National Aeronautics and Space Administration

WWW.NASA.GOV/STEM

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

NASA Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students

2023-2024
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Team Name 

Optional Team Logo 

Academic Institution Name

Address 

Team Contact

Student Name 

Email Address 

Phone Number 

Team Members

(Please list ALL team members) Team 

Member Name --- Role 

Email Address --- Academic Year / Academic Major Team 

Member Name --- Role 

Email Address --- Academic Year / Academic Major Team 

Member Name --- Role 

Email Address --- Academic Year / Academic Major Team 

Member Name --- Role 

Email Address --- Academic Year / Academic Major Team 

Member Name --- Role 

Email Address --- Academic Year / Academic Major 

Faculty Advisor

Name 

Email Address 

Phone Number 

Faculty Advisor Signature Date 
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Table of Contents

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 4

2. Eligibility...................................................................................................................................... 4

3. Letter of Intent............................................................................................................................ 5

4. Proposal Requirements .............................................................................................................. 5

5. Technical Section ........................................................................................................................ 5

a. Abstract................................................................................................................................... 6

b. Software and Hardware Design Description .......................................................................... 6

c. Concept of Operations (CONOPS)........................................................................................... 6

d. Human-in-the-loop (HITL) testing........................................................................................... 6

e. Project Management.............................................................................................................. 7

f. Technical References............................................................................................................... 7

6. Outreach Section ........................................................................................................................ 7

7. Administrative Section................................................................................................................ 8

a. Institutional Letter of Endorsement ....................................................................................... 8

b. Statement of Supervising Faculty........................................................................................... 8

c. Statement of Rights of Use ..................................................................................................... 9

d. Funding and Budget Statement............................................................................................ 10

e. Hololens2 Loan Program....................................................................................................... 10

f. Proposal Scoring Method ...................................................................................................... 10

g. Other Deliverables................................................................................................................ 11

(Note: The Technical Section is limited to 10 pages. Include enough images within those 10 pages to 

describe your tool. If you want to submit additional images, use an Appendix. Other sections and 

appendices will not count against your 10-page limit.)
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1. Introduction

The Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program and the Office of STEM Engagement at 

NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston are proud to host another year of the NASA Spacesuit User 

Interface Technologies for Students (NASA SUITS) Design Challenge. We will conduct in-person device 

testing onsite at Johnson tentatively from May 19-23, 2024. 

This document serves as a resource and reference to help all potential NASA SUITS participants with the 

requirements to enter and succeed. Included are important steps to the challenge and required 

components of an official proposal. Please also review the eligibility requirements for NASA SUITS at our 

website https://go.nasa.gov/nasasuits. 

2. Eligibility

Each prospective onsite team member must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student at an 

accredited U.S. institution of higher learning (community college, military academy, technical college, or 

university). Note, enrollment verification may be requested and must be certified for participation at 

any time during the activity period. 

• Team members must be 18 or older before arrival in Houston.

• To attend onsite testing activities, participants MUST be U.S. Citizens or Legal Permanent

Residents. While there is no limit on the number of participants for each team, only five team

members will be allowed onsite for the culminating events.

• All participants MUST attend the Orientation at 7 p.m. CST on December 14, 2023, and the

Virtual Software Design Review on April 3, 2024.

• Team members may only participate with one team in the same competition.

• Student experiments must be organized, designed, and operated by student team members

alone.

• Each team must be accompanied onsite by the faculty advisor or an adult age 21 or older

serving as the faculty advisor.

• All participants must be enrolled for the activity in STEM Gateway and have accepted the offer

by the deadline provided by the NASA SUITS team.

• Interns involved in the design of a SUITS challenge may not participate as a member of a team in

that same cycle of the SUITS challenge. However, they may serve as a team advisor.
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3. Letter of Intent 

Submit a letter of intent by September 29, 2023, indicating the team’s intention to submit a written 

proposal. The letter of intent should follow the format below and be written in the body of an email. 

Send the email directly to NASA-SUITS@mail.nasa.gov. Teams may still submit a proposal even if they 

do not submit a letter of intent.

• Provide team contact information – this should be a student team member 

a. Sample: Doe, John (DoeJ@institution.edu) Sophomore / Software Engr 

• Provide the academic institution (community college, military academy, technical college, or 

university) your team represents. Your team should designate a lead institution even if 

members come from multiple institutions. 

