NASA Space Apps 2026 challenge
Interplanetary Survival Guide: Martian Map
Subjects: Human Exploration · Mars · Planets & Moons · Software · Space Exploration
Summary
NASA has explored Mars robotically for decades, studying its extreme environment, mapping its surface, and collecting many types of data. Far from home, the first astronauts to set foot on Mars will want the best map possible, with information on the details of their routes and destinations, updates on current conditions, and the data needed to complete their mission quickly and safely. Your challenge is to create a layered, integrated view of a location or route on the Martian surface that pulls together data from multiple NASA science missions and could help a human explorer plan and carry out a successful Marswalk while conducting new and exciting science along the way.
The full challenge statement, with its data and resources, is published on 28 October. Until then, you can read this summary, talk it over with your team and plan, but the Space Apps rules say no work on the project itself before the hackathon starts.
From the NASA Space Apps Challenge. The official page is the final word on this challenge.