2017.spaceappschallenge.org is a digital ghost - a fully funded, tech-forward initiative from the world's premier space agency that appears to have vanished from the internet. This is the story of what happens when a $10.8M annual operation gets zero organic visibility.

"This isn't a startup failure - it's a NASA-scale lesson in the difference between having a mission and having a digital presence."

The Space Apps Challenge is NASA's flagship hackathon program, but its 2017 iteration shows a critical disconnect between organizational scale and digital impact. With 77 employees and substantial revenue, this should be a traffic powerhouse. Instead, it's a case study in what happens when mission-driven work loses its digital thread.

• Modern tech stack (React, AWS, Tailwind) with zero user engagement
• NASA-scale budget ($10.8M revenue) with startup-level traffic (0 visits)
• Professional infrastructure that serves no visible audience
• Social presence exists but drives no measurable traffic