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By NASA
4 min read
NASA Science for Your Classroom: Opportunities for Educators
The summer season for educators can be a time of rest and rejuvenation, but it can also offer opportunities for professional learning with new colleagues beyond your own school. The following programs from NASA’s Science Activation Program offer end-of-summer/early-fall curricular resources and connections with other educators that can help you bring new science ideas and activities into your instructional practice.
Celebrating the Moon & Moon Rocks with NASA – A Webinar for Educators
Join us, as the world awaits this year’s International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN on September 14, 2024), for this free NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) interactive webinar focusing on the Moon, Moon rocks, Apollo and future Artemis Missions! This session will be geared towards educators and their students (targeting grades 5-9 but other grade levels, college students, and individual educators are welcome to participate). Participants will interact with Dr. Juliane Gross, Artemis Curation Lead at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. The presentation will last approximately 45 minutes followed by an optional 15-30 minutes of Q&A. If you can’t participate live, feel free to register to receive an archived recording of the presentation.
When: September 11 at 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. EDT Learn more and register Infusing Space Rock Content and More into Learning Environments
Join NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science for an interactive webinar focusing on hands-on and digital Earth and Space Science resources appropriate for both formal and informal learning settings. This session, geared towards educators who work with grades 3 through HS or general audiences at public events, will prepare you to engage learners with content associated with Moon rocks, meteorites, samples from asteroids and more! Presentation will last approximately 50 minutes followed by an optional 10+ minutes of Q&A. Those who register below will receive an archived recording of the presentation.
When: September 17 at 8 p.m. EDT Register now Spark Curiosity with Infiniscope’s Free Resources!
Infiniscope is a NASA-funded project focused on sparking curiosity, fostering exploration, and delivering digital content and tools that transform the learning experience. NGSS-Designed digital learning experiences are just the beginning. Whether you want classroom-ready content or the tools and support to build your own, we’ve got you covered.
If you’re a middle school or highschool educator, join the webinars below and discover the incredible FREE resources waiting for you at Infiniscope.org. In this guided tour, you’ll learn how to: search for classroom-ready content on the website, find educator resources and detailed lesson information, enroll students in lessons and collections, sign up for future training events, access the virtual field trip creator, and get more information on our adaptive lesson builder. Learn more about Infiniscope.
Intro to Infiniscope Registration – September 17 at 4 p.m. EDT Intro to Infiniscope Registration – October 22 at 6 p.m. EDT Take Your Learners Anywhere with Tour It!
With Tour It, Infiniscope’s free virtual field trip creator, you can make place-based learning accessible to all your learners, boosting engagement and learning outcomes while enabling them to build personal connections. Tour It is your gateway to creating captivating virtual field trips! As a member of the Infiniscope teaching network, you’ll have exclusive access to this amazing tool that brings immersive learning experiences to life. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or just starting your journey, Tour It empowers you to craft engaging and interactive virtual tours that inspire learners and enable them to build personal connections to a place. Learn more about Tour it.
Exploring Place-Based Learning Registration – September 17 at 4 p.m. EDT Planning Your Virtual Field Trip Registration – October 22 at 6 p.m. EDT Heliophysics Webinars for Educators: Physics in an Astronomy Context
NASA’s Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) have put together a free, monthly, virtual workshop series for teachers of astrophysics taught in the context of introductory and upper division physics and astronomy courses. While these workshops are intended for secondary- and tertiary-level teachers who teach in formal classroom contexts, other educators are also welcome if the content covered is appropriate to your teaching context.
These virtual gatherings of 25-50 teachers occur one Saturday per month and provide an astrophysics mini-lecture, a small group engagement with the core activity, and discussion time to connect with like-minded educators.
Dates and Topics:
September, 21, 2024 – Coronal Mass Ejection Science October 12, 2024 – Planetary Magnetism Science November 9, 2024 – Auroral Currents December 7, 2024 – Star Spectra Science Time: 1 – 2:30 p.m. EDT
Register here
We hope these resources will help prepare you for a wonderful year of amazing science learning… and beyond!
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Last Updated Sep 09, 2024 Related Terms
Learning Resources Science Activation Explore More
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By NASA
4 Min Read How Do I Navigate NASA Learning Resources and Opportunities?
NASA offers a variety of platforms and resources to support kindergarten through college educators in bringing the excitement of exploration and discovery to students in the classroom and beyond. From in-depth lesson plans to supplemental videos and activities, the resources below can help educators develop an out-of-this world curriculum and create unforgettable experiences for their students.
Where Can I Find NASA STEM Learning Resources for My Classroom?
NASA’s website has a dedicated section for the agency’s learning resources: nasa.gov/learning-resources. Using the navigation bar, educators can click through to find dedicated pages with STEM resources for K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 grade bands.