• State: “NASA SUITS Challenge Letter of Intent” in the subject line and body.

4. Proposal Requirements

• Each team must submit one electronic copy of an original proposal on the NASA SUITS 

engagement opening on the NASA STEM Gateway by November 2, 2023.

• Each proposal must be submitted in a three-section format containing the required sections in 

the following order: Technical, Outreach Plan, and Administrative.

• Sections or components shall not be skipped/omitted under any circumstance.

• The Technical section shall not exceed 10 pages including the title page.

• The report body must use 12-point font.

• All information on the title page must be complete.

• Figures and tables must be labeled and referenced within the text.

5. Technical Section 

The technical section must cover the design the team is proposing. This section must include any 

information that a technical reviewer will find informative or instructive in understanding the aims and 

goals of the design. Evaluators ranking the proposal for its scientific merit will read only this section, so 

teams should address all relevant factors as listed below. 
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a. Abstract 

The abstract is a brief (up to 500 words) summary that touches upon the elements of the proposed 

prototype design and how they relate to the requirements and EVA scenario in the Mission Description.

Include any planned testing of the design and any proposed hardware or peripheral devices your team 

would bring to on-site testing. 

b. Software and Hardware Design Description 

Include a detailed description of the proposed AR application and how you plan to tackle each aspect of 

the design challenge keeping in mind the context of the EVA scenario as stated in the Mission 

Description. Write in such a way a practicing engineer or scientist can understand the design of the user 

interface (UI). Present goals along with a description of the expected key components of the product

(e.g., system architecture plan, hardware concepts, network diagrams etc.). Show conceptual UI design 

ideas (portrayed via wire frames, visuals, etc.) for navigation, telemetry, rover controls, geology, and 

EVA task instructions. Also, show any peripheral device mock-ups (e.g., external control methods, 

lighting methods, etc.) to help the technical reviewers understand the full scope of the proposed 

product. Be sure to highlight any unique solutions to the listed requirements your team is considering.

c. Concept of Operations (CONOPS) 

Describe the overall high-level concept of how the UI will meet the expectations and requirements. 

Describe the system from an operational perspective (the viewpoint of the astronaut) to help facilitate 

an understanding of the system goals. Address how the application will assist the design evaluator (or 

astronaut) in each of the aspects of the EVA scenario during testing. A flow chart of how your design 

operates throughout the mission may be a useful visual depiction. See the Mission Description 

document for more details on this section.

d. Human-in-the-loop (HITL) testing 

Discuss any pilot, user experience, human-in-the-loop, or human factors studies planned. A written HITL 

test plan should include a testing schedule (including dates and times of planned testing), test protocol, 

possible metrics/measures, feasible subject pools, expected population/demographics of test subjects, 

and all planned safety measures to be used while conducting HITL tests. Include how the HITL test will 

inform your team’s development plan as they prepare for the analog EVA scenario, for example, 

planning for night/low-lighting testing, outdoor testing, and network/telemetry connection testing. A 

good HITL test plan will build towards a full test of the EVA scenario stated in the Mission Description 

before test week to identify any challenges ahead of the final test on-site.
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e. Project Management

Provide an outline of the team’s development plans with any internal key milestones. Use a Gantt or 

similar chart. If following an Agile software development plan, outline your scrum schedule with a 

proposed feature development and testing plan. Describe how progress will be tracked to ensure that 

the requirements of the EVA scenario in the Mission Description are met ahead of test week. Teams are 

strongly encouraged to plan time throughout their development period to test their devices in 

conditions close to that of the described EVA scenario before traveling to Johnson for test week. 

f. Technical References 

Cite referenced works in text and in a “References” section using formatting appropriate in a technical 

paper. 

6. Outreach Section 

The outreach section of the proposal includes the team's plan for disseminating the results of their 

experiment/experience to the public. Information contained in this section should focus on the 

outreach activities the team intends to implement and the target audience to address. The outreach 

plans must be original to the team. Do not post original proposal documents on any social media 

platforms or channels.

A plan is an organized way to achieve a specific objective. Random activities, even good random 

activities, do not constitute a plan. An outreach plan should have two major components: 

• The plan – a description of the team’s objectives and goals; what activities are planned for the 

upcoming year; where and when the activities will take place; what audience is targeted, etc. 

• The activities – what will the team do when they get there? What materials will they refer to? 

What are the main points that they will make? 

