Congratulations to an interdisciplinary team of TCU undergraduate students selected as one of only nine finalist teams in Amentum’s “Back to the Moon Challenge,” a national competition supporting NASA’s mission to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon.
From left, Daisy Li, Suzanna Tesfamicheal, Leslie Browning-Samoni and Amarige “Sunny” Yusufji.
Sponsored by Amentum, a global leader in engineering and technology solutions that supports the United States and its allies in tackling complex challenges in science, security and sustainability, the competition celebrates the return to lunar exploration as NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center marks its 65th anniversary.
The challenge invited teams from across the country to develop innovative solutions to overcome key obstacles in lunar exploration, from reducing cargo shipments and mining lunar resources to protecting against radiation and extreme temperatures.
The TCU team’s project focused on designing flexible, low-profile seams that prevent the intrusion of hazardous lunar dust. Their innovative concept earned the 2025 Best Innovation Award at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, and the team is excited to continue expanding their research in this competition.
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