4 min read<\/p>\n
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Sitting](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/fo-techrise-01242024.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/figure>\nPictured here from left to right, Zephyr Proffitt and Tayah Day of Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Arizona work on building their experiment during last year\u2019s TechRise Student Challenge. <\/div>\nRed Mountain High School<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNASA is announcing 60 winning teams for its third TechRise Student Challenge, a nationwide contest to engage students in technology, science, and space exploration. The student teams will work together to turn their proposed science and technology experiments into reality ahead of NASA-sponsored suborbital flight tests this summer.<\/p>\n
The challenge opened for submissions in August to students in grades six through 12 at U.S. public, private, or charter schools, including those in U.S. territories. The winning teams include more than 490 students representing 46 states and territories. Their experiments will fly on one of two commercial suborbital flight platforms: a high-altitude balloon operated by World View of Tucson, Arizona, or the Xodiac rocket-powered lander operated by Astrobotic of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
\u201cCultivating creativity and curiosity and inspiring students to pursue STEM careers is one of NASA\u2019s most important missions,\u201d said\u00a0Prasun Desai, deputy associate administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.\u00a0\u201cTechRise is a unique opportunity that allows students to\u00a0gain\u00a0hands-on\u00a0knowledge\u00a0while developing real payloads for flight,\u00a0and it\u2019s an experience they\u00a0can\u00a0carry with them during their educational and early career journeys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winning proposals address a wide variety of science and technology challenges, including studying the effects of stratospheric conditions, such as solar and ionizing radiation on plant seeds; testing radiation shielding materials; and using sensors such as thermal cameras and lidar to map a simulated lunar surface. \u00a0<\/p>\n
A complete list of winning teams is available on the\u00a0<\/strong>TechRise<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>website.<\/strong><\/p>\nEach team will receive $1,500 to build their experiments, a flight box to house it, technical support from Future Engineers, and an assigned spot for their experiments on a suborbital flight test scheduled for this summer. The challenge is managed by NASA\u2019s Flight Opportunities program, which rapidly demonstrates technologies for space exploration, discovery, and the expansion of space commerce through suborbital testing with industry flight providers.<\/p>\n
Experiments tested on the high-altitude balloon will experience approximately four hours of flight time at approximately 70,000 feet with exposure to Earth\u2019s upper atmosphere, high-altitude radiation, and perspective views of Earth. During flight, they will experience the stratosphere\u2019s unique thermal and atmospheric environment, providing conditions that ground-based testing cannot replicate. The high-altitude balloon will also allow payloads to observe the surface below them and collect data on land features such as vegetation and bodies of water.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those tested on the lander will fly for approximately two minutes at an altitude of 80 feet over Astrobotic\u2019s Lunar Surface Proving Ground, a test field designed to simulate the Moon\u2019s surface, located at Astrobotic\u2019s test site at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California. During flight, payloads will be able to collect information on the features of the simulated lunar surface and discover hidden objects. Student experiments can also study the physics and characteristics of the lander\u2019s flight environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am most excited about the hands-on experience that building the NASA TechRise experiment will offer my students,\u201d said Amy Becker, TechRise educator lead for the winning team from Clear Creek Middle School in Ellijay, Georgia. \u201cThey will not only acquire technical knowledge but also learn essential skills like effective communication and critical thinking. The prospect of seeing their ideas materialize into a tangible project, one that will ascend about 70,000 feet into the stratosphere, is both thrilling and educational.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A group of approximately 200 volunteer judges with expertise in engineering, space, and Earth science reviewed entries and selected the nationwide winners. Judges evaluated proposals based on experiment originality, its impact on education or society, feasibility within the allotted timeframe and budget, and the quality of the build plan. Criteria were also designed to encourage equitable student participation and geographic representation, and scoring included additional points for Title I-eligible schools. <\/p>\n
Managed by NASA\u2019s Flight Opportunities<\/a>\u00a0program at the agency\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center<\/a> in Edwards, California, and administered by Future Engineers, TechRise is designed to inspire a deeper understanding of Earth\u2019s atmosphere, surface features, and climate. It also provides students the opportunity to learn more about space exploration, coding, electronics, and the value of test data. TechRise is one of many\u00a0NASA Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing efforts<\/a>\u202fwithin STMD offering opportunities to participate in America\u2019s space program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
