NASA EXPRESS -- Your STEM Connection for May 21, 2026

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

NASA STEM Engagement STEMonstration: Mass Distribution Have you ever kicked a soccer ball and wondered why it curves, spins, or sometimes wobbles? Distribution of mass plays a part!   Engineers carefully design soccer balls so they fly smoothly whether they’re being kicked in your backyard or in the World Cup. In the latest STEMonstration video, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir aboard the International Space Station explains the science hidden inside every ball.  Watch the video, then make a classroom connection to mass distribution with a hands-on activity from Orion’s Quest. In partnership with NASA and Adidas, they've developed a lesson that lets students explore how soccer balls behave when spinning under Earth gravity versus microgravity. Explore the same balance and mass distribution factors that Adidas used to design the soccer balls used in 2026 World Cup play.   Click here to explore more STEMonstrations and activities. Online Learning Opportunity Night Sky Network Webinar: Moon Joy – Science From Artemis II Event Date: Tuesday, May 26, at 9 p.m. EDT Contact: info@universe-of-learning.org   The Artemis II mission captivated science enthusiasts around the world and captured a treasure trove of lunar surface observations that will spawn new discoveries.   Join the NASA Night Sky Network for a webinar featuring planetary scientist Dr. Ryan Watkins. Learn about her role helping to plan the observations taken by the Artemis II astronauts during their lunar flyby and the lunar science of the mission.   Click here to learn more. Higher Education Opportunities Call for Proposals: Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology Pre-proposal Teleconference: Thursday, May 28, at 1 p.m. EDT Proposal Deadline: Tuesday, July 14 Contact: HQ-FINESST@mail.nasa.gov   NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) seeks proposals from accredited U.S. universities or other grant-eligible organizations for research grants to begin no earlier than 2027. Each proposal must identify a graduate student as a future investigator. Projects must contribute to SMD’s science, technology, and exploration goals. Proposals may request funding for up to three years.   For full details and proposal requirements, visit the FINESST website and read the document starting with “F.5.” NASA Psyche Inspired Internship Application Deadline: Friday, Aug. 28 Contact: https://psyche.ssl.berkeley.edu/contact/   NASA's Psyche mission invites full-time, enrolled undergraduate students majoring in any subject at universities and community colleges in the U.S. and its territories to apply to become part of this year’s cohort of Psyche Inspired interns. Psyche Inspired brings undergraduate students together to share the excitement, innovation, and scientific and engineering content of NASA’s Psyche mission with the public through artistic and creative works. Citizen Science: Become a Shock Detective Earth is constantly immersed in a stream of charged particles flowing outward from the Sun: the solar wind. As this fast-moving solar wind encounters Earth’s magnetic field, it creates a massive shock wave in space – stretching hundreds of thousands of miles beyond our planet. Volunteers are needed to help scientists examine NASA data about this “bow shock” as part of a new research project: Shock Detectives. You can help by identifying patterns in data from NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. What we learn here may help us better understand how other stars affect their orbiting planets. Click here to get started. Partner Opportunities Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Family Day: Innovations in Flight Event Date: Saturday, June 13, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. EDT NOAA Ocean Guardian School Application Deadline: Wednesday, July 1 2026 U.S. Department of Energy Scholars Program Application Deadline: Monday, Aug. 17 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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