NASA EXPRESS -- Your STEM Connection for Sept. 24, 2026

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

NASA STEM Engagement NASA Student Challenges and Competitions The NASA Office of STEM Engagement’s Student Challenges and Competitions are agency-unique, immersive, academic-year experiences that task student teams with designing and creating innovative solutions for real-world space exploration missions and Earth-based applications. By tackling mission-critical problems or leveraging real NASA intellectual property, students are guided by agency and industry experts toward culminating showcase and testing events. These activities directly advance NASA missions and prepare tomorrow’s aerospace workforce while equipping students with essential technical, entrepreneurial, and career skills. Ready to get started? The opportunities below are open now! NASA Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students (SUITS) Design Challenge Information Sessions: Thursday, Sept. 24, at 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 5 p.m. EDT Proposal Deadline: Thursday, Oct. 22 Contact: NASA-SUITS@mail.nasa.gov NASA SUITS is preparing tomorrow’s aerospace workforce!    In the NASA SUITS challenge, college/university student teams design and create autonomous systems and displays for spacesuits. These systems will aid NASA astronauts as they expand scientific and commercial activity on the lunar surface to advance the development of the Moon Base.   After developing their software, selected student teams will travel to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to test their prototypes.    Click here for full challenge descriptions and requirements. 2027 Micro-g Neutral Buoyancy Experiment Design Teams (Micro-g NExT) Next Information Session: Tuesday, Sept. 29 Proposal Deadline: Tuesday, Oct. 27 Contact: jsc-reducedgravity@nasa.gov   Micro-g NExT challenges undergraduate students to design, build, and test a tool or device that addresses an authentic, current space exploration challenge.   The 2027 Micro-g NExT challenges focus on lunar operations and building the Moon Base. Selected teams will be paired with a NASA mentor to assist them as they iterate on their submitted design. During the culminating event, professional divers will test the student prototypes in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.   Click here for full challenge descriptions and requirements, along with login info for upcoming information sessions. Student Challenge: NASA ORBIT Registration Deadline: Monday, Nov. 16 Contact: hq-orbit@mail.nasa.gov   NASA’s Opportunities in Research, Business, Innovation, and Technology (ORBIT) challenge is a multi-phase innovation competition designed to empower university and college students to develop next-generation solutions that benefit life on Earth and in space.   Teams can choose from two challenge tracks: ● ORBIT Earth: Transform NASA patents into commercial products that solve problems on our home planet. ● ORBIT Space: Design next-generation technologies for space exploration.   Teams can also choose to bridge both tracks for additional award opportunities with the optional Integration Bonus.   Click here for full challenge descriptions and requirements. Higher Education Opportunities NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) Student Challenge Registration Deadline: Monday, Sept. 28 Contact: explore@nasa-ncas.org   Launch your space career with NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS). Across two phases, participate in live webinars, hear from NASA technical experts, explore NASA career pathways, and build your professional STEM career portfolio. Get career-focused training and hone valuable career skills and build in-demand technical skills that align with NASA workforce needs.   Click here to learn more. Center for Geospace Storms Graduate Fellows Application Deadline: Friday, Oct. 23 Contact: amy.keesee@unh.edu   The Center for Geospace Storms is launching a Graduate Fellows program that will select up to nine graduate fellows who will receive support to enhance their current research projects. Fellows will receive a stipend and present their project results at the CGS Annual Meeting in August 2027.   Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Click here to view a list of preferred research topics and application details. More Ways to Get Involved Help Scientists Train AI With the Artifact InSPECtor Project   Want to actively participate in NASA science? Join the new Artifact InSPECtor project and help train AI to identify errors and glitches in space telescope data. Your observations can directly contribute to research on dark energy and the expansion of the universe.   Anyone with a smartphone, tablet, or computer can help. Click here to learn more and get started. Partner Opportunities Save the Date: World Space Week 2026 Event Dates: Sunday, Oct. 4 - Saturday, Oct. 10 Earth Science Week 2026 Contests (Video, Photography, Visual Arts, Essay) Submission Deadline: Friday, Oct. 16 2026-2027 Conrad Challenge for Students Ages 13-18 Registration Deadline: Thursday, Oct. 29 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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