NASA Space Apps Win For Jared | Nano Solutions Fremantle

On an average weekend Jared would have been taking a break from solving business problems at Nano Solutions; he’d probably be watching the footy. Recently he mixed it up a bit and competed in the NASA Space Apps Challenge.

NASA SpaceApps Challenge

Each year, bright young stars are given the opportunity to participate in the NASA SpaceApps Challenge. Held in countries throughout the world, the SpaceApps offer innovative problem solvers the chance to put their ideas forward and solve cutting edge problems.

Jared and fellow team members Michael Le Page, Sebastian Becker, Conrad Pires and Carl P-Conquilla formed Team Inspiro and rose to the challenge.

Origami Space Recycled

Team Inspiro decided to focus on the Origami Space Recycled challenge, which asked hackers to take inspiration from origami to design and model the packaging of key spacecraft components. Consequently, they designed a scalable, twin spiral, spin gravity space station which could be easily flat-packed into the payload bay of current launch vehicles, basing their design upon existing artificial gravity research.

Consisting of multiple inter-lockable ribs serving as an exoskeleton, the idea from Jared’s team was to create an ever expandable space station which spins to reduce the health problems associated with long-term stays in microgravity. Continually spinning, the aim is to reduce the impact of zero gravity by providing an opposing force in which users of the space station move against.

This matches the strategic plan of NASA which is to work towards further human colonisation of the solar system and allow humans to stay for longer in zero gravity climates.

View the solution here.

Perth’s Giant Hackathon

Hackathons are regularly used to brainstorm and share information within large corporations. SpaceApps Perth Facilitator Mikey Kailis said that, “Hackathons are becoming a frequent amongst industry as a tool for rapid workshopping of ideas. NASA’s Space Apps is a great example of how a major organisation can break down its barriers and connect with communities all over the world.”

Joint First Place For Team Inspiro

Competitors pitched their ideas during this giant hackathon to highly respected judges from Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Microsoft, Perth Artifactory and CORE resources hub. Team Inspiro took out joint first place here in the Perth competition.

The Technology Behind the Solution

Team Inspiro's approach combined several disciplines that reflect the kind of thinking we apply to client projects at Nano Solutions every day. The team used 3D modelling tools to visualise the twin spiral structure, ensuring the design could be validated against real-world engineering constraints. They built a web-based interactive prototype that allowed judges to explore the concept, rotate the model, and understand the modular assembly process.

The project also demanded strong systems thinking — understanding how individual components (the interlocking ribs, the spin mechanism, the payload packaging) interact as a unified system. This is directly analogous to the work we do when designing complex software architectures: breaking a large problem into manageable modules, defining clear interfaces between them, and ensuring the whole system works reliably when assembled.

What Hackathons Teach Us

Hackathons compress the entire product development cycle — ideation, design, prototyping, and presentation — into a single weekend. That pressure forces participants to make rapid decisions about scope, prioritise ruthlessly, and communicate their ideas clearly under time constraints.

These are the same skills that matter in commercial software delivery. When a client needs a minimum viable product built quickly, or when a production incident demands creative problem-solving under pressure, the experience gained in environments like NASA Space Apps is directly applicable.

At Nano Solutions, we actively encourage our team to participate in hackathons, conferences, and community events. It keeps our skills sharp, exposes us to new technologies and approaches, and reinforces the collaborative mindset that drives our best work.

Put Jared To Work For You!

As part of Team Inspiro, Jared contributed to an award-winning solution which demonstrated ingenuity, futuristic thinking, problem-solving and communication skills. He brings back with him to Nano Solutions the experience and knowledge he learnt during the Space Apps Challenge.

This not only benefits him, but the entire team and our clients too. The creative problem-solving, rapid prototyping, and cross-disciplinary collaboration that earned Team Inspiro joint first place are the same capabilities we bring to every client engagement. Get in touch with us here at Nano Solutions and let us put those skills to work to create amazing digital solutions for your team too.