NASA EXPRESS -- Your STEM Connection for Oct. 8, 2026

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

NASA STEM Engagement 2026 NASA Space Apps Challenge Discovery awaits at the 2026 NASA Space Apps Challenge: The Next Frontier! Join NASA and a community of technologists and space science enthusiasts for the world’s largest annual hackathon on Nov. 14-15. Participants use NASA and space agency partners’ open data to address the most pressing challenges scientists face in Earth and space exploration. The hackathon is a great way to expand your STEM skills and build relationships within the space and technology community. This year's challenges include: Build a Junior Astronaut Mission Trainer Your challenge is to design and build an interactive game or app that lets students run a lunar or Martian outpost, balancing competing demands so they experience firsthand the decisions that determine whether a mission fails or succeeds. Space Mission Design Game Your challenge is to create an interactive game that allows participants to design, manage, and simulate a complete space mission while making engineering decisions, managing limited resources, and evaluating how each choice shapes the success of their mission. Abandoned but Not Forgotten: Storytelling About NASA's Discarded Equipment on the Moon and Mars Since the 1960s, NASA has left hardware across the solar system. Your challenge is to tell the story of this equipment to introduce school-age space enthusiasts to the hardware and science it made possible. Visit the Space Apps Challenge website to see descriptions for all 14 challenges, find the one that matches your interests, and register today! Higher Education Opportunities 2027 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition Notice of Intent Deadline: Monday, Oct. 12 Proposal and Video Submission Deadline: Feb. 22, 2027 Contact: BlueSkies@nianet.org   NASA’s 2027 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition is seeking ideas for innovative airborne platforms for inspecting land-based infrastructure that can be implemented by 2035 with the goal of improving safety, reliability, efficiency, and cost. The competition is open to teams of students from all academic fields and levels (freshman through graduate students) attending U.S. colleges and universities.   Based on reviews of proposals and two-minute video submissions, up to eight finalist teams will each receive $9,000 and advance to Phase 2, where they will present at a forum in May 2027. Winners will receive NASA Aeronautics internships in the academic year following the competition.   Click here to learn more. First Nations Launch Non-binding Notice of Intent Deadlines: Moon and Mars Engineering Challenges – Monday, Oct. 19 Gateway Challenge – Monday, Dec. 7 Contact: cbolz@carthage.edu   The annual First Nations Launch competition provides students attending Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTIs), and colleges or universities with active American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) collegiate chapters the opportunity to design, build, test, and fly high-power rockets while participating in a year-long engineering design competition. First Nations Launch inspires students to pursue careers in aerospace and STEM by providing an authentic engineering experience that mirrors professional aerospace development programs.    Don’t have any engineering, design, or rocketry skills yet? Students from all majors can sign up for the no-experience-necessary Gateway Challenge, where they’ll receive all the instruction and support they need to design, build, and fly their first rocket.   Click here to learn more and explore the three different challenge tracks. Online Learning Opportunities My NASA Data Fall 2026 Webinar Series Next Webinar Date: Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. EDT Contact: larc-mynasadata@mail.nasa.gov   Join the My NASA Data team for a series of webinars spotlighting tools and resources to enhance Earth science learning in grades 3-12 using educational materials available through the My NASA Data website.   The next webinar – My NASA Data: STEM Career Connections With Supplemental Lesson Plan – will explore STEM Career Connection lessons which include scientist background info, a short video, and activities where students match their own skills with those of a real scientist. The supplemental lesson plan uses a jigsaw activity where students share insights about different careers, connect their skills to the Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices, and design badges depicting themselves as future STEM professionals.   Click here to find details about the webinar series and register to attend. Connect With an Expert During GEO Virtual Visits   Are you interested in enhancing your Earth and space science lessons with STEM experts? Connect your students with the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) weather satellite program during a GEO Virtual Visit.   Through the magic of virtual learning, participants can interact with experts from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 30- to 45-minute-long live programs to learn more about how Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites observe weather from 22,236 miles above Earth’s equator.   Virtual Visits are open to schools, museums, science centers, and other educational organizations. Click here to learn more. More to Explore Collect Data for NASA During GLOBE's PACE Clouds Challenge Challenge Dates: Now through Thursday, Oct. 15 Contact: communications@nasaglobe.org   NASA’s PACE satellite – short for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem – is entering the phase of its mission when scientists are learning how to use the information it provides to study clouds and aerosols. NASA scientists working on the mission are asking for your help to collect cloud observations when the PACE satellite is passing over your location. Click here to learn more about the challenge and the PACE mission. Partner Opportunities Oak Ridge National Laboratory Research Student Internships Application Deadline: Wednesday, Oct. 28 GEM Fellowship Program Application Deadline: Friday, Nov. 13 U.S. Department of Education Careers in Your Community Challenge Submission Deadline: Thursday, Nov. 19 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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