Create a game where players design, run and simulate a full space mission, trading off objectives, instruments, launch vehicle, budget, power, mass and communications.
Read the official challenge on spaceappschallenge.org
Real costs and masses are scattered across mission reports; cite the NTRS sources you use.
In order of how useful they are likely to be. These are suggestions, not the official resource list.
NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics
Orbit elements, physical data and discovery details for any asteroid or comet as JSON. Use it to label moving objects, or to give a mission-design game real target bodies.
endpoint https://ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.api
NASA JPL Solar System Dynamics
Computes positions of the Sun, Earth, planets and spacecraft as seen from any place and time, including a point on the lunar surface. Returns azimuth and elevation directly, which is exactly what solar power and Earth-communication windows need.
endpoint https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/api/horizons.api
NASA (GitHub nasa/NASA-3D-Resources)
Free 3D models of NASA spacecraft, landers, rovers and asteroids, mostly as STL and GLB files. Ready-made assets for games, trainers and storytelling pages.
endpoint https://api.github.com/repos/nasa/NASA-3D-Resources/contents/3D%20Models
NASA STI Program
Search API over NASA technical reports, conference papers and journal articles, many with full-text PDFs. Over a thousand records match microgravity combustion, and it also covers mission design and spaceflight health.
endpoint https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/search
NASA
Search API over NASA's public photos, videos and audio, with no key and open CORS. Good for mission artwork, historical hardware photos and game assets.
endpoint https://images-api.nasa.gov/search
import requests
# Sun azimuth/elevation seen from a lunar south pole site (lon 0, lat -89.5).
# Use COMMAND='399' for Earth instead of the Sun ('10').
params = {
"format": "json",
"COMMAND": "'10'",
"MAKE_EPHEM": "'YES'", "EPHEM_TYPE": "'OBSERVER'", "OBJ_DATA": "'NO'",
"CENTER": "'coord@301'", "COORD_TYPE": "'GEODETIC'",
"SITE_COORD": "'0,-89.5,0'", # east lon, lat, altitude km
"START_TIME": "'2026-12-01'", "STOP_TIME": "'2026-12-03'",
"STEP_SIZE": "'6h'", "QUANTITIES": "'4'", # 4 = azimuth and elevation
}
r = requests.get("https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/api/horizons.api", params=params, timeout=60)
result = r.json()["result"]
table = result.split("$$SOE")[1].split("$$EOE")[0]
for line in table.strip().splitlines():
print(line)import requests
# Look up any asteroid or comet by name or designation
r = requests.get("https://ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.api",
params={"sstr": "Bennu", "phys-par": "1"}, timeout=30)
r.raise_for_status()
d = r.json()
obj = d["object"]
elements = {e["name"]: e["value"] for e in d["orbit"]["elements"]}
print(obj["fullname"], "| class:", obj["orbit_class"]["name"])
print("semi-major axis (au):", elements["a"], "| eccentricity:", elements["e"])
print("near-Earth object:", obj["neo"], "| hazardous:", obj["pha"])import requests
# Search NASA technical reports on microgravity combustion
params = {"q": "microgravity flame spread spacecraft fire safety", "page.size": 5}
r = requests.get("https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/search", params=params, timeout=60)
r.raise_for_status()
data = r.json()
print("total matches:", data["stats"]["total"])
for rec in data["results"]:
print(rec["id"], "|", rec["title"][:90])
# Record page: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/<id>// No key, CORS enabled: works directly in the browser
const q = encodeURIComponent("Apollo 15 lunar roving vehicle");
const res = await fetch(`https://images-api.nasa.gov/search?q=${q}&media_type=image`);
const { collection } = await res.json();
console.log("hits:", collection.metadata.total_hits);
for (const item of collection.items.slice(0, 5)) {
const meta = item.data[0];
const thumb = item.links?.[0]?.href;
console.log(meta.nasa_id, "|", meta.title, "|", thumb);
}Matched by theme. Study how they scoped the problem.