Can we reuse our own code written before the hackathon (unrelated to Space Apps) if we cite it?

[vse-elbuenmai]

Hi GO Team! 👋

We want to stay well within the "no working ahead" rule, so we'd like to confirm one thing before Saturday.

In #1821 you answered: "If you use a library it must be open-source, but if it is something you created you can use it as a reference." In #1777 you confirmed that materials a team prepared beforehand can be used as cited inputs, and in #1872 you recommended waiting even to sketch the UI.

I've built public astronomy websites in the past, before Space Apps and unrelated to any challenge. During the hackathon, could we:

1. Reuse parts of that earlier code — for example a CSS design system or a 3D sky-viewer component — listed and cited as prior work in our submission? Or does "use it as a reference" mean we can only look at it, and all project code must be written during November 14–15?
2. If reuse is allowed, does that earlier code also need to be released under the project's open-source license?

Thank you!
Team Bortle Cero (Guadalajara, Mexico)

[alangnt]

Hi @vse-elbuenmai !

Great questions, and thanks for being mindful of the rules!

Use of your previous work and open-source libraries is permitted, provided they're properly credited and they haven't been built specifically for the NASA Space Apps Challenge.

The key distinction is between using existing resources and developing your hackathon project in advance. All challenge-specific development must take place during the official hackathon.

Therefore, any code incorporated into your submission should comply with the competition's open-source requirements. This doesn't necessarily mean your entire previous astronomy website must become open-source, but any reused components would need to satisfy the applicable licensing requirements.

Also keep in mind that all resources used in your project, including code, data, text, images, libraries, and tools, must be listed in your submission, even when they're your own previous work or freely available.

Hope this helps, and best of luck to your team!