UKRAINIAN WINNERS ARE TO VISIT NASA FLIGHT CONTROL CENTER

The winners of the global NASA hackathon “Space Apps Challenge” are Ukrainian developers of MarsHopper, which can explore the surface of Mars; they are going to visit the Mission Control Center during the launch of a new satellite to a meteorite. This will allow the scientists for the first time in history to analyze the outer surface of a space object. (A hackathon (also known as a hack day, hackfest or codefest) is an event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development and hardware development collaborate intensively on software projects. The word “hackathon” is a portmanteau of the words “hack” and “marathon”).

Ukrainians won in the category “People’s Choice Award” demonstrating an innovative way to get around the surface of Mars. Its main advantage is fuel saving. For skipjack movement the drone uses carbon dioxide in solid form which exists on the Mars. Andriy Muzychenko, being a project participant and a student of the National Aviation University, claimed, “We feel proud of ourselves and our country. We are aware that we have a lot of work ahead. There is a great desire to roll up our sleeves and work hard.”