Design Challenge Report Archives

Texas Space Grant’s Design Challenge is a biannual student competition that allows for teams of undergraduate students to work on a project aligned with NASA’s goals while working under the guidance of a faculty advisor and NASA mentor. At the end of each showcase, student teams submit their Final Reports detailing their experiences and projects. In the upcoming weeks, the TSGC team will be uploading previous years’ Final Reports to our website for future teams to access.

USRA Distinguished Undergraduate Awards

Applications for the Universities Space Research Association’s (USRA) Distinguished Undergraduate Awards are open! The program awards five one-year undergraduate scholarships in amounts of $5,000. The USRA Distinguished Undergraduate Awards recognizes outstanding students who have a career interest in the physical sciences, engineering, or life sciences with an emphasis on space research, space science education, or aerospace-related sciences or engineering. Applicants must be juniors or seniors in the upcoming Fall 2024 semester to be considered.

Applications are due August 7th. Click here to learn more about the program and for application details.

NASA Next Gen STEM Career Day

NASA has big plans for exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond; but they’ll need more astronauts, engineers, and scientists to accomplish their goals. NASA’s Next Gen STEM Project will be hosting a virtual Back-to-School Career Day to invite students to learn more about what a career with NASA would be like. From September 23-27, students will be able to take virtual tours of NASA facilities, check out the NASA Recess Station, and attend live panels with NASA employees. This event will run from September 23-27, and registered educators will have event-day and extended on-demand access to the presentations and materials for up to two weeks.

The registration deadline is September 5, 2024. To learn more about how to get your classroom involved, register here on NASA Stem Gateway.

UTRGV, UTSA Selected for NASA Research Support Awards

In NASA’s mission to inspire the Artemis Generation, 23 minority-serving institutions were awarded research funds to work directly on their STEM projects with guidance from subject matter experts in NASA’s mission directorates.

Two Texas institutions, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and The University of Texas San Antonio, were chosen to receive NASA’s support, resources, and guidance on their projects. The projects are as follows: Hydrodynamic Stability of Jets via Neural Networks (UTSA), Low-SWaP Water Electrolyzer for Lunar/Martian In-Situ Resource Utilization (UTSA), and Tuneable NanoEnergetic Microthruster Cartridges (UTRGV).

“It’s a daring task to return to the Moon then venture to Mars, but NASA is known to make the impossible possible. By funding partnerships such as MPLAN, and tapping into all pools of STEM resources, including MSIs, we are ensuring the future of our missions are in good hands,” said Shahra Lambert, NASA Senior Advisor for Engagement and Equity.

Click here to read NASA’s official press release.

This Month in Space

JULY 14, 1965
First Flyby of Mars
NASA’s Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to conduct a flyby reconnaissance of Mars. 228 days after its launch from Earth, Mariner 4 came within 6,000 miles of Mars’ surface and took the first close-up images of another planet from space.

JULY 20, 1969
First Humans Set Foot on the Moon
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle at the Tranquility Base. Armstrong would become the first person to step onto the Moon’s surface.