GAMA Aviation Design Challenge Registration Now Open
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) is sponsoring the Aviation Design Challenge to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education through aviation curriculum and a virtual fly-off in high schools across the United States.
Teachers will guide students through the science of flight and airplane design, completing the curricula in approximately six weeks in the classroom or in four weeks through an accelerated program. Each high school will apply what they have learned by modifying the design of an airplane. The schools will then compete in a virtual fly-off scored on aerodynamic and performance parameters while flying a specific mission profile.
Registration closes on December 19 or when all slots are filled.
Learn to Grow Crops on the Moon or Mars – Plant The Moon Deadline Approaches
The Plant the Moon Challenge is a global science experiment and research competition challenging K-12 students to help NASA learn how to grow crops on the Moon or Mars. Teams are given kits of simulated lunar or Martian soil and tasked to design experiments that help demonstrate what crops will grow the best. Students get hands-on with lunar and Martian soil simulant – just like NASA scientists use to help prepare for future missions.
To receive funding support from TSGC, apply at the link below before December 14.
Help Create the Future of Lunar Construction – Build The Moon Applications Close Soon
Help NASA explore how lunar regolith could be used in the construction of future lunar habitats! The Build the Moon Challenge (BTMC) engages students in designing their own lunar concrete using Lunar regolith simulant. BTMC is structured into three fundamental parts: (1) students experiment with different Regolith Concrete Mixtures to see what works the best, (2) students create various habitat infrastructure pieces, and (3) Design: students design a Lunar Habitat using their concrete mixture to improve its construction and mission parameters.
To receive funding support from TSGC, apply at the link below before December 14.
2026 NASA Heliophysics Summer School Now Accepting Applications
The NASA Heliophysics Summer School is a unique educational experience with hands-on learning and lectures focusing on the physics of space weather events that start at the Sun and influence atmospheres, ionospheres, and magnetospheres throughout the solar system.
Applicants must be majoring in a field related to heliophysics and be pursuing a career in heliophysics or astrophysics. There is no tuition cost for the event, and each participant receives full travel support to attend.
Applications close on January 31.
Dreaming Big, Teaching Bigger: Tomball Educator Chosen for Embedded Teacher Program
When Jessica Schilder attended the Space Exploration Educator Conference (SEEC) in February 2022, she walked away with a new mission: to bring the wonder of space exploration into her classroom. Sitting in on a workshop led by the Embedded Teacher Program (ETP) team, she was struck by their enthusiasm and dedication. “I walked away from that experience thinking, I’m going to do that,” she recalls. Schilder began organizing star parties with the North Houston Astronomy Club, encouraged students to participate in national competitions, and designed lessons that sparked curiosity on a larger scale.
For Schilder, being selected for the Embedded Teacher Program is more than a professional milestone—it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. “This program means I am living a dream that I have had since I was 10 years old,” she explains. As a child, she dreamed of becoming an astronaut or astrophysicist but doubted her abilities. Now, she sees her role as ensuring that no student feels the same way. “It is my goal to make sure every student knows that it IS possible and you ARE smart enough,” she emphasizes.
Schilder is determined to make her students integral participants in her journey. She plans to share every step of the experience, from developing experiments for the flight to launching high-altitude balloons and even working toward cubesat development. “I want them to feel like they are integral participants as much as I am,” she says. “This is just the beginning, not a one-and-done.”
Her vision extends beyond her own classroom. Schilder hopes to collaborate with junior high teachers to start similar programs, creating a ripple effect of inspiration across her district.
As she prepares for the workshop and parabolic flight, Schilder is most excited about experiencing weightlessness and seeing her students’ experiment in action. “Being able to experience a part of what it is like to be an astronaut is a dream come true for me,” she says.
Looking ahead, Schilder envisions this experience as a catalyst for bigger projects and deeper engagement. She dreams of one day launching a cubesat with her students, giving them the chance to participate in real science. “The more passion I bring into my classroom, the more my students see the possibilities they have,” she reflects. “They teach me as much as I teach them.”
Her philosophy is simple: excitement fuels learning. “The more I’m excited, the better I teach and the more my students thrive. They teach me as much as I teach them.”
Her advice to other educators is simple yet powerful: find inspiration in fellow space educators and never forget that science should be fun.
This is the first part of NASA Texas Space Grant’s Embedded Teacher Program series. This series will follow two Texas educators – Jessica Schilder and Stephanie Hanover – as they participate in the program with flight campaign sponsorship from NASA TSGC. Additional entries will be announced in future newsletters or can be found on our news page here.
THIS MONTH IN SPACE
December 4, 1998
THE ISS BEGINS
The crew of space shuttle mission STS-88 began construction of the International Space Station, attaching the U.S.-built Unity node and the Russian-built Zarya module together in orbit.
December 24, 1968
CHRISTMAS AT THE MOON
Millions around the world were watching and listening as the Apollo 8 astronauts—Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders – became the first humans to orbit another world. This mission would also result in the “Earthrise” image snapped by Anders.
December 25, 2004
CASSINI SAYS GOODBYE TO HUYGENS
The Huygens module traveled with Cassini until its separation from the probe on December 25. Huygens would become the first landing accomplished in the Outer Solar System and the first landing on a moon other than Earth.