NASA ‘s fourth annual Power to Explore student competition started on November 7, 2024. The science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM) competition invites kindergarten through 12th grade students in the United States to learn about radioisotope power systems, a type of nuclear power battery that is an integral part of many of NASA’s far-reaching space missions.
Students are invited to write an essay about a new nuclear mission to any satellite in the solar system of their choice. Essays will be accepted until January 31, 2025.
Because of the cold temperatures, long nights, and deep craters that never see sunlight on many satellites, including our own, missions to them could use a special kind of power: radioisotope power systems. These power systems have helped NASA explore the harshest, darkest, and dusty parts of our solar system and have allowed spacecraft to study its many satellites.
“Sending spacecraft into space is hard, and it’s even harder to send them into the extreme conditions that surround the diverse satellites of our solar system,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. “The NASA Power to Explore Student Competition provides an incredible opportunity for our next generation – the future explorers – to design their own bold missions using science, technology, engineering and math to explore space and discover new scientific knowledge for the benefit of all, while unleashing the incredible creative power within themselves. We look forward to seeing what the students come up with!”
Entries should describe in detail where the students will go, what they will investigate, and how they will use radioisotope power systems to make a mission on a dusty, dark, or distant Moon a success.
The judges will consider entries in three age categories: K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Student entries should not exceed 275 words and should include information about the mission destination, mission goals, and describe one of the student’s unique abilities that will help the mission.
One grand prize winner from each category will receive a trip for two to NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland to learn about the people and technology that make NASA’s missions possible. Each student who submits an entry will receive a digital certificate and an invitation to a virtual event with NASA experts where they will learn about what drives NASA employees to dream big and explore.
Judges are needed
NASA and Future Engineers are looking for volunteers to help judge thousands of entries from across the country. Interested U.S. residents over the age of 18 who can volunteer approximately three hours to review the entries should register on the Future Engineers website.
The Power to Explore student competition is funded by the Radioisotope Energy Systems Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and is managed and administered by Future Engineers under the direction of the NASA Tournament Laboratory, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program of NASA’s Space Technology Directorate.
