical automata coupled with complexity theory and tool sets of fitness landscapes, gradient descent and stochastic hill-climbing to build a simulated engine of “the chemical operating system of life”?

TECHNOSIGNATURE DETECTION

Can we develop an unsupervised method to identify potentially anomalous radio signal data gathered by the SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array (ATA)? Useful work could include elimination of human radio frequency interference (RFI) using ML.

The Moon for Good

LUNAR RESOURCE MAPPING / SUPER RESOLUTION

How might we use data fusion and emerging super-resolution techniques to develop high-resolution lunar resource maps for the coming era of mission planners looking to locate resources for future robotic and human lunar missions.

PLANETARY DEFENSE

FIREBALL DETECTION AND CLASSIFICATION

Can we use AI to understand the trajectory characteristics and material properties of super-bright meteors (known as bolides)? Bolides often detonate before impact, leaving little material evidence of their composition. This capability would be an important step forward for NASA’s ongoing Asteroid Threat Assessment Project.

ASTRONAUT HEALTH

SMALL-SAT SWARMS AND DISTRIBUTED AI

Can AI help to coordinate the multi-agent actions of a Small Sat swarm to create a “virtual” space platform that is more capable, more flexible, and more resilient than the simple sum of its collective parts? This challenge aims to develop an AI solution that can optimize how SmallSats can collectively take on complex mission goals.

mission support