For maximum point value, the plan should include the following: 

• The team’s objectives for each outreach activity. 

• A description of the outreach audience (K-12 class or school groups, undergraduate research 

symposiums, university outreach to local schools, informal groups such as Boy/Girl Scouts, after 

school clubs, church groups).
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• Specific plans for activities (strengthened by alignment to state or national standards will help a 

K-12 teacher, use of the 5E Model, or use of age/grade appropriate language during the 

activity). Leading an “Hour of Code” in a classroom is the optimal outreach activity.

• Letters or agreements from institutions who accept your invitation to address their group. 

• A press and/or social media plan. 

• A connection between curriculum/activity and NASA SUITS, a NASA Mission, Informatics and 

Subsystems team at Johnson, or the team’s code.

One emphasis of the NASA Office of STEM Engagement is a commitment to diversity. Therefore, teams 

will be evaluated for inclusion of students attending Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) as participants.

These teams can be a sole MSI, or they can be a collaboration of institutions.

7. Administrative Section 

a. Institutional Letter of Endorsement 

This letter must be on the endorsing institution’s letterhead and must come from the institution(s) 

president, dean of college, or department chair. It indicates the team’s institution(s) has knowledge of 

the team’s interest in participating in this activity and endorses the team’s involvement. Failing to 

include a letter of endorsement from their institution(s) will result in a rejected proposal. 

b. Statement of Supervising Faculty 

A statement of support from a faculty member indicating a willingness to supervise and work with the 

team during all stages of the activity. There will be no consideration for teams working without a faculty 

advisor. The faculty advisor must also sign off on the cover of the proposal as evidence he/she has seen 

the proposal and approves of the submission. The following statement should appear on an institution 

letterhead and include the signature of the faculty advisor: 

As the faculty advisor for an experiment entitled "__________________" proposed by a team of 

higher education students from ____________ institution, I concur with the concepts and 

methods by which the students plan to conduct this project. I will ensure the student team 

members complete all project requirements and meet deadlines in a timely manner. I 

understand any default by this team concerning any project requirements (including submission 

of final report materials) could adversely affect selection opportunities of future teams from 

their institution. 
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If your team is composed of students from more than one institution, submit the above from the lead

institution. Additionally, supply a letter of support from a faculty member of each participating 

institution acknowledging they are aware of the participation of their student(s).

c. Statement of Rights of Use 

These statements grant NASA, acting on behalf of the U.S. Government, rights to use the team’s 

technical data, including computer software, and design concept, in part or in entirety, for government 

purposes. NASA, acting on behalf of the U.S. Government, may designate for certain tasks under this 

engagement that software (including documentation) developed for such certain designated tasks be 

released as "Open Source" software, as term is defined by the Open Source Definition promulgated by 

the Open Source Initiative on its website (see http://opensource.org/docs/osd). These statements are 

not required. However, teams with a Statement of Rights of Use will receive greater consideration in 

the proposal selection. If choosing to include these statements, all team members and faculty advisors 

must sign. The statements read as follows: 

As a team member for a proposal entitled “ ____________” proposed by a team of higher 

education students from ________ institution, I will and hereby do grant the U.S. Government a 

royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to use, reproduce, distribute (including 

distribution by transmission) to the public, perform publicly, prepare derivative works, and 

display publicly, any technical data contained in this proposal in whole or in part and in any 

manner for federal purposes and to have or permit others to do so for federal purposes only. 

Further, with respect to all computer software designated by NASA to be released as open 

source which is first produced or delivered under this proposal and subsequent collaboration, if 

selected, shall be delivered with unlimited and unrestricted rights so as to permit further 

distribution as open source. For purposes of defining the rights in such computer software, 

“computer software” shall include source codes, object codes, executables, ancillary files, and 

any and all documentation related to any computer program or similar set of instructions 

delivered in association with this collaboration. As a team member for a proposal entitled 

“_________” proposed by a team of higher education students from _________ institution(s), I 

will and hereby do grant the U.S. Government a nonexclusive, nontransferable, irrevocable, 

paid-up license to practice or have practiced for or on behalf of the United States Government 

any invention described or made part of this proposal throughout the world. 
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d. Funding and Budget Statement

This section should include a simple columnar layout showing expected expenditures associated with 

the proposed design such as materials, machining, operating, testing, shipping, etc. See Table 1 for an 

example. It is imperative teams anticipate all costs involved and actively work to seek funding. List 

potential sources for funding and can include institutional grants, state Space Grant funds, corporate 

sponsors, etc. Participants are responsible for all costs associated with their participation in the SUITS 

challenge, including and not limited to development, travel, lodging, and food. NASA SUITS will notify 

participants if any funding or student allowances become available. 

