Citizen scientists take note: You can help save the planet from threatening space rocks,and win some prize money to boot.

NASA and asteroid-mining company Planetary Resources have teamed up to launch a contest series called "Asteroid Data Hunter," which asks the public to develop algorithms that can help identify space rocks in Earth's neck of the cosmic woods. The contest series, which is managed by the NASA Tournament Lab, kicks off March 17 and runs through August, with a total of $35,000 in awards available, NASA officials said.

"Protecting the planet from the threat of asteroid impact means first knowing where they are," Jenn Gustetic, NASA Prizes and Challenges Program executive, said in a statement. "By opening up the search for asteroids, we are harnessing the potential of innovators and makers and citizen scientists everywhere to help solve this global challenge."

Asteroid Data Hunter asks participants to find new and improved ways to spot space rocks in images captured by ground-based telescopes. Winning solutions must minimize the number of false positives, increase detection sensitivity and run on all computer systems, officials said.

The contest series is the first one that contributes to NASA's Asteroid Grand Challenge, a sweeping effort announced last year that focuses on finding all potentially dangerous space rocks and figuring out how to prevent them from harming people here on Earth.

Asteroid Basics: A Space Rock Quiz

Asteroids are fascinating for lots of reasons. They contain a variety of valuable resources and slam into our planet on a regular basis, occasionally snuffing out most of Earth's lifeforms. How much do you know about space rocks?

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Asteroid Basics: A Space Rock Quiz

Asteroids are fascinating for lots of reasons. They contain a variety of valuable resources and slam into our planet on a regular basis, occasionally snuffing out most of Earth's lifeforms. How much do you know about space rocks?

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NASA Offers Cash Prizes for Help Hunting Dangerous Asteroids