The NASA Science Activation program’s Northwest Earth and House Sciences Pathways (NESSP) staff has efficiently concluded the 2024–2025 Artemis ROADS III National Challenge, an academic competitors that introduced actual NASA mission aims to scholar groups (and reached greater than 1,500 learners) throughout the nation. From December 2024 by means of Might 2025, over 300 groups of higher elementary, center, and highschool college students from 22 states participated, making use of STEM (Science, Know-how, Engineering, and Arithmetic) expertise in thrilling and artistic methods.
Members tackled eight Mission Targets impressed by NASA’s Artemis missions, which intention to return people to the Moon. College students explored challenges resembling:
- Designing a water purification system for the Moon impressed by native water cycles
- Growing a Moon-based agricultural plan primarily based on experimental outcomes
- Programming a rover to autonomously navigate lunar tunnels
- Engineering and refining a human-rated water bottle rocket able to safely returning a “chip-stronaut” to Earth
- Envisioning their future careers by means of inventive tasks like graphic novels or video interviews
- Exploring NASA’s Artemis program by means of a brand new Artemis-themed Lotería sport
In-person hub occasions have been hosted by Northern Arizona College, Central Washington College, and Montana State College, the place groups from Washington, Montana, and Idaho gathered to current their work, collaborate with friends, and expertise life on a school campus. College students additionally had the possibility to attach nearly with NASA scientists and engineers by means of NESSP’s NASA Professional Talks collection.
“Artemis ROADS III is NESSP’s eighth ROADS problem, and I’ve to say, I feel it’s one of the best one but. It’s all the time inspiring to see so many college students throughout the nation interact in a really significant STEM expertise. I heard from a number of college students and educators that collaborating within the problem fully modified their perspective on science and engineering. I consider that’s as a result of this program is designed to let college students expertise the enjoyment of discovery and invention—pushed by each teamwork and private creativity—that actual scientists and engineers love about their work. We additionally present college students the broad vary of STEM experience NASA depends on to plan and perform a mission like Artemis. Most significantly, it provides them an opportunity to really feel like they’re a part of the NASA mission, which may be actually transformative.”
– Dr. Darci Snowden, Director, NESSP
NESSP proudly acknowledges the next groups for finishing all eight Mission Targets and the Ultimate Problem:
- House Pringles, Third-Fifth Grade, San Antonio, TX
- House Axolotls, Third-Fifth Grade, Roberts, MT
- TEAM Wild, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- Pessimistic Penguins, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- Dwarf Planets, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- Astronomical Rovers, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- Cosmic Honeybuns, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- Houston now we have a Drawback, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- FBI Wished Listing, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- Lunar Legion, Sixth-Eighth Grade, San Antonio, TX
- Artemis Tax-Free House Stallions, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Egg Harbor, NJ
- Aquila, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Gooding, ID
- House Warriors, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Wapato, WA
- Workforce Cygnus, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Pink Lodge, MT
- Maple RocketMen, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Northbrook, IL
- RGB Hawks, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Sagle, ID
- The Blue Moon Bigfoots, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Medford, OR
- W.E.P.Y.C.Ok., Sixth-Eighth Grade, Roberts, MT
- Lunar Dawgz, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Safford, AZ
- ROSEBUD ROCKETEERS, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Rosebud, MT
- The Cosmic Titans, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Thomson Falls, MT
- The Chunky House Monkeys, Sixth-Eighth Grade, Naches, WA
- ROSEBUD RED ANGUS, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Rosebud, MT
- Cumbersome Bisons, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Council Grove, KS
- The Falling Stars, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Thomson Falls, MT
- The Roadkillers, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Thomson Falls, MT
- The Goshawks, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Thomson Falls, MT
- Sequim Cosmic Catalysts, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Sequim, WA
- Spuddie Buddies, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Moses Lake, WA
- Astrocoquí 2, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Mayaguez, PR
- Huge Sky Celestials, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Billings, MT
- TRYOUTS, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Columbus, MT
- Cosmonaughts, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Columbus, MT
- TCCS 114, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Tillamook, OR
- Marvin’s Mighty Martians, Ninth-Twelfth Grade, Simms, TX
You may see highlights of those groups’ work within the Digital Recognition Ceremony video on the NESSP YouTube channel. The presentation additionally options the groups chosen to journey to Kennedy House Middle in August of 2025, the last word prize for these future house explorers!
Along with scholar engagement, the ROADS program supplied skilled growth workshops and NGSS-aligned classroom sources to assist Ok–12 educators. Lecturers are invited to discover these supplies and register for the subsequent spherical of workshops, starting in August 2025: https://nwessp.org/professional-development-registration.
For extra details about NESSP, its applications, companions, and the ROADS Nationwide Problem, go to www.nwessp.org or contact info@nwessp.org.
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NASA’s Northwest Earth and House Science Pathways’ (NESSP) undertaking is supported by NASA cooperative settlement award quantity 80NSSC22M0006 and is a part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Be taught extra about how Science Activation connects NASA science specialists, actual content material, and experiences with neighborhood leaders to do science in ways in which activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and past: https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/