NASA EXPRESS -- Your STEM Connection for May 28, 2026

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

NASA STEM Engagement Watch Astronaut Answer Students' Questions What kind of noises do you hear on the International Space Station? What do you eat and drink in space? How do you feel before leaving Earth? Tune in TODAY at 11:05 a.m. EDT to watch NASA astronaut Jessica Meir answer these questions and more from K-12 students in New York. Click here to watch the event as it's broadcast live from the space station. Interested in hosting a downlink? Visit the In-Flight STEM Downlinks website to learn how your school, community college, university, or organization can chat with astronauts in space. Make a STEM Connection: What Is AI? Artificial intelligence is all around us – helping as a virtual assistant for daily life, working as a tool for scientists, and shaping the careers of tomorrow.  But what is AI? The NASA Knows: What Is AI? article for students answers this question and more. Find out how NASA is using artificial intelligence and learn about careers that use this innovative tool. Ready to learn more? Check out AI at NASA: Unlocking the Future of Exploration, a video featuring NASA AI expert Martin Garcia. Watch as he answers students’ questions and explains how the agency is using AI as a powerful tool to progress humanity’s exploration and understanding of the cosmos. Then, visit The Future of Discovery website to explore how AI is helping astronomers quickly classify objects, detect unusual patterns, and make new discoveries hidden in the vast datasets collected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Are You Up for a Challenge? NASA TechLeap Prize – Robotically Manipulated Payload Challenge Registration Deadline: Wednesday, July 29 Application Deadline: Wednesday, Aug. 12 Contact: hello@nasatechleap.org   Managed by NASA's Flight Opportunities program, this challenge aims to advance persistent infrastructure for in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing. Applicants are invited to propose payloads that can interact with, be manipulated by, or be reconfigured by a robotic arm in low Earth orbit.   Up to three winners will be selected, with the opportunity to win up to $500,000 each across three phases. NASA intends to fly these payloads aboard an orbital spacecraft that will rendezvous with the Fly Foundational Robots (FFR) platform. The FFR mission is expected to launch in late 2027, and the TechLeap payloads are slated to launch in early 2028. Visit the challenge website to read the application requirements, rules, technical guidelines, and scoring rubric that will be used to assess all valid applications. Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table Registration Deadline: Friday, July 31 Entry Deadline: Friday, Aug. 14 Contact: hq-stmd-centennialchallenges@mail.nasa.gov   As NASA plans for deep space missions that could last months or years, new ways to feed astronauts that are independent of Earth must be developed. The Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table is a global competition inviting chefs, innovators, culinary experts, higher-education students, and citizen scientists to design a complete, Earth-independent food system for long-duration space missions.   U.S. participants will compete for part of a prize purse of up to $750,000 from NASA. International teams are also eligible to participate and receive recognition. Click here to learn more. More to Explore Explore Art and Astronomy With Cosmic Canvas From NASA's Universe of Learning   Looking for ways to explore art and astronomy in your library, science center, museum, or other lifelong learning space? Use the Cosmic Canvas Program Guides from NASA's Universe of Learning to run 90-minute programs or individual activities about exoplanets and stellar evolution.   Each Cosmic Canvas activity blends art and astronomy to spark curiosity, and includes step-by-step instructions, background science information and videos, tips and adaptations, and free downloadable materials.   Visit the Program Guides page to learn more and get started. Partner Opportunities National Academies Webinar: Generative AI in Mathematics Education Event Date: Thursday, June 25, at 8 p.m. EDT National STEM Festival: Open Build Day (Free Public Expo, All Ages) Event Date: Saturday, June 27 (Registration Required) STEM Next:  Challenge Based Learning Activity Bundle 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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