Here’s something for your kiddos to work on while they’re on holiday break. NASA is taking remote learning to an even higher level, it’s taking it to the Moon! Think about what it would be like if you were living with a group of astronauts 250,000 miles from Earth.
NASA, in partnership with Future Engineers, launched the Artemis Moon Pod Essay Contest.
The contest, open to U.S. students in grades K-12, will run through Dec. 17, 2020, challenging students to imagine leading a one-week expedition to the Moon’s South Pole.
Imagine you and a crew of astronauts exploring the surface of the moon, making discoveries to assist future explorers. Describe your team — the number of astronauts in your crew, the skills they possess, their personality traits, and the attributes you would want in crewmates. Next, what machine, piece of technology, or robot would you leave behind on the lunar surface to help future astronauts explore the Moon?
To enter the contest, students must submit their essays by Dec 17.
The essays will be divided into three groups, for judging by grade level – K-4, 5-8, and 9-12.
Grades K-4: Essay, up to 100 words
Grades 5-8: Essay, up to 200 words
Grades 9-12: Essay, up to 300 words
Please DO NOT put your name in your entry
For all entry requirements and judging criteria please read ALL THE RULES
Students can sign up individually at the contest site or teachers can register their entire class.
Every student who submits an essay will receive an official certificate and be invited to a NASA virtual event featuring an astronaut! Semifinalists will be invited to represent their state or territory in a series of Artemis Explorer sessions with NASA experts. Nine finalists will have the opportunity to travel with a parent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center next summer to learn about lunar exploration. The national winner in each grade division will win a family trip to see the first Artemis flight test, watching the most powerful rocket in the world launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
