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By NASA
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
During the 21st Century Community Learning Centers workshop, after-school educators learn to build the “Move It” student activity from NASA’s Build, Launch and Recover Student Activity Guide.Credit: Kristen Marlatt NASA and the U.S. Department of Education are teaming up to engage students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education during after-school hours. The interagency program strives to reach approximately 1,000 middle school students in more than 60 sites across 10 states to join the program, 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC).
Members of NASA Glenn Research Center’s Office of STEM Engagement traveled to Lansing, Michigan, last month to participate in a two-day professional development training with local after-school educators and facilitators. The training focused on integrating real-world STEM challenges into the 21st CCLC programs.
After-school educators engage in a student activity from NASA’s Build, Launch, and Recover Student Activity Guide. In this challenge, students become engineers and NASA crawler operators while working in teams to design and build a rubber band-powered model of NASA’s crawler-transporter that can carry the most mass possible the farthest distance without failure. Credit: Kristen Marlatt “By engaging in NASA learning opportunities, students are challenged to use critical thinking and creativity to solve real-world challenges that scientists and engineers may face,” said Darlene Walker, NASA Glenn’s Office of STEM Engagement director. “Through the 21st CCLC program, NASA and the Department of Education aim to inspire the next generation of explorers and innovators through high-quality educational content that ignites curiosity and fosters a joy of learning for students across the country.”
NASA Glenn education specialists will continue to provide NASA-related content and academic projects for students, in-person staff training, program support, and opportunities for students to engage with NASA scientists and engineers.
For more information on NASA Glenn’s STEM Engagement, visit https://www.nasa.gov/glenn-stem/
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By NASA
Freelancer NASA’s Sustainable Business Model Challenge is looking for entrepreneurs, startups, and researchers to leverage the agency’s publicly available Earth system science data to develop commercial solutions for climate challenges.
This opportunity, with a submission deadline of June 13, bridges the gap between vast climate data and actionable solutions by inviting solvers to transform data into sustainable business models that support climate resilience and decision-making.
“Creative, outcome-driven entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of our country’s economy, and we’re excited to see the sustainable climate solutions they’re able to come up with when working closely with NASA’s vast resources and data,” said Jason L. Kessler, program executive for the NASA Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program, which is sponsoring the challenge.
Through the Sustainable Business Model Challenge, NASA aims to foster a new set of sustainable enterprises capable of turning climate insights into tangible market-ready services, ultimately contributing to a more resilient future for vulnerable communities, businesses, and ecosystems. NASA is committed to broadening participation in its solicitations and fostering technology advancements.
By engaging new entrepreneurs, the challenge serves as a pathway to NASA’s SBIR/STTR program, helping scale solutions to advance the global response to climate change and encourage a more sustainable future. From its vantage point in space, NASA holds a wealth of data that can inform new approaches to climate adaptation and mitigation.
Participants will submit a 10-page business concept paper that includes details on how they will incorporate NASA climate or Earth system data to deliver a product or service. Up to ten winning teams will receive $10,000 each, along with admission to a 10-week capability development training designed to strengthen any future proposals for potential NASA funding.
NASA’s SBIR/STTR program, managed by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, is part of America’s Seed Fund, the nation’s largest source of early-stage funding for innovative technologies. Through this program, entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses with less than 500 employees can receive funding and non-monetary support to build, mature, and commercialize their technologies, advancing NASA missions and advancing the nations aerospace economy.
Ensemble is hosting the challenge on behalf of NASA. The NASA Tournament Lab, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, manages the challenge. The program supports global public competitions and crowdsourcing as tools to advance NASA research and development and other mission needs.
The deadline to participate in NASA’s Sustainable Business Model Challenge is June 13, 2025.