Looking for something in particular for your curriculum? Try the NASA STEM Resource Search tool to explore hands-on activities, interactive features, videos, lesson plans, educator guides, and more. Browse the nearly 2,000 resources or search by grade level, subject, or keywords.
NASA also offers a range of resources and community-based projects that invite learners of all ages to participate in authentic science across the U.S. and the world through the Science Activation (SciAct) program. In addition to traditional classroom resources, NASA has a webpage dedicated to citizen science opportunities around the globe, which can be fun to participate in as a class.
How Do I Connect My Classroom With a NASA Expert?
NASA has several pathways for getting a NASA expert involved with your classroom.
Students can get questions answered by astronauts living and working aboard the International Space Station through In-Flight Education Downlinks. These twenty-minute live Q&A sessions are available to U.S.-based education organizations. Applications are accepted during several proposal periods each year.
Educators can also request classroom engagements with NASA engineers, scientists, and other professionals through the NASA Engages program. The program connects NASA experts with U.S. students ranging from preschool to college, through formal or informal education groups such as libraries, museums, professional and technical organizations, afterschool programs, and other non-profit organizations. Requests can be made in the NASA STEM Gateway platform after creating an account.
NASA STEM Gateway is also the portal where educators and students can sign up for other NASA opportunities, such as internships, student challenges, and more.
How Can I Obtain an Authentic Space Program Artifact for Use in My Classroom?
U.S. K-12 schools, universities, and other organizations may be eligible to request an authentic NASA artifact to help bring STEM lessons to life in the classroom. NASA considers an “artifact” to be an object representing historically significant or innovative achievements in spaceflight, aviation, technology, or science. Through NASA’s Artifact Module, browse through the agency’s trove of objects and request an item that will spark inspiration or understanding among students in the Artemis Generation.
How Can I Find Out About New NASA STEM Resources and Opportunities?
To learn about the latest NASA STEM resources and opportunities, follow NASA STEM on X, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube. NASA also publishes a weekly e-newsletter for teachers, parents, caregivers, and students. Sign up for the NASA EXPRESS newsletter to get the latest NASA STEM opportunities delivered to your inbox every Thursday. It’s an easy way to stay up to date on internships, challenges, professional development, and more.
NASA also has an online community of practice for formal and informal educators called CONNECTS (Connecting Our NASA Network of Educators for Collaborating Together in STEM). On the CONNECTS platform, new and experienced professionals in STEM education can join discussions, share best practices, learn about the latest events and opportunities at NASA, participate in professional development opportunities, and download free STEM products available by topic or grade level. Registered community members can chat with other members who are interested in similar fields and can find nearby members with whom they can collaborate.
More About STEM Learning Resources and Opportunities at NASA
About NASA STEM Engagement NASA Kids’ Club NASA Citizen Science NASA Science Activation (SciAct) program NASA Artifacts Keep Exploring Discover More STEM Topics at NASA
Learning Resources
For Educators
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Get Involved
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By Space Force
Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna and Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, deputy chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber and Nuclear, delivered remarks at the Joint Women's Leadership Symposium in Arlington, Virginia, June 26 and 27.
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
The Bronco Space team assembles its Bronco Ember technology, which uses a short-wave infrared camera with AI to improve early wildfire detection.Credit: Bronco Space NASA’s public competitions can catalyze big changes – not just for the agency but also for participants. Bronco Space, the CubeSat laboratory at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, California, matured more than just space technology as a result of winning funds from NASA’s TechLeap Prize competition. It grew from its roots in a broom closet to a newly built lab on campus, expanding its capacity to mature space technologies long into the future.
The TechLeap Prize seeks to rapidly identify and develop space technologies through a series of challenges that each address a specific technology need for NASA and the nation. In addition to a cash prize, winners receive access to a suborbital or orbital flight opportunity on a commercial flight platform. Bronco Space won $500,000 in the inaugural TechLeap Prize, Autonomous Observation Challenge, launched in 2021. The challenge sought small spacecraft technologies that could autonomously detect, locate, track, and collect data on transient events on Earth and beyond. The team, made up of both undergraduate and graduate students, developed and launched a wildfire detection system called Bronco Ember, which used a short-wave infrared camera with AI (artificial intelligence) to improve early wildfire detection.
Zachary Gaines was an undergraduate student when he participated in the first challenge through TechLeap with Bronco Space. He has since graduated and now supervises the lab at Cal Poly Pomona. Gaines notes how the prize gave the team flexibility to invest in their lab and expand the university’s technology development and maturation capabilities.
“Because TechLeap gave us prize money rather than a grant, we had the freedom to invest those funds,” said Gaines. “If we want to make a real-world impact, which we always want to do, we needed a real lab with equipment. Thanks to TechLeap, we now have space in an innovation village right outside of campus.”