Table 1 NASA SUITS Cost Example

e. Hololens2 Loan Program

NASA SUITS has a limited number of Hololens2 devices we can loan to institutions. Please indicate your 

interest in a loaned device:

A) We do not require a loaned device because we either already have one, or plan to acquire one.

B) We need a loaned device from NASA SUITS to participate.

C) We have a device but would still like to be considered for a loan to aide in our development.

f. Proposal Scoring Method

A scoring rubric, provided below, with required criteria will evaluate how well a proposal addresses 

each of the following required components: Technical Merit, Outreach Plan, and adherence to all 

proposal requirements.

Items Costs

Flights $4,500.00 

Hotel $2,000.00 

Ground transportation $400.00 

Operating $600.00

Miscellaneous $500.00 

Total $8,000.00 
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g. Other Deliverables

Teams will create a first-person point of view video of their UIs in action. Teams will submit this video, 

along with their code, during the software design reviews occurring in April 2024. Teams are also 

required to submit a draft of a white paper illustrating the development of their visual informatics 

display system upon completion of the NASA SUITS challenge. 
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PROPOSAL SCORING 

RUBRIC 

Lowest Score Highest Score Score Comments 

 

DESIGN DESCRIPTION. 

✓ Describe the goals of the design 

concept and expected results

✓ Provide conceptual UI designs 

and innovative display 

interaction methods

✓ Tackle the following components 

of the challenge: UIs for both 

HMD and LMCC, egress task, 

navigation, RFID/Spectroscopy, 

ROVER, and implementation of 

the telemetry data for each of 

the assets

Total 30 points 

0-7 points 

The design concept 

description is insufficient 

or lacks clarity with 

respect to design goals 

and/or expected results. 

Proposer provides little to 

no evidence for an 

innovative UI design or 

display interaction 

method/technology.

At least one component of 

the challenge was met

successfully. 

8-15 point 

The proposed design 

concept goals and/or the 

expected results of the 

design are vague. 

Proposer provides 

minimal evidence for an 

innovative UI design or 

display interaction 

method/technology.

At least two components 

of the challenge were 

met successfully.

16-23 points 

The proposed design 

concept goals and/or the 

expected results of the 

design are generally 

described. Proposer 

provides some evidence 

for an innovative UI design 

or display interaction 

method/technology.

At least three components 

of the challenge were met 

successfully.

24-30 points 

The proposed design 

concept goals and results 

are clearly and concisely 

written. Proposer 

demonstrates substantial 

evidence of innovative 

display interaction 

methods/technologies 

with visuals, etc., to 

support their concept.

Most, if not all, 

components of the 

challenge were met 

successfully.

 

CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS

✓ Describe the user interfaces

from an operational perspective 

(EVA astronaut and local mission 

control)

Total 15 points 

1-3 points 

The proposed concept 

description of the user 

interface is unclear and 

insufficient from an 

operational perspective.

4-7 points 

The proposed concept 

description of the user 

interface contains few 

details and is difficult to 

comprehend from an 

operational perspective.

8-11 points 

The proposed concept 

description of the user 

interface provides general 

details and provides a 

minimal or basic 

understanding of the 

concept from an 

operational perspective. 

12-15 points 

The proposed concept 

description of the user 

interface is clearly and 

concisely written in full 

detail and effectively 

explains the concept from 

an operational 

perspective.

 

FEASIBILITY 

✓ Concept demonstrates a viable 

solution to the technical need

✓ Plan describes how the concept 

would be produced

Total 10 points 

0-1 points 

The proposed concept 

lacks viability and/or fails 

to meet the technical 

need. No evidence is 

provided to demonstrate 

how the concept would be 

produced.

2-4 points 

The proposed concept 

demonstrates low 

viability and 

minor/insignificant 

contributions to the 

technical need. Little 

evidence is provided to 

demonstrate how the 

concept would be 

produced.

5-7 points 

The proposed concept 

demonstrates sufficient 

viability and describes 

some contributions to the 

technical need. Minimal 

evidence is provided to 

demonstrate how the 

concept would be 

produced.