For more information about the challenge, visit: https://nasabusinesschallenge.org/
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By NASA
Climate change presents one of the most urgent crises of our time, with increasing threats to life, infrastructure, economies, and ecosystems worldwide. Climate change is no longer a distant concern; its effects are being felt now and are projected to intensify if emissions continue unabated. The consequences are severe and irreversible for people today, with rapidly shrinking glaciers and ice sheets, rising sea levels, and more intense heat waves already occurring. Scientists predict even more profound impacts, such as an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires, extended drought periods, and stronger tropical cyclones. By 2100, sea levels could rise by up to 6.5 feet1, displacing coastal communities and disrupting ecosystems. In the U.S., the effects vary by region—wildfires in the West have doubled in area burned, and rising sea levels threaten infrastructure in the Southeast. Innovative, data-driven solutions are essential to mitigate these growing risks. From the unique vantage point in space, NASA collects critical long-term observations of our changing planet. NASA produces vast amounts of Earth system science data from satellites, radars, and ships, as well as model outputs, offering a wealth of opportunities for innovative thinkers to leverage these sources. The Sustainable Business Model Challenge is designed to identify and foster sustainable business models built around NASA’s Earth system science data. This challenge invites entrepreneurs, researchers, startups, and innovators to use NASA’s publicly available climate and Earth system data sources to create sustainable business models to address climate challenges.
Award: $100,000 in total prizes
Open Date: January 16, 2025
Close Date: June 13, 2025
For more information, visit: https://nasabusinesschallenge.org/
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By NASA
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement at Johnson Space Center in Houston offers students a unique gateway to opportunity through the High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) program. The initiative provides Texas juniors with hands-on experience in space exploration, working on projects ranging from rocket building to problem-solving in collaborative teams.
The stories of HAS alumni highlight the program’s impact, showcasing how it has opened doors to diverse careers in STEM and inspired graduates to empower others.
Johnson Community Engagement Lead Jessica Cordero, who served as the manager of the HAS program from 2018 to 2021, reflected on her time with the students:
“I had the privilege of working with so many incredible students who brought imagination and determination to their dreams,” she said. “During HAS, they connected with peers who shared their passion for NASA and STEM, and by the time they completed the program, they had a clear vision of the degrees they would pursue in college. These students are the Artemis Generation—we are in great hands!”
Meet Former HAS Student Neel Narayan
For Neel Narayan, NASA’s HAS program was a transformative experience that reshaped his understanding of space exploration and his place within it.
Through his time in the program, Narayan learned to navigate complex challenges with confidence. “My experience working with difficult information at HAS, combined with having mentors explain the unknown, taught me to be okay with confusion and comfortable with solving hard problems,” he said. “That’s what STEM is all about.”
Neel Narayan at NASA’s High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) 20th anniversary ceremony. Before participating in the program, Narayan had a narrow view of what a STEM career entailed: long equations and solitary hours behind a computer. HAS completely dismantled that misconception. He said the program, “broke the most complex concepts into granular bites of digestible information, showing that complexity can be distilled if done correctly.”
“During the one-week onsite experience, I was talking to scientists, building rockets, and exploring NASA facilities—none of which involved equations!” he said. “HAS taught me that STEM is not confined to technical work.”
Narayan describes HAS as an eye-opening experience that redefined his approach to problem-solving. “Most of us are unaware of what we don’t know,” he said. “In collaborating with others, I was made aware of solutions that I didn’t know existed. The greatest asset you can have when solving a problem is another person.”
He credits the HAS community, especially his fellow scholars, with shaping his academic and professional growth. “I benefited most from the networking opportunities, particularly with the other HAS scholars in my cohort,” he said. “For those of us studying together in California, we’ve met up to discuss work, school, and external opportunities. Everyone in the program comes out very successful, and I’m grateful to have met those people and to still stay in touch with them.”
For high school students considering STEM but unsure of their direction, Narayan offers simple advice: keep exploring. “You don’t need to know your career path yet—in fact, you shouldn’t,” he said. “There is no better field to explore than STEM because of its vastness.”
