NASA EXPRESS -- Your STEM Connection for Sept. 25, 2025

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

NASA STEM Engagement International Observe the Moon Night On Saturday, Oct. 4, everyone on Earth is invited to celebrate International Observe the Moon Night! This annual event encourages participants to observe and learn about the Moon together, and to honor cultural and personal connections with our nearest celestial neighbor.  Attend or host a virtual or in-person event in your community, or observe with your family, friends, neighbors, or on your own. Start planning with the resources below: Explore creative ways to observe the Moon. Find hands-on, Moon-related activities. Download Moon maps for this year's event. Virtual Learning Opportunities Webinar: Pathways to Careers at NASA – Subject Matter Experts Involved in Lunar Science and Exploration Registration Deadline: Monday, Sept. 29 Event Date: Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 1 p.m. EDT Contact: paige.v.graff@nasa.gov   Curious about pathways to STEM careers at NASA? Join the NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) team for a webinar featuring subject matter experts (SMEs) Sara Schmidt, Juliane Gross, and Trevor Graff. Learn about their backgrounds, hobbies and interests, educational and professional journeys, and more! Additionally, hear our speakers’ reflections about the Moon as we look ahead to the annual International Observe the Moon Night celebration on Saturday, Oct. 4.   SME presentations will be followed by an optional ~20 minute Q&A session. This event is designed for educator-led student groups, college students and professors, and formal/informal educators.   Click here to register. Virtual Career Connection: Be Part of Building the Future of Flight Registration Deadline: Monday, Oct. 6 Event Date: Thursday, Oct. 9, at 1 p.m. EDT Contact: hq-virtual-engagements@mail.nasa.gov   Join us for a virtual event exploring some of the exciting career opportunities behind NASA’s most advanced aircraft program. NASA's Quesst mission, which features the one-of-a-kind X-59 aircraft, will demonstrate technology to fly faster than the speed of sound without generating loud sonic booms.   This event will focus on the careers responsible for bringing the X-59 from concept to reality – from aerospace engineers and materials scientists to experts in the trades. See how hands-on skills transform designs into real aircraft and learn about career “flight paths” to these exciting roles. Following the presentation, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the presenter’s career journey.   Click here to register. Are You Up for a Challenge? 2026 NASA Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Competition Notice of Intent Deadline: Monday, Oct. 13 Q&A Session: Monday, 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. Click here to learn more. 2026 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition Notice of Intent Deadline: Nov. 4 Information Session: Nov. 20 Proposal and Video Submission Deadline: Feb. 16, 2026 Contact: BlueSkies@nianet.org   NASA’s 2026 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition asks collegiate student teams to conceptualize novel aviation maintenance advancements that can be implemented by 2035 or sooner with the goal of improving efficiency, safety, and costs for the industry. Concepts should address pressing industry challenges and opportunities – such as aging aircraft, increasing operational costs, and staffing shortages, while integrating novel technologies and solutions.   Proposed concepts should focus primarily on the aviation maintenance area being addressed (e.g., predictive maintenance, advanced monitoring, compliance checks, etc.). Solutions may leverage automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, augmented/virtual reality, or other emerging technologies, and should clearly demonstrate end-user applications, system operations, and potential integration with or replacement of existing systems.   Teams from community colleges and technical colleges are encouraged to apply. Click here to learn more. More to Explore Preschool Activities With NASA’s Traveler Contact: kelly.ramos@nasa.gov   Launch into some learning fun with new activities from the NASA Universe team! Explore big ideas with little learners using these easy, printable activities designed to spark curiosity, build early skills, and introduce preschoolers to the wonders of the cosmos through play-based learning. From counting stars to matching black holes, each activity blends fun with foundational skills. Just print and play!   For more informative and fun activities – from coloring pages to quirky videos – visit the Fun Exploring the Universe page.  Partner Opportunities Earth Science Week 2025 Contests (Video, Photography, Visual Arts, Essay) Submission Deadline: Friday, Oct. 17 Become a 2025 Planet Steward Application Deadline: Dec. 15 U.S. Geological Survey: Virtual Classroom Visits Requests Now Open 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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