Adventure awaits as students return to the classroom for the 2022-2023 school year and NASA returns to the Moon with Artemis.

The uncrewed Artemis I mission will be the first integrated flight of NASA’s mega Moon rocket, the Space Launch System, and the Orion spacecraft. Currently slated for liftoff no earlier than Aug. 29, the pioneering mission will herald the beginning of a new chapter in human spaceflight and a defining moment for the Artemis Generation.

Students and teachers of all levels and backgrounds are invited to get involved with NASA’s missions and opportunities through NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. Whether you’re looking for ways to engage with Artemis, study Earth’s climate, try some hands-on STEM activities, or explore our resources for educators, we have the tools you need to start your NASA STEM adventure.

Read on for a curated list of resources and activities for students, their families, and educators to utilize this school year.

 

Engage With Artemis

Form your Artemis team and take on a spaceflight challenge! High school and college students compete in Artemis Student Challenges while gaining experience in technologies and processes critical to the success of humanity’s return to the Moon. Participants can design, build, and test a high-powered rocket, a new tool to address a current space exploration challenge, a human-powered vehicle capable of traversing a simulated lunar surface, and more. Challenges are kicking off now for the 2022-2023 school year; visit https://stem.nasa.gov/artemis for more information.

NASA’s Artemis I STEM Learning Pathway e-newsletter offers eight weeks of themed resources and ready-to-use content. To receive real-time updates and bonus content at the time of the Artemis I launch and mission, click here to register and select the “Artemis I STEM Learning Pathway” add-on option.

For more ways to engage with Artemis, visit https://stem.nasa.gov/artemis/.

 

Study Earth’s Climate With TechRise

The NASA TechRise Student Challenge [https://www.aerotechnews.com/blog/2022/08/19/nasa-seeking-student-experiments-to-soar-in-second-techrise-challenge/]invites teams of U.S. 6-12 grade students to submit science and technology experiment ideas to fly on a high-altitude balloon. A total of 60 winning teams will be awarded $1,500 to build their experiment, which will be assigned to a flight on a high-altitude balloon. Administered by Future Engineers, the NASA TechRise Student Challenge is led by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, based at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and part of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), with support from the NASA Tournament Lab, also part of STMD.

 

Try a New Challenge

College students enrolled at minority-serving institutions create multi-disciplinary teams to develop and pitch innovative ideas to commercialize NASA-created technologies through the MUREP Innovation and Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC) spinoff challenge. Proposals are due Oct. 26.

The 2023 RASC-AL competition invites university teams to develop new concepts that leverage innovation to improve our ability to operate on the Moon, Mars, and beyond by addressing one of four themes: Homesteading Mars, Lunar North Pole Tourism, Lunar Surface Transporter Vehicle, or Multi-use Platform at L1. Up to 14 teams will be chosen to present their concepts at the June 2023 RASC-AL Forum, where prototype demonstrations are highly encouraged.

In the push toward net-zero emissions by 2050, NASA seeks to crowdsource ideas for potential new clean aviation energy sources. Through the 2023 Blue Skies Competition, college and university student teams will conceptualize and analyze the climate impacts along the source-to-flight lifecycle of one potential, primary clean aviation energy source of the future.

 

Learn about the Universe with James Webb Space Telescope

This summer, the James Webb Space Telescope unveiled its first images bringing on a dawn of a new era of astrobiology. To learn more about the power space telescope visit the STEM toolkit and the virtual interactive event for all learners.

 

Earn Your Planetary Defender Badge

On Sept. 26, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will impact Dimorphos, a small asteroid satellite in the near-Earth asteroid system Didymos. This asteroid target is not a threat to Earth, but researchers will use data from the impact to evaluate whether this technique could be used in a future planetary defense scenario, as well as to strengthen future computer simulations. Take a short quiz to become a Planetary Defender, then learn how to tell the difference between asteroids, comets, meteors, meteorites and other bodies in our solar system.

 

Especially for Educators

Through their enthusiasm for STEM and passion for teaching, educators introduce students to a universe of possibilities. NASA has developed several resources and opportunities especially for educators.

Join NASA’s Next Gen STEM community of practice for educators, Connecting Our NASA Network of Educators for Collaborating Together in STEM (CONNECTS). Registered members can sign up for engagement events, chat with other members, read exclusive STEM content, and access education resources. Educators also are invited to participate in the NASA STEM Engagement and Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) through Texas State University,
a national educator professional development and STEM engagement organization that partners with NASA to offer professional development events, STEM teaching tips, and more.

Explore an array of STEM subjects with our educator guides and toolkits for grades K-12. Topics include the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and sustainable aviation, as well as Artemis-specific topics such as Crew Transportation With Orion, Propulsion With the Space Launch System, Habitation With Gateway, Landing Humans on the Moon, hazards to deep space astronauts, and Deep Space Communications.

Follow NASA STEM on Twitter and Facebook social media channels using the hashtags #BacktoSchool and #NASASTEM as the school year swings into action, and subscribe to the NASA EXPRESS newsletter to get the latest NASA STEM opportunities delivered to your inbox every Thursday.

For the latest opportunities and updates from NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, visit https://stem.nasa.gov.