Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington      
202-358-1761
sonja.r.alexan...@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 09-261

NASA AND SPACEWARD FOUNDATION AWARD PRIZE MONEY FOR SUCCESSFUL WIRELESS POWER DEMONSTRATION

WASHINGTON -- NASA has awarded $900,000 in prize money to a Seattle
company that successfully demonstrated new wireless energy beaming
technology which could one day be used to help power a "space
elevator."

LaserMotive of Seattle was awarded the money after its performance in
the Power Beaming Challenge competition, which was a demonstration of
wireless power transmission that enabled a robotic device to climb a
vertical cable. The competition was held Nov. 4-6 at NASA's Dryden
Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif. The Spaceward Foundation of
Mountain View, Calif., manages the competition for NASA's Centennial
Challenges program.

To win a prize, teams had to develop a power transmission system and
robotic climber that could reach a height of 3,280 feet. Teams that
reached the top share in a total purse of $2 million, based on their
vertical speed and payload mass.

LaserMotive's average speed on their best of several successful climbs
was 8.7 mph over a four minute period. By exceeding the average speed
of 4.5 mph and being the only team to reach the top of the cable,
LaserMotive claimed the entire $900,000 prize for that level. Teams
had to exceed an average speed of approximately 11 mph to qualify for
a share of the remaining prize purse of $1.1 million. That amount
will remain available for the next Power Beaming competition.

NASA is interested in power-beaming technology for a variety of
purposes including remotely powering rovers and instruments on the
moon. On Earth, the technology might supply communities with power
following natural disasters. There also are potential applications
for power beaming for airships, satellites and space transportation,
including the space elevator concept.

LaserMotive was competing with two other teams, the Kansas City Space
Pirates and the USST team from South Bend, Ind. Although they did not
post prize-winning performances, the other teams kept the contest
outcome in doubt up until the final moments.

"I have watched these teams steadily improve their designs since we
began the challenge in 2005 and the sophistication of the systems
that they demonstrated this week is impressive by any standard." said
Ben Shelef of the Spaceward Foundation.

A vertical "racetrack" was created for the competition by suspending a
cable from a helicopter flying 4,300 feet overhead. This arrangement,
along with the high-power laser systems, provided a unique and
unprecedented testing environment.

"The kilometer-high vertical cable system established for this
competition was something that had never been done before and is a
remarkable accomplishment in itself. The Spaceward Foundation and
their partners, along with our hosts at NASA Dryden, deserve a lot of
credit for their creativity and determination." said Andrew Petro,
Centennial Challenge program manager.

The Power Beaming Challenge is one of six Centennial Challenges
managed by NASA's Innovative Partnership Program. NASA's Centennial
Challenges program's goals are to drive progress in aerospace
technology that is of value to NASA's missions; encourage
participation of independent teams, individual inventors, student
groups and private companies of all sizes in aerospace research and
development; and find innovative solutions to technical challenges
through competition and cooperation.

Official results, as well as video and photography, are available at:

http://www.SpaceElevatorGames.org

For more information on Centennial Challenges, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ipp/innovation_incubator/cc_home.html

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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