Space Apps Connect Guide
Introduction to Space Apps Connect
Space Apps Connect serves as the collaborative communication forum for the NASA Space Apps Challenge community.
Joining Space Apps Connect is optional but highly encouraged. Space Apps Connect is hosted on GitHub Discussions and is completely free for everyone to use. The platform allows you to connect with other hackathon participants as well as with Local Leads, Navigators, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), Global Collaborators, and the NASA Space Apps Global Organizing (GO) Team. Use this forum to ask questions about the challenges and data and enjoy learning from the NASA Space Apps community!
Space Apps Values: Space Apps Connect is a professional space. At all times, all users are responsible for maintaining professional decorum and treating each other with respect and dignity. Bullying, discrimination, or harassment on any basis will not be tolerated. You can find our Space Apps Values on the About Page. If you experience or witness discrimination, harassment, or bullying within Space Apps Connect or during the NASA Space Apps Challenge, or have any other concerns, you may contact your Local Lead or the NASA Space Apps GO Team. Please email [email protected] and the GO Team will take appropriate action.
Navigating the Hackathon: Space Apps Connect
How to Join Space Apps Connect
To participate in Space Apps Connect, you must be registered for the 2025 NASA Space Apps Challenge. Once you are registered and logged in to your account, you can access Space Apps Connect by clicking on the “Space Apps Connect” option on the dropdown underneath your profile icon which can be found at the top right corner of the Space Apps website.
To post or read discussions in Space Apps Connect, you must be logged into GitHub.
- Using GitHub on Mobile: You can download the GitHub mobile app on Google Play or the Apple Store. Once you have downloaded the app, open it and sign into your profile.
- Using GitHub on Desktop: To access Space Apps Connect via web browser, go to www.github.com. Sign in to GitHub at the top right of the page.
- Creating a GitHub Account: If you are new to GitHub, you will first need to create an account. Please note: Participants who are under the age of 13 cannot use GitHub. Participants who are between the ages of 13 and 17 are required to have a parent or legal guardian create their GitHub account and must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times while using Space Apps Connect. If GitHub learns of any User under the age of 13, they will terminate that User’s account immediately. If you are a resident of a country outside the United States, your country’s minimum age may be older; in which case, you are responsible for complying with your country’s laws. By using Space Apps Connect, you are agreeing to GitHub's Terms of Service.
While on www.github.com, select the “Sign Up” button at the top right of the screen.
How to Find NASA Space Apps Connect On Github: You can access Space Apps Connect in the following ways:
- Go directly to http://www.github.com/nasa/spaceapps/
- Search “nasa/spaceapps” in the search bar on GitHub
You must be logged in on GitHub to access the content and participate.
Signing up for Github: Enter your email and create your unique username and password. We recommend using the same email address as your NASA Space Apps account. You will then be emailed a code in order to verify your Github account.
Space Apps Connect Categories
The GO Team will be using this category to provide important updates to participants leading up to and throughout the hackathon, so check it frequently! In this category, you will find information about the hackathon, reminders, and notices about system issues or troubleshooting needed.
Ask questions about the challenge you're working on and engage with NASA Subject Matter Experts. Be sure to include the challenge name in the start of your discussion.
Find Teammates and tackle a challenge together!
Discuss topics related to the NASA Space Apps Challenge that are not relevant to other listed categories.
Ask questions about Global Offers here. Global Offers are free tools and resources that are optional to use when creating your project. In your discussion title, please be sure to include the Global Offer you are asking about.
Ask questions about submitting your project here.
Ask questions related to the Universal Event and connect with Universal Event participants.
How to Search Space Apps Connect
Space Apps Connect Etiquette: Before creating a post, please search for similar discussions. This helps prevent duplicate questions and reduces creating an unnecessary discussion post when a similar discussion already exists. Please read “How to Search for a Discussion” below before creating your post to familiarize yourself with how to use the filters to search for discussions. When writing the title of your post, please make sure that it is clear, concise, and summarizes what you are posting. This will help the GO Team identify which labels to attach to your post and will allow others to find and respond to your posts as quickly as possible.
How to Search for a Discussion: If you have a question for the Space Apps Community, first search all of the discussion posts to see if someone else has asked the same question.
1. Click on the “View all discussions” above the category names on the left-hand side.
2. Select the “Filter” button and select “All." This allows you to see all discussions regardless of their status (open, closed, locked, unlocked, answered, unanswered).
3. Click on the label filter to select labels you think would apply to the discussion you are looking for. You can also use the search bar within the label filter to find a specific label. For example: if a participant has a question related to the “Sharks from Space” challenge, they would select the “Sharks from Space” label. You can select more than one label for your search. When you select multiple labels, only the discussions that contain all labels you select will appear in the results. If you select too many labels, there may be no discussions that match your query.
If you want to remove a label you have selected, go back to the label filter and click on the label to remove it. In the previous example, if a participant decides they do not want to filter by the “Sharks from Space” label, they would then go back to the label filter and deselect “Sharks from Space." You can also click on “View All Discussions” in the category section to remove all filters you have applied.
How to Post and Comment
How to Post a Discussion: On the left-hand side of the Discussions section, you will see all of the Space Apps Connect categories. The only category you cannot post in is the “Announcements” category. The content of your post will determine which category it should go in. For example, if you have a question about a certain challenge, you would want to post that question as a discussion under the “Challenges” category. You can start a new post from the “All Discussions” page or the category that you’d like to post in directly.
1. Click on the “New discussion” button on the top right.
2. If you are starting on the “All Discussions” page, a page will open asking you to select the discussion category. Select “Get started” next to the appropriate category.
3. Add a title and content, then click the green “Start discussion” button to post.
4. If you want to move your discussion into another category, before or after you post, you can select the “choose a different category” above the Discussion title section and select a new category.
How to Comment on a Discussion: You can join a discussion by clicking on the post you would like to comment on, then enter your response into the box at the bottom of the page and then click “Comment.”
How to Reference Another Discussion or User: GitHub allows you to reference other discussions and mention other users in your comments and posts. If you want to reference another discussion:
1. Click on the word bubble icon in the content section of your discussion/reply/comment.
2. Start typing out the title of the discussion and it should pop up. Once the correct discussion you are referencing pops up, click it, and it will add the discussion reference number to your comment. In the below example, the User is referencing a discussion that is titled “Check out the Participant FAQ!”
Once you have selected the correct discussion you want to reference and are satisfied with your post, select the green button in the bottom right of the content section (the green button could be named “Comment,” “Start discussion," or “Reply” depending on the type of post you are creating). The reference number in your discussion will be clickable and point back to the referenced discussion.
3. If you want to mention another user in your discussion, use the @ symbol followed by the user’s GitHub username. Please be courteous and refrain from spamming usernames.
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