In 2022, Gaines was also involved in Bronco Space’s second time participating in TechLeap as part of the first Nighttime Precision Landing Challenge. The competition sought sensing systems to detect surface hazards from at least 250 meters high and process the data in real-time to generate a terrain map suitable for a spacecraft to land safely in the dark. As one of three winners eligible to receive up to $650,000 each, Bronco Space developed a system using a light projector to create an initial geometry map for landing. The system then uses LIDAR (light detection and ranging) along with advances in computer vision, machine learning, robotics, and computing to generate a map that reconstructs lunar terrain.
A demo of the 3D digital “twin” app created by PRISM Intelligence for NASA’s Entrepreneurs Challenge.Credit: Bronco Space From the experience with TechLeap, Gaines and other team members formed the small business Pegasus Intelligence and Space, now PRISM Intelligence, and participated in another challenge – NASA’s Entrepreneurs Challenge. This competition seeks the development and commercialization of lunar payloads and climate science through an entrepreneurial and venture lens to advance the Agency’s science exploration goals. The company’s technology, also called PRISM, is a 3D digital map of the world that uses AI to make the “twin” world searchable. The challenge encouraged Gaines and the PRISM team to bridge the gap between available data and consumer end-users. PRISM was a Round 2 winner of the challenge, receiving a share of the $1 million prize as well as exposure to external funders and investors.
Gaines traces the success of PRISM back to his first TechLeap experience: “The company wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t done TechLeap. It helped me understand how to develop technologies for industry.”
The company and the university continue to secure NASA support. In December 2023, Cal Poly Pomona was selected to receive a two-year funded cooperative agreement through NASA’s University SmallSat Technology Partnership.
“When people invest in your ideas and continue to support them, they help you get smarter and increase your understanding of people’s needs,” said Gaines. “Building technologies with the goal of a real-world impact is really motivating.”
Members of Bronco Space developed a sensing system that generates a map for precise spacecraft landing as part of NASA’s second TechLeap competition.Credit: Bronco SpaceView the full article
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
A computer generated image of objects in Earth orbit that are currently being tracked. Credits: NASA ODPO NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy & Strategy is soliciting research and analysis related to the social, economic and policy aspects of space sustainability. This topic area is further refined into two separate elements: orbital space sustainability and lunar surface sustainability. OTPS will provide up to $300K (orbital) and $200K (lunar surface) for between 1-3 proposals in each element. Key questions are featured below.
Orbital Space Sustainability: Economic, Social and Policy Research and Analyses
Proposals should be responsive to one of the following questions:
What are current policy, regulatory or legal gaps to improve space sustainability in various orbital regimes (LEO, MEO, GEO, Cislunar, and/or Lunar) and what specific measures should be taken to address them? Proposers may address one or several orbital regimes. Considering various scenarios for the space environment in the 2040 timeframe, what policies, regulations or other support are forecasted to be needed? Research should take into consideration that potential policies for space sustainability may be incentivized or rendered unnecessary by advancements in technological capabilities and differing assumptions about the future operational environment; therefore, the research should assess the robustness of various policy proposals under realistic assumptions. What are the costs to spacecraft operators from interacting with debris in GEO and Cislunar space? What are the benefits of potential risk-reducing actions? How effective are various policy tools and mechanisms (for example, performance bonds, incentives to improve PMD compliance/fees for bad behavior, global minimum tax, and environmental liability insurance)? How might such interventions impact the business of satellite owners and operators or government owners and operators? Lunar Surface Sustainability: Economic, Social and Policy Research and Analyses
The sustainable development of the lunar surface acknowledges that current operations may impact our ability to conduct future operations (indeed current operations may also impact other current operations. Whether we seek to protect critical areas for scientific investigation (e.g., Permanently Shadowed Regions), preserve lunar heritage areas (e.g., Apollo sites) or incorporate other technical, economic, or cultural considerations may all factor into our mission planning, policy and potential regulatory approaches. Analyses may help disentangle and characterize the goals of sustainability, develop frameworks for evaluating the sustainability of operations, or compare and contrast the different definitions of sustainability. Proposals should consider both human and robotic missions.
All proposals must be submitted to one of the ROSES calls (F.21 or F.17) by May 17, 2024. Proposers can submit different proposals to each element. However, duplicate proposals submitted to both elements will only be considered for a single element (NASA will make most appropriate determination).
To submit proposals, visit:
Orbital Sustainability
https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary!init.do?solId={63F3CFBC-9BC2-7518-9DD5-D1B4887109E5}&path=open
Lunar Surface Sustainability
https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary!init.do?solId={48D6B21B-0171-D79D-E111-BCDFCC02E0F0}&path=open
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Last Updated Feb 15, 2024 EditorBill Keeter Related Terms
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