NASA Grant
 

Okay, so has anyone heard anything yet?

The results were supposed to be announced today(Nov 17).

I think we got $5,000 this year...

a big change from the $15,000 from last year :(

The purpose of most NASA grants is to help teams get started. Not to fund the whole program forever. NASA expects that teams will become self supporting in two years. That is why they have the "rookie" and smaller "sophmore" grants. While a rookie grant will get you to one regional and help operate for one season, the sophmore grant is deliberately too small for this. It forces you to begin fundraising on your own.

So it is typical for a team to get less money from NASA in subsequent years than in their rookie year. In fact, you will probably get nothing next year. While students are sometimes left out of these details, especially in the first year, this weaning is made quite clear during the grant process.

There are exceptions. Sometimes a NASA center will decide to sponsor a local team, either for a season or for an event (like the Championship). For example, most years NASA-JPL will sponsor a local team to represent them at the Championship. But this is not a given and even when they do so, there is competition for the sponsorship. But in general, these teams are not fully dependent on NASA. These are teams that would still have a season without NASA money, it would just be shorter, thats all.

The bottom line:
Be grateful for NASA's assistance in getting started, they have done what they said they would. Now go out and develop other sponsors.

ahhh
 

they were suposed to be up yesterday.....nothing yet......prob some time later today they should be up.......

Yeah that's what we were hoping would happen....We were aware of the rookie grant vs. second year, but we were hoping our local NASA center (Marshall Space Flight Center) would hook us up. It seems doubtful that will happen, but we will survive :)

Oh we're definitely grateful! :p And we're working on other sponsors...We have both Toyoya and Delphi installations nearby that we're talking with...so maybe? :)

Any News on Grants??
 

Does anyone know the grant situation?

I have been checking the site below (every 5 seconds!!!!):

http://robots.larc.nasa.gov/

I am assuming that this is the correct address for information on grant recipients.

Does anyone know for sure whether this is the correct place to check?

Thanks!!

Al Ostrow
Coach, Team 341

Thats the site i've been checking as well

NASA Langley is working with FIRST on some paperwork and registration problems. When they are resolved, the grants will be posted.


Wetzel

NASA grant out!!!

http://robots.nasa.gov/2003_sponsorships.htm

YAY, our rookies got their grants. I called them. They are so THRILLED!

1197 South High Torrance
1115 Santa Monica

Yeah I just got off the phone with some of ours:)

1407 Apalachee High School
1299 Pickens High School
1414 Atlanta International School
1406 Fulton County Charter HS for M

...and some of the second year are pretty happy too.

Congratulations everyone!

We (1409) got the LEGO grant and are ecstatic!

YESSS!!!!

we got it!! #110 or so on that list.


I am so relieved! When we didn't hear on the 17th, i thought the worst had happened.

yes! Now we will have plenty of money this year!

Congratulations to those who earned the sponsorships!
:)