NASA'S Gateways to
Blue Skies Competition
2024 Theme: Advancing Aviation for Natural Disasters
As climate change increasingly influences the frequency and severity of natural disasters on a global scale, opportunities to contribute at the intersection of technological advancement, aviation, and natural disasters grow in both number and importance. The 2024 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition is asking teams to conceptualize, in terms of feasibility and viability, aviation-related system(s) that can be applied by 2035 to one phase of management of a chosen type of natural disaster to improve capabilities.
Competition News

Announcing the 2024 Blue Skies Competition!
July 25, 2023 - The 2024 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition: Advancing Aviation for Natural Disasters now open and accepting proposals focusing on aviation-related systems for natural disasters!

Congratulations to the 2023 Blue Skies Forum Winners!
June 5, 2023 - Boston University (Aluminum Powder Combustion) placed first and University of California, San Diego took second, with other special awards at the 2023 Blue Skies Forum. View the 2023 Competition Record.

2023 Blue Skies
Finalists Announced!
March 28, 2023 - Eight teams have been selected to present their clean energy concepts to a panel of NASA & industry judges at the 2023 Blue Skies Forum, June 1-2 at NASA's Glenn Research Center.
GATEWAYS TO BLUE SKIES
Competition Overview
The Gateways to Blue Skies competition is open to full-time or part-time undergraduate and graduate students at an accredited U.S.-based community college, college, or university. Teams may include senior capstone students, clubs, multi-university teams, and/or multi-disciplinary teams. Multi-disciplinary teams and teams from Minority Serving Institutions are highly encouraged to apply!
UNIVERSITY TEAMS MUST INCLUDE:
- At a minimum, teams must contain one faculty advisor with a college/university affiliation at a lead U.S.-based institution, and 2 U.S. citizen (or lawful permanent resident) students from that lead U.S.-based university who work on the project and present at the culminating Blue Skies Forum.
- Team size is limited to a maximum of 6 student team members.
- A faculty advisor is encouraged to attend the Forum with each team.
SPECIAL ELIGIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:
- 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 a federal employee acting within the scope of employment (this includes co-op students with civil servant status)
- The expectation is that Blue Skies projects are student-led initiatives (i.e., students are doing the work).
- Faculty take on the role as mentors, and if a team is selected as a finalist, help manage any monetary awards sent to the university.
SPECIAL NOTES REGARDING FOREIGN NATIONALS:
- Foreign Nationals (FNs) attending the proposing U.S.-based university can participate on a Blue Skies Competition Team, with notable exclusions. Due to NASA security restrictions and policies, FNs will not be able to attend culminating Blue Skies Forum events that take place on-site at a NASA Center (including tours). FNs are also ineligible for the internship prize. There will be no exceptions to this policy.
- FNs can, however, participate in any portions of the culminating Blue Skies Forum that take place off-Center.
FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES: INELIGIBLE
- Eligibility is limited to universities in the United States. Foreign universities are not eligible to participate in the Blue Skies Competition.
PARTICIPATION AWARDS
Teams selected to present at the Forum will receive a $8,000 monetary award to facilitate full participation in the Blue Skies Forum, held at a NASA Center each June.
NASA INTERNSHIPS
NASA ARMD is setting aside up to 6 internships for students on teams that advance to the Blue Skies Forum, with first opportunities being presented to members of the winning team. Internships must be taken within the academic year following the Forum.
Selections will be made first to students on the winning team(s) and will be based on the cumulative merit of each student’s individual internship application and availability for fall, spring, or summer internships.
Fall: Late August/early September to mid-December (16 weeks)
Spring: Mid-January to early May (16 weeks)
Summer: Late-May/early June to August (10 weeks)
ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
NASA internships have additional eligibility requirements:
- U.S. Citizenship
- Cumulative 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
- Undergrad and graduate students must be enrolled full-time in a degree-granting program at an accredited college or university.
- Applicants transitioning between undergraduate and graduate pursuits are eligible IF they have graduated within 6 months and can demonstrate enrollment in the next-level academic pursuit.