If you could access a platform flying free from the shackles of gravity, what breakthrough idea could you bring to life?
On March 1, 2021, Axiom Space asked this question when announcing its inaugural STARS – Science Technology Art and Research in Space – Scholarship competition. Fifty-nine applications representing 105 individuals from 11 countries flooded in, positing new and potentially revolutionary ways to leverage the microgravity environment’s unique conditions to further human progress on Earth and in space.
Following careful consideration, Axiom is pleased to now announce and congratulate the projects and teams selected as the inaugural STARS Scholarship recipients.
The Microgravity Printed Circuit Board submitted by:
Iyngkarran Kumar from Durham University (United Kingdom)
The printed circuit board (PCB) is the foundation of electronic devices; this project reimagines PCB manufacturing aided by the removal of gravitational forces, allowing for a broader range of production techniques that are not possible on Earth. This could, in turn, result in higher-performing and highly compact PCBs and thus breakthrough impacts on future electronic device development.
Radiation Deflecting Interactive Shield (RADISH) submitted by:
Paulina Umansky, University of California Berkeley (United States)
Alberto Meunier, Santa Monica College (United States)
Angel Vasquez, Sacramento City College (United States)
This project aims to study and mature Radiation Deflecting Interactive Shields (RADISH), a compact, scalable radiation shielding system usable on almost any structure in space. This innovative technology, using powerful magnetic fields, is designed to detect incoming radiation and use the minimum amount of energy necessary to deflect – offering radical promise in enabling longer-duration human spaceflight and deep space exploration.
The Extreme Biominers submitted by:
Arunava Poddar, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai (India)
Anurup Mohanty, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai (India)
Kashish Gupta, Government College for Girls, Ludhiana; Panjab University (India)
Navaneel Sarangi, St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata (India)
Biomining, a technique that uses microbes to mine waste or extract metals from rock ores, is used in various applications on Earth and has been demonstrated in space. This project proposes the use of extremophiles — microbes that thrive in extreme environments — as "miner microbes" to perform biomining in a realistic space environment with multiple extremes like radiation, low pressure, and fluctuating temperatures, with the potential to solve many of space mining’s technological and logistical challenges.
Each team will receive a $1,000 USD cash prize toward further project development and/or for scholarship funds.