Special Announcement

    Guidance for Education and Public Outreach Activities Under Sequestration

    NASA has taken the first steps in addressing the mandatory spending cuts called for in the Budget Control Act of 2011. The law mandates a series of indiscriminate and significant across-the-board spending reductions totaling $1.2 trillion over 10 years.

    As a result, NASA has been forced to implement a number of new cost-saving measures, policies, and reviews in order to minimize impacts to the mission-critical activities of the Agency. Guidance regarding conferences, travel, and training that reflect the new fiscal reality in which the agency must operate has been provided. For specific guidance as it relates to public outreach and engagement activities please reference the following webpage.

    › View Guidance for Education

NASA Informal Education Programs

    A woman stands next to a girl looking through a telescope

    Astronomy clubs are bringing the wonders of the universe to the public. Credit: NASA
    Students and educators may explore and experience unique space and aeronautics content through NASA's education opportunities for informal education. Learn about ways to interact with NASA engineers and scientists in the programs listed below.


    Click "Find out more" for further details and contact information. You can also view an alphabetical list of all student, educator and faculty programs.
    > View list



Program Descriptions

  • Aerospace Education Services Project

    [Educators Grades K-Higher Education]
    [Available: Nationally]
    AESP is a comprehensive project designed to reach out to the formal and informal education communities in all 50 states and the U.S. territories.

    › Find out More
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  • Astro Camp

    [Students Grades K-8]
    [Available: Nationally]
    Astro Camp is an exciting, week-long mission for children located in Bay St. Louis, MS. Each year, it has activities centered around a new space exploration theme.

    › Find out More
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  • Dropping In a Microgravity Environment

    [Educators & Students Grades 6-12]
    [Available: Nationally]
    The DIME competition challenges student teams to design, build, and operate microgravity experiments in a NASA drop tower.

    › Find out More
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  • Education Outreach Project at Johnson Space Center

    [Educators & Students Grades K-Higher Education]
    [Available: TX]
    Volunteers participate in various outreach opportunities, including lecturing or performing hands-on activities in the classroom, career shadowing, tutoring, mentoring and judging science fairs. Students must live within a 50-mile radius of JSC.

    › Find out More
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  • Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

    [Faculty Higher Education]
    [Available: Nationally]
    Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, establishes partnerships with government, higher education and industry that are designed to effect lasting improvements in a state's or region's research infrastructure, R&D capacity and hence, its national R&D competitiveness.

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  • Exploring Project

    [Students Grades 9-12]
    [Available: OH]
    Exploring increases student awareness of aeronautics, computer technology, balloon satellites and careers in each field. Exploring involves students in the designing, building and testing of projects.

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  • FIRST Robotics

    [Students Grades 9-12]
    [Available: Nationally]
    The FIRST Robotics Competition is an exciting, multinational competition that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way.

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  • Interdisciplinary National Science Project Incorporating Research and Education Experience

    [Students Grades 9-12 and Higher Education]
    [Available: Nationally]
    NASA will engage selected students in its mission through multiple experiences in hands-on activities and internships designed to maximize their involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, education.

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  • NASA Explorer Schools

    [Educators Grades 4-12]
    [Available: Nationally]
    The NES Project is NASA's classroom-based gateway for middle and high school students in grades 4-12. The project provides unique learning experiences designed around NASA's missions while promoting student engagement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics based on NASA’s resources.

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  • NASA Innovations in Climate Education

    [Educators Grades K-Higher Education]
    [Available: Nationally]
    NASA Innovations in Climate Education, or NICE, is designed to improve the quality of the nation's STEM education and enhance students' and teachers' literacy about global climate and Earth system change, from elementary grades to lifelong learners.

    › Find out More
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  • National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program

    [Faculty and Students Higher Education]
    [Available: Nationally]
    This program provides NASA funding for space-related research, education and public service projects through a national network of 52 university-based Space Grant consortia.

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  • Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy

    [Students Grades K-12]
    [Available: CA, FL, GA, IN, MD, MI, NM, NY, NC, OH, SD, TN, TX, VA and WV]
    The NASA SEMAA project is comprised of three unique, core components that collectively engage K-12 students, parents and adult family members, and teachers in exciting science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, opportunities.

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  • Student Launch Projects

    [Students Grades 7-12 & Higher Education]
    [Available: Nationally]
    SLP challenges students to design, build and launch a reusable rocket with a scientific or engineering payload to one mile above ground level. The project engages students in scientific research and real-world engineering with NASA engineers.

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  • Summer of Innovation

    [Educators Grades 4-9]
    [Available: Nationally]
    NASA's Summer of Innovation, or SoI, leverages current NASA research and discovery as a powerful context for student learning. The Summer of Innovation inspires middle school students and sparks their imaginations by using the excitement of NASA's missions. In partnership with organizations across the country, NASA hopes to test and expand models that are proven to make a difference.

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  • Workforce Coalition: Education Task Force

    [Educators K-Higher Education]
    [Available: Nationally]
    The Workforce Coalition task force will use a systems approach to engage community stakeholders in facilitating partnerships to build skills needed for the workforce.

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