<\/figure>NASA is announcing 60 winning teams for its third TechRise Student Challenge, a nationwide contest to engage students in technology, science, and space exploration. The student teams will work together to turn their proposed science and technology experiments into reality ahead of NASA-sponsored suborbital flight tests this summer.<\/p>\n
The challenge opened for submissions in August to students in grades six through 12 at U.S. public, private, or charter schools, including those in U.S. territories. The winning teams include more than 490 students representing 46 states and territories. Their experiments will fly on one of two commercial suborbital flight platforms: a high-altitude balloon operated by World View of Tucson, Arizona, or the Xodiac rocket-powered lander operated by Astrobotic of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
\u201cCultivating creativity and curiosity and inspiring students to pursue STEM careers is one of NASA\u2019s most important missions,\u201d said\u00a0Prasun Desai, deputy associate administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.\u00a0\u201cTechRise is a unique opportunity that allows students to\u00a0gain\u00a0hands-on\u00a0knowledge\u00a0while developing real payloads for flight,\u00a0and it\u2019s an experience they\u00a0can\u00a0carry with them during their educational and early career journeys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winning proposals address a wide variety of science and technology challenges, including studying the effects of stratospheric conditions, such as solar and ionizing radiation on plant seeds; testing radiation shielding materials; and using sensors such as thermal cameras and lidar to map a simulated lunar surface. \u00a0<\/p>\n
A complete list of winning teams is available on the\u00a0<\/strong>TechRise<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>website.<\/strong><\/p>\n Each team will receive $1,500 to build their experiments, a flight box to house it, technical support from Future Engineers, and an assigned spot for their experiments on a suborbital flight test scheduled for this summer. The challenge is managed by NASA\u2019s Flight Opportunities program, which rapidly demonstrates technologies for space exploration, discovery, and the expansion of space commerce through suborbital testing with industry flight providers.<\/p>\n Experiments tested on the high-altitude balloon will experience approximately four hours of flight time at approximately 70,000 feet with exposure to Earth\u2019s upper atmosphere, high-altitude radiation, and perspective views of Earth. During flight, they will experience the stratosphere\u2019s unique thermal and atmospheric environment, providing conditions that ground-based testing cannot replicate. The high-altitude balloon will also allow payloads to observe the surface below them and collect data on land features such as vegetation and bodies of water.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those tested on the lander will fly for approximately two minutes at an altitude of 80 feet over Astrobotic\u2019s Lunar Surface Proving Ground, a test field designed to simulate the Moon\u2019s surface, located at Astrobotic\u2019s test site at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California. During flight, payloads will be able to collect information on the features of the simulated lunar surface and discover hidden objects. Student experiments can also study the physics and characteristics of the lander\u2019s flight environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI am most excited about the hands-on experience that building the NASA TechRise experiment will offer my students,\u201d said Amy Becker, TechRise educator lead for the winning team from Clear Creek Middle School in Ellijay, Georgia. \u201cThey will not only acquire technical knowledge but also learn essential skills like effective communication and critical thinking. The prospect of seeing their ideas materialize into a tangible project, one that will ascend about 70,000 feet into the stratosphere, is both thrilling and educational.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n A group of approximately 200 volunteer judges with expertise in engineering, space, and Earth science reviewed entries and selected the nationwide winners. Judges evaluated proposals based on experiment originality, its impact on education or society, feasibility within the allotted timeframe and budget, and the quality of the build plan. Criteria were also designed to encourage equitable student participation and geographic representation, and scoring included additional points for Title I-eligible schools. <\/p>\n Managed by NASA\u2019s Flight Opportunities<\/a>\u00a0program at the agency\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center<\/a> in Edwards, California, and administered by Future Engineers, TechRise is designed to inspire a deeper understanding of Earth\u2019s atmosphere, surface features, and climate. It also provides students the opportunity to learn more about space exploration, coding, electronics, and the value of test data. TechRise is one of many\u00a0NASA Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing efforts<\/a>\u202fwithin STMD offering opportunities to participate in America\u2019s space program.<\/p>\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n