NASA EXPRESS -- Your STEM Connection for Aug. 14, 2025

Check out NASA's latest STEM opportunities and learning resources.

NASA STEM Engagement Blast Back to School With NASA Are you ready to launch into a new school year? Put an out-of-this-world spin on learning this year with NASA resources for the classroom and beyond! Visit NASA's Learning Resources page to find ways to connect the next generation workforce with NASA’s exciting missions, broad range of careers, and unique learning opportunities. This school year, take advantage of all the student challenges and opportunities NASA has to offer. Find the challenge that's right for you, gather your team, and become part of the mission! STEMonstrations Watch as astronauts on the space station bring STEM concepts to life. NASA STEM Resource Search Engine Search by grade level, subject, or keywords. LEARN Science Explore a range of ways to participate in authentic science. Visit the NASA Kids' Club to play games, read about the current space station crew, see cool pictures of NASA missions, and more for students in grades K-4. Check out the Learn With NASA YouTube Channel to see astronaut Q&A sessions with students, science demonstrations, STEM career profiles, and more. Higher Education Opportunities NASA’s Student Launch Competition Proposal Deadline: 9 a.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 22 Contact: john.r.eckhart@nasa.gov   NASA’s Student Launch competition challenges teams to design, build, and fly a high-powered rocket containing a science or engineering payload. After a competitive proposal selection process, teams complete a series of design reviews that mirror the NASA engineering design life cycle.   The 2026 NASA Student Launch Handbook is available now. 2026 NASA Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Competition Notice of Intent Deadline: Oct. 13 Q&A Session: Oct. 27 Entry Deadline: Feb. 23, 2026 Contact: rascal@nianet.org   The 2026 NASA RASC-AL competition challenges undergraduate and graduate students to push the boundaries of innovation and engineering to develop bold concepts that advance humanity’s ability to live and work on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This year, teams and their faculty advisors are invited to propose visionary solutions backed by supporting original engineering and analysis in response to one of the following themes: CPNT (Communication, Position, Navigation and Timing) Architectures for Mars Surface Operations, Lunar Surface Power and PMAD (Power Management and Distribution) Architectures, Lunar Sample Return Concept, Lunar Technology Demonstrations Leveraging Common Infrastructure.  Up to 14 teams may be chosen to present their concepts at the 2026 RASC-AL Forum in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Each of those teams will receive a monetary award to facilitate full participation in the RASC-AL Forum competition.  More to Explore Contact Opportunity: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Proposal Deadline: Friday, August 29 Contact: education@ariss-usa.org   Proposals are currently being accepted from U.S. schools, museums, and community youth organizations (working individually or together) to host an amateur radio contact with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2026. To maximize the events, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed STEM engagement plan. Radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes.   Click here for proposal guidelines and forms. Partner Opportunities Earth Science Week 2025 Contests (Video, Photography, Visual Arts, Essay) Submission Deadline: Oct. 17 Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-For-Service Program Application Deadline: Dec. 5 Back to School Resources From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 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. Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email NASA Office of STEM Engagement We are engaging students in NASA’s exciting missions, broad range of careers, and unique opportunities. Visit nasa.gov/learning-resources/  Follow Us on Social Media The National Aeronautics and Space Administration As explorers, pioneers, and innovators, we boldly expand frontiers in air and space to inspire and serve America and to benefit the quality of life on Earth. Visit nasa.gov Follow NASA

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