NASA EXPRESS -- Your STEM Connection for May 8, 2025

Check out NASA's latest STEM opportunities and resources.

NASA STEM Engagement Help Classify James Webb Space Telescope Images With Galaxy Zoo Be among the first to glimpse galaxies from the early universe! Join Galaxy Zoo, NASA’s newest citizen science project, and help scientists explore more than 500,000 galaxy images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.   Your mission? Classify the shapes of these distant galaxies to help researchers understand how galaxy shapes have evolved over billions of years – and what might be driving those changes.   Click here to get started. Online Learning Opportunities Night Sky Network Webinar: Placing Worlds and Suns in Context Event Date: Thursday, May 15, at 9 p.m. EDT Contact: info@universe-of-learning.org   An exoplanet is any planet beyond our solar system. Most of them orbit other stars, but some free-floating exoplanets, called rogue planets, are untethered to any star. We’ve confirmed more than 5,800 exoplanets out of the billions that we believe exist.   Join the NASA Night Sky Network for a webinar featuring Dr. Eric E. Mamajek, deputy program chief scientist for the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program. Learn about planets beyond our own solar system and how we discover them.   Click here to learn more. Webinar: Minerals on Mars Registration Deadline: Monday, May 19 Event Date: Tuesday, May 20, at 1 p.m. EDT Contact: paige.v.graff@nasa.gov   Minerals are the key to better understanding past Martian environments and whether they were habitable to microbial life. Join the NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) team for a discussion of the minerals identified on the Martian surface that formed from liquid water, highlighting the results from the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover’s CheMin instrument, which has been studying sedimentary rocks in Gale crater since landing in 2012. These minerals tell a fascinating story of changing environments on ancient Mars. This webinar is targeting educator-led high school students, college students and professors, but all audiences welcome to register.   Click here to register. Are You Up for a Challenge? Moon Mascot Needed: NASA Artemis II ZGI Design Challenge Submission Deadline: Tuesday, May 27 Contact: sarah.douglas@nasa.gov   Calling all designers! The Artemis II team needs your ideas for a zero gravity indicator (ZGI). This small plush object will travel inside the Orion capsule with the Artemis II astronauts to indicate when the spacecraft reaches microgravity. Submissions must include drawings of the object, along with a short description of the design. When fabricated, designs must fit into a 6” x 6” x 6” (15.25 cm x 15.25 cm x 15.25 cm) box and not exceed 0.75 lbs. (0.34 kg).   Click here for full challenge details. Design the Mission Patch for NASA’s Next HERA Campaign Submission Deadline: Oct. 15 Contact: dina.f.maron@nasa.gov   Did you know NASA simulates crewed space missions with the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA)? HERA is a two-and-a-half story, 650-square-foot habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. In 2026, four missions will take place inside HERA with crews of four volunteers who will live isolated and confined during 45-day simulated trips to the Moon.   K-12 students at private and public schools in the U.S. are invited to design the patches for these upcoming missions. Winners will work with a Human Research Program graphic designer to turn their concept into a reality.   Click here for challenge details.  Funding Opportunity Call for Proposals — Notice of Funding Opportunity for NASA MUREP Aeronautics Community Engagement Impact Research (MUREP ACEIR 2.0) Next Pre-proposal Webinar: Thursday, May 8, at 3 p.m. EDT Proposal Deadline: June 16 Contact: NASAACEIR@nasaprs.com   NASA's Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) is accepting proposals from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to conduct interdisciplinary research into the impacts and benefits of future air transportation technology and infrastructure on communities. Successful MUREP ACEIR 2.0 proposals will be funded as multi-year cooperative agreements with a three-year period of performance.   Please see the full Appendix 3: MUREP ACEIR 2.0 for more details. Partner Opportunities Smithsonian Exploring Space Lecture: Did Venus Ever Have Oceans? Event Date: Wednesday, May 28, at 8 p.m. EDT New Documentary from U.S. Space Force: Always Above Available Now National Center for Education Statistics: College Navigator Available Now Want to subscribe to get this message delivered to your inbox each Thursday? Sign up for the NASA EXPRESS newsletter at https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/nasa-express. Are you looking for NASA STEM materials? Search hundreds of resources at https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/search. Check out the ‘Science for Everyone’ website! Science starts with questions, leading to discoveries. Visit https://science.nasa.gov/for-everyone. To view the site in Spanish, visit https://ciencia.nasa.gov. Are you looking for more NASA prizes, challenges, and crowdsourcing opportunities? Visit https://www.nasa.gov/get-involved/ to find ways to contribute to NASA’s work. 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