8-10 points 

The proposed concept 

demonstrates high 

viability and describes 

significant contributions to 

the technical need. Ample 

evidence is provided to 

clearly demonstrate in 

detail how the concept 

would be produced.
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EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROPOSED 

PROJECT SCHEDULE

✓ Comprehensive project schedule

✓ Effective use of available 

resources

✓ Labor distribution

✓ Documents proposed schedule 

for meeting objectives

✓ Detailed plan to achieve each 

objective or task.

Total 5 points 

0 points 

The proposed project 

schedule does not 

demonstrate effective 

planning. The plan 

includes little to no 

description for meeting 

objectives and completing 

the task.

1-2 points 

The proposed project 

schedule includes few 

details to demonstrate 

effective planning. The

plan vaguely describes to 

meet the objectives and 

complete the task.

3-4 points 

The proposed project 

schedule includes 

minimum details to 

demonstrate effective 

planning. The plan 

minimally describes how 

the task and objectives 

will be met.

5 points 

The proposed project 

schedule is highly detailed 

and effective to meet 

objectives. Describes a 

comprehensive plan that 

demonstrates how to 

meet the objectives and 

complete the task.

HUMAN-IN-THE-LOOP (HITL) TESTING 

✓ Provide a test plan for all HITL 

testing to be conducted by the 

team

✓ Include all the requested 

components for the HITL plan:

o schedule of proposed test 

events

o test protocol

o possible metrics/measures

o feasible subject pools

o expected 

population/demographics of 

test subjects

o how test event evaluates 

design’s ability to meet 

challenge requirements

✓ All HITL tests should be 

conducted safely with the use of 

proper personal protective 

equipment 

Total 10 points 

1-2 points 

No HITL plan provided, or 

the components of the 

plan are insufficient, 

unsafe or unclear.

3-5 points 

The proposed HITL plan 

includes a few of the 

components listed and 

deemed necessary to 

implement an effective 

and safe HITL test. 

6-7 points 

The proposed HITL plan 

includes most but not all

the components listed and 

deemed necessary to 

implement an effective 

and safe HITL test. 

8-10 points 

The proposed HITL plan 

clearly and concisely 

describes each of the 

components listed and 

deemed necessary to 

implement an effective 

and safe HITL test. 

TECHNICAL REFERENCES 

✓ Referenced works are cited in 

text and are relevant to the 

proposal 

✓ A bibliography is provided. 

Total 5 points 

0 points 

No references are 

included. 

1-2 points 

1 reference is cited. Not 

formatted correctly. 

3-4 points 

At least 1 reference is 

cited. Citation(s) and 

reference entry(ies) follow 

a recognized format. 

5 points 

2 or more references are 

cited. Citation(s) and 

reference entry(ies) follow 

a recognized format. 

Total Technical Score 
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Note: Check the NASA SUITS website for the most-up-to-date activity documents http://go.nasa.gov/nasasuits. 

Send questions and responses to NASA-SUITS@MAIL.NASA.GOV 

 PROPOSAL SCORING 

RUBRIC 

Lowest Score Highest Score Score Comments 

OUTREACH EVENTS

✓ Diverse list of events and 

activities planned

✓ Includes projected audience 

type and number of participants

✓ Detailed implementation plan

✓ Virtual outreach events are 

acceptable 

 

1-5 points 

 

Only one outreach event 

is planned, or proposer 

provides no details of 

implementation plan, 

projected audience, and 

number of participants. 

6-10 points 

 

Minimum of two

outreach events are 

planned. Proposer 

provides minimal details

of implementation plan, 

projected audience, and 

number of participants.

11-15 points 

 

Minimum of three

outreach events are 

planned. Proposer 

provides a sufficiently 

detailed implementation 

plan including a projected 

audience, and number of 

participants.

16-20 points 

 

Minimum of four outreach 

events are planned. 

Proposer provides a highly 

descriptive and relevant

implementation plan 

including a projected 

audience, and number of 

participants. 

 

MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS (MSI) 

Teams containing students from a MSI will 

receive special consideration for 

participation in NASA SUITS. If the MSI is 

not the lead institution a letter of support 

from faculty at the MSI must be provided.

0 points 

The team does not include 

students from an MSI.

5 points 

The team does contain 

students from an MSI.

 

Outreach Total Score