Neel Narayan, University of Stanford. Narayan is currently pursuing a master’s degree in computational and mathematical engineering at Stanford University after earning an undergraduate degree in computer science. With his graduate program, Narayan is building on the foundation he developed through NASA’s HAS program.
Narayan aspires to contribute to the agency’s innovation and groundbreaking work. “NASA’s research changes the world, and being part of that mission is a dream I’ve had for a while,” he said.
Meet Sarah Braun
NASA’s HAS program solidified Sarah Braun’s understanding of how a STEM career could encompass her diverse interests, from design and education to plotting spacecraft orbits and planning launches. From her time in HAS to her current space exploration career, Braun believes STEM can be as multifaceted as the people who pursue it.
“HAS showed me the options ahead were as endless as my imagination,” she said. “The program convinced me that all my skills would be put to use in STEM, including getting to be creative and artistic.”
Sarah Braun engages in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics outreach at the Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum in Portage, Michigan, standing beside a Gemini model. The program gave her the opportunity to network, problem-solve, and collaborate with students from various backgrounds. “Learning how to communicate designs I could picture in my head was the biggest challenge, but by observing my teammates and mentors, I built the skills I needed.”
The networking opportunities she gained through HAS have also been instrumental to her academic and career growth. “The mentors I met through HAS have supported me throughout college and into my early career,” she said. “They taught me countless technical skills and how to best take advantage of my college years. I would never have made it to where I am today without HAS!”
After completing the HAS program, Braun interned with NASA, where she worked on space systems and paved the way for her career at Collins Aerospace.
Sarah Braun at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. She stands in front of the hardware she now works on at Collins Aerospace. Braun advises high school students uncertain about their career paths to get engaged and ask questions. “There are so many people out there who pursue STEM to follow a passion or challenge themselves,” she said. “Talking with people about what they have experienced and learned has been a huge help and inspiration for me throughout the years.”
She is also passionate about inspiring and educating others. “Whether I’m leading after-school STEM clubs or mentoring students, outreach and teaching have become my biggest contributions to NASA’s mission of exploration and discovery,” said Braun.
Meet Audrey Scott
Audrey Scott credits the HAS program with giving her a chance to explore science in the real world. “I experienced the excitement space could bring through livestream events like the landing of NASA’s InSight Lander mission and Cassini’s Grand Finale,” she said.
Audrey Scott, front, with fellow 2019 HAS graduates. Scott shared that the HAS program opened her eyes to the vast possibilities within STEM fields. Seeing the many ways to apply a STEM degree in practice broadened her perspective and inspired her to pursue her passion.
After HAS, Scott chose to study astrophysics at the University of Chicago in Illinois, where she is now pursuing her Ph.D. in experimental cosmology and laying the groundwork for a future in space exploration.
“My time with HAS and its encouragement of STEM excellence gave me the confidence I needed to take the plunge,” said Scott.
The program also transformed her approach to teamwork and exposed her to fast-paced problem-solving. “My school didn’t prioritize group projects, so working with people from all different backgrounds and personalities was informative for my future work in college,” she said. “HAS was a safe space to experiment with being both a leader and collaborator.”
She encourages high school students uncertain of their path to “try everything.” Scott advises, “If you have a moment of fascination, take advantage of that intellectual and creative energy, and learn something new. Time spent realizing you don’t like something is just as useful as time spent realizing you do.” She also recommends seeking out resources, finding mentors, and talking to everyone.
Scott continues to connect with some of her HAS cohort, especially young women navigating STEM paths alongside her. “We’ve been able to support each other through challenges,” she said. “Being part of HAS made me, in a way, part of the NASA family.”
Audrey Scott, front, with fellow 2019 HAS graduates. Scott’s HAS experience opened doors to opportunities like the Brooke Owens Fellowship, where she worked on a satellite in partnership with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and later the Illinois Space Grant award, which took her to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. She envisions part of her thesis research as a Ph.D. candidate taking place at a NASA center and remains open to a future at the agency.
