A group of students from the Colorado School of Mines has been chosen by NASA to develop a solution for storing and transferring the super-cold liquid propellants required for long-term space exploration. The team is one of 12 student groups nationwide chosen to participate in NASA’s 2025 Human Lander Challenge, aimed at inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists as NASA prepares to send astronauts to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
Finalist teams were each awarded $9,250 to further develop their concepts in preparation for the next stage of the competition in June, where the top three teams will share a prize purse of $18,000. The Mines team’s project, a thermally insulative support for a propellant tank containing cryogenic fluid, addresses one of the key challenges in long-duration spaceflight: optimizing structural integrity while minimizing unnecessary heat transfer.
Named Modular Adaptive Support Technology (MAST), the project features a dynamic attachment mechanism that adjusts to the varying structural demands of each mission phase. Unlike traditional static supports that remain engaged throughout a mission, MAST engages during high-load phases, such as launch and landing, and selectively disengages in microgravity and low-load phases when fewer supports are necessary.
“The challenge had six different prompts, and we struggled with tackling every single one, which led to a lot of scope creep,” said team member Christian Sekavec, a mechanical engineering major. “Thankfully we buckled down, pivoted and came up with a new solution.”
MAST aims to reduce the number of conductive heat transfer locations between the spacecraft and its propellant tanks, limiting propellant boil-off and ensuring efficiency in deep space transport systems. By optimizing heat transfer management, the Mines system supports NASA’s Sustained Development goals by enhancing long-term resource efficiency and reusable lunar infrastructure.
“Even as a group of mechanical and electrical engineers we had to apply a diverse range of skills like systems engineering, communication, technical writing, and budget management,” said Anthony Krebs, a mechanical engineering major and the team’s chief financial officer. The team also includes Caleb Willman, Ashle Jantzen, Ny’asia Crosley, Makoa Shope, Adelaide Yu, Jay Kim, and Chase Lampe.
The Mines team will now work on a technical paper to further detail its concepts. They are set to present their work to a panel of NASA and industry judges at the 2025 Human Lander Competition Forum in Huntsville, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, in June. NASA’s Human Lander Challenge is sponsored by NASA’s Human Landing System Program within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate and managed by the National Institute of Aerospace.
