A new spacecraft is poised to join the fleet carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are scheduled to launch on NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test Mission on Monday, May 6, at 10:34 p.m. EDT. This will be the first crewed flight of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
Watch the live launch broadcast from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and excite students about the mission with these NASA resources. | | Next week, NASA celebrates one of the most mysterious objects found in our universe: black holes!
Join the fun by exploring extraordinary facts, checking out cool images and videos, reading about the latest black hole discoveries, teaching lessons about gravitation, and more!
Click the links below to get started. | | Coming Up Later This Month | | Mark your calendar to stay up to date with these upcoming events to make timely STEM connections in your classroom!
| | Educator Professional Development | | Audience: K-12 STEM educators Registration Deadline: Tuesday, May 7 Event Date: Wednesday, May 8, at 6 p.m. EDT Join the NASA Next Gen STEM team for an Artemis-themed online professional development session that will delve into First Woman Issue #2: Expanding Our Universe and its accompanying Camp Experience guide. After reviewing the graphic novel and Camp Experience activities, attendees will dive deeper into Activity #4, focusing on how lunar rovers inform exploration and their automated decision-making driven by computational thinking. Attendees will receive a one-hour professional development certificate. Click here to register. | | Virtual Learning Opportunities | | Audience: All educators, students, and caregivers Next Event Date: Thursday, May 9, at 8 p.m. EDT Join NASA’s GPM mission team for a series of webinars to celebrate ten years of Earth observations. Findings from GPM have helped us better understand our water cycle and improved life around the globe. In the next webinar of the series, we’ll explore Earth’s weather and climate through the lens of NASA. Learn the difference between weather and climate, why it’s challenging to accurately predict the weather, and explore different weather and climate models. Participants will also be introduced to NASA’s “Earth to Sky” program and how it is engaging with interpreters across the U.S. to collaborate and share this and other information with the public.
| | Audience: Educators of grades 2-6 Registration Deadline: Friday, May 10 Webinar Date: Thursday, May 16, at 4 p.m. EDT Surprisingly STEM is a video series that highlights exciting and unexpected careers at NASA. Join us for a monthly live session with Q&A focused on a specific episode and related activity. This month, Dr. Annie Meier shares insights into her career as a space waste engineer at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Learn about her work turning trash into treasure – like important gases and even water – and how these processes will help astronauts explore further into space than ever before.
| | Audience: Schools, universities, museums, and eligible nonprofit organizations Request Deadline: Friday, June 7
NASA’s Artifact Program offers your organization the opportunity to enhance STEM education and spark curiosity in future innovators by bringing authentic space artifacts into your classroom or exhibit. Enrich your curriculum with various historical items from NASA’s collection, from spacecraft models and mission equipment to astronaut gear and engineering instruments. Visit the Artifact Module website for details on available artifacts, eligibility criteria, and the application process. | | Audience: Graduate students at U.S. higher education institutions Application Deadline: Monday, June 10 Set to launch in 2028, NASA’s Dragonfly mission will send a rotorcraft lander to explore a variety of locations on Saturn’s moon Titan. Graduate students are invited to apply for a two-year term to work with Dragonfly mission team members to conduct Titan research, help formulate Dragonfly mission science and operations plans, or assist in the development of instrumentation, hardware, or testing. Applicants must be U.S. citizens pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree in the physical sciences, biological sciences, computer sciences, mathematics, or engineering. Undergraduate STEM students who will be graduating with bachelor’s degrees in May 2024 are also eligible to apply, provided that they will be enrolled in STEM graduate programs in fall 2024. Students who would be new to both planetary science and working on NASA mission teams are especially encouraged to apply. No prior coursework or research experience in geology, planetary science, or astronomy is expected or required. | | Opportunities With Our Partners | | Event Date: Friday, May 3, at 1 p.m. EDT | | Application Deadline: Friday, May 17 | | |
Are you looking for NASA STEM materials to support your curriculum?
Find NASA science resources for your classroom. Explore a digital catalog of Earth and space science resources for educators of all levels — from elementary to college, to out-of-school programs. https://science.nasa.gov/learn/catalog
Check out the ‘Explore NASA Science’ website! Science starts with questions, leading to discoveries. Visit science.nasa.gov. To view the site in Spanish, visit ciencia.nasa.gov. | | Visit NASA STEM Engagement on the Web: | | | | | | |