“I’ll continue advocating for space exploration and pushing the boundaries of what’s known,” she said. “In my research, I’m driven by questions like, ‘What did the beginning of the universe look like—and why are we here?’”
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By NASA
Modular Assembled Radiators for Nuclear Electric Propulsion Vehicles, or MARVL, aims to take a critical element of nuclear electric propulsion, its heat dissipation system, and divide it into smaller components that can be assembled robotically and autonomously in space. This is an artist’s rendering of what the fully assembled system might look like.NASA The trip to Mars and back is not one for the faint of heart. We’re not talking days, weeks, or months. But there are technologies that could help transport a crew on that round-trip journey in a relatively quick two years.
One option NASA is exploring is nuclear electric propulsion, which employs a nuclear reactor to generate electricity that ionizes, or positively charges, and electrically accelerates gaseous propellants to provide thrust to a spacecraft.
Researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, are working on a system that could help bring nuclear electric propulsion one significant, technology-defining step closer to reality.
Modular Assembled Radiators for Nuclear Electric Propulsion Vehicles, or MARVL, aims to take a critical element of nuclear electric propulsion, its heat dissipation system, and divide it into smaller components that can be assembled robotically and autonomously in space.
“By doing that, we eliminate trying to fit the whole system into one rocket fairing,” said Amanda Stark, a heat transfer engineer at NASA Langley and the principal investigator for MARVL. “In turn, that allows us to loosen up the design a little bit and really optimize it.”
Loosening up the design is key, because as Stark mentioned, previous ideas called for fitting the entire nuclear electric radiator system under a rocket fairing, or nose cone, which covers and protects a payload. Fully deployed, the heat dissipating radiator array would be roughly the size of a football field. You can imagine the challenge engineers would face in getting such a massive system folded up neatly inside the tip of a rocket.
The MARVL technology opens a world of possibilities. Rather than cram the whole system into an existing rocket, this would allow researchers the flexibility to send pieces of the system to space in whatever way would make the most sense, then have it all assembled off the planet.
Once in space, robots would connect the nuclear electric propulsion system’s radiator panels, through which a liquid metal coolant, such as a sodium-potassium alloy, would flow.
While this is still an engineering challenge, it is exactly the kind of engineering challenge in-space-assembly experts at NASA Langley have been working on for decades. The MARVL technology could mark a significant first milestone. Rather than being an add-on to an existing technology, the in-space assembly component will benefit and influence the design of the very spacecraft it would serve.
“Existing vehicles have not previously considered in-space assembly during the design process, so we have the opportunity here to say, ‘We’re going to build this vehicle in space. How do we do it? And what does the vehicle look like if we do that?’ I think it’s going to expand what we think of when it comes to nuclear propulsion,” said Julia Cline, a mentor for the project in NASA Langley’s Research Directorate, who led the center’s participation in the Nuclear Electric Propulsion tech maturation plan development as a precursor to MARVL. That tech maturation plan was run out of the agency’s Space Nuclear Propulsion project at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate awarded the MARVL project through the Early Career Initiative, giving the team two years to advance the concept. Stark and her teammates are working with an external partner, Boyd Lancaster, Inc., to develop the thermal management system. The team also includes radiator design engineers from NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and fluid engineers from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After two years, the team hopes to move the MARVL design to a small-scale ground demonstration.
The idea of robotically building a nuclear propulsion system in space is sparking imaginations.
“One of our mentors remarked, ‘This is why I wanted to work at NASA, for projects like this,’” said Stark, “which is awesome because I am so happy to be involved with it, and I feel the same way.”
Additional support for MARVL comes from the agency’s Space Nuclear Propulsion project. The project’s ongoing effort is maturing technologies for operations around the Moon and near-Earth exploration, deep space science missions, and human exploration using nuclear electric propulsion and nuclear thermal propulsion.
An artist’s rendering that shows the different components of a fully assembled nuclear electric propulsion system.NASAView the full article
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