Arizona/NASA Space Grant Consortium

Arizona/NASA Space Grant Consortium We are a NASA-sponsored organization dedicated to promoting STEM education in Arizona.

Our consortium, led by a statewide team of managers and affiliate representatives, is part of The National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, established by Congress in 1989. Space Grant contributes to the nation's science enterprise by implementing research, education and public service projects through a national network of university-based Space Grant consortia. Nationally, the Space G

rant network has 830 affiliate members from academia, industry, government agencies, the military and nonprofit institutions. 31 of these are partners of Arizona's Space Grant Consortium.

🚀 Meet Eli Martin, one of Arizona Space Grant's NASA Center Interns this summer!Most NASA Center internships began this ...
06/17/2026

🚀 Meet Eli Martin, one of Arizona Space Grant's NASA Center Interns this summer!
Most NASA Center internships began this week and will run for 12 weeks this summer. When funding is available, the Arizona Space Grant Consortium is proud to support Arizona students in internship opportunities at NASA centers across the country. This year, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University–Prescott is sponsoring Eli as he spends the summer at NASA Johnson Space Center. 🌎✨
Eli is an Aerospace Engineer working on Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), helping plan mission architectures and support the successful design, launch, and operation of human spaceflight missions.
🛰️ In Eli's words:
" Using models, I help plan mission architecture and ensure human missions are successfully launched and operated. Modeling also allows for pilot programs to be organized and connected with unique instrumentation early in development, allowing for new innovations to occur. I'm excited to work on projects that will develop new projects and ways to live in space.”
Join us in wishing Eli an incredible summer as he contributes to the future of human space exploration!

🚀 Congratulations to former University of Arizona Space Grant intern alumnus Joshua Nelson (Class of 2005), who has been...
06/15/2026

🚀 Congratulations to former University of Arizona Space Grant intern alumnus Joshua Nelson (Class of 2005), who has been honored with the prestigious NASA Silver Snoopy Award!

Joshua was recognized for his leadership of the Dragon Enhanced Pallet Seat team, which developed a specialized seat designed to safely return a fifth crew member aboard Dragon during emergency situations. He currently serves as an Integration Systems Engineer (ISE) at NASA Johnson Space Center.

The NASA Silver Snoopy Award is the astronauts’ personal recognition for employees who make exceptional contributions to flight safety and mission success. Fewer than 1% of the workforce receive this honor each year. Adding to its significance, every Silver Snoopy pin has flown in space and is presented by a member of the astronaut corps.

👏 We’re proud to celebrate Joshua’s achievement and the impact he continues to make in advancing human spaceflight.



Learn more about the Silver Snoopy Award at: https://www.nasa.gov/space-flight-awareness/silver-snoopy-award/

CALLING ALL EDUCATORS🚀 Join the Global Educators’ Summit (GES)! 🌍📚The Global Educators’ Summit (GES) is a two-day virtua...
06/12/2026

CALLING ALL EDUCATORS
🚀 Join the Global Educators’ Summit (GES)! 🌍📚

The Global Educators’ Summit (GES) is a two-day virtual conference bringing together leading minds in space and STEM education to share practical tools, real-world strategies, and forward-thinking approaches that can be implemented immediately in the classroom.

Designed for educators, program leaders, and curriculum developers, GES focuses on what actually works - cutting through theory to highlight new lesson plans, actionable teaching methods, emerging trends in STEM learning, and practical ways to adapt plans for your classroom.

Attendees will gain direct access to expert-led sessions, hands-on insights, and fresh perspectives from across the global STEM and space education community, all built to help you strengthen instruction, expand student curiosity, and bring cutting-edge science into everyday learning environments.

Learn more and register at: https://sites.grenadine.co/sites/amf/en/global-educators-summit

Join the Arizona Space Grant Consortium NAU/NASA Space Grant and AEON and meet astronauts and space pioneers in a family...
06/12/2026

Join the Arizona Space Grant Consortium NAU/NASA Space Grant and AEON and meet astronauts and space pioneers in a family STEM adventure with art, gaming, rockets, planetarium shows, and space missions!

SpaceFort: Asteroid Day Flagstaff is a joyful celebration of space, creativity, imagination, and family fun.

Join the Meteor Crater Education Alliance for an unforgettable space adventure where participants can interact with inspirational astronauts and space pioneers, ask the questions they have always wanted to ask, and learn directly from people who have helped shape the future of space exploration.

Guests will create space-inspired art with astronaut Nicole Stott, carry out exciting space missions using Kerbal Space Program with astrophysicist and gamer Scott Manley, and explore rockets, asteroids, and planetary defense with astronauts and space leaders Steve Smith and Ed Lu.

Families can also enjoy a planetarium, solar telescopes, rocket building, hands-on STEM activities, community partner stations, food trucks, raffles, and plenty of opportunities to imagine, create, explore, and have fun.

The event will also feature exciting raffle prizes, including space- and STEM-themed experiences and items. Guests can visit the science store for fun educational gifts, science kits, space-themed items, and more. Proceeds from the event, raffle, and science store sales will help support STEM outreach programs for students in Flagstaff.

Whether you are a student, parent, educator, space fan, gamer, artist, future scientist, or lifelong explorer, SpaceFort: Asteroid Day Flagstaff is your launchpad for discovery.

Learn more at: https://flagstaff365.com/event/spacefort-flagstaff-asteroid-day/

Have you seen the latest? Yesterday, NASA announced the four astronauts assigned to the Artemis III mission!• Randy Bres...
06/10/2026

Have you seen the latest? Yesterday, NASA announced the four astronauts assigned to the Artemis III mission!
• Randy Bresnik, commander (NASA)
• Luca Parmitano, pilot (ESA)
• Andre Douglas, mission specialist (NASA)
• Frank Rubio, mission specialist (NASA)

“Bresnik, 58, flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-129 in 2009 and then on a Soyuz mission in 2017 for a long-term stay on the International Space Station. Bresnik was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky, chosen as part of the 2004 class of NASA astronauts and retired with the rank of colonel from the United States Marine Corps.”
“Parmitano, 49, is a two-time spaceflight veteran having flown on Soyuz to the space station in 2013 and 2019. Born in Palermo, Sicily, Parmitano was chosen as an ESA astronaut in 2009 and is also a colonel in the Italian Air Force.”
“Rubio, 50, born in El Salvador but raised in Miami, spent nearly 371 days in space having flown to the space station on a Soyuz spacecraft in 2022 for what was supposed to be about a six-month stay, but ended up lasting more than a year after Roscosmos elected to send the damaged spacecraft home. His spaceflight holds the record for longest by an American. Chosen as a NASA astronaut in 2017, Rubio was previously a flight surgeon in the U.S. Army and also holds the rank of colonel.”
“Douglas, 40, a Miami native but raised in Chesapeake, Virginia, was NASA’s backup astronaut for the Artemis II mission. He was chosen as part of the 2021 class of astronauts and was previously a commander in the U.S. Coast Guard.”
Stay updated with the latest at nasa.gov!

Quotes: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/jun/09/nasa-unveils-4-astronauts-to-fly-on-artemis-iii-mi/
Photo: The Artemis III crew poses for an official portrait (from left: Andre Douglas, Luca Parmitano, Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio).
Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford

06/05/2026

The NASA ORBIT 2026 finalists have been announced, and Arizona State University is making an impressive showing with two finalist teams!
The NASA ORBIT Challenge empowers students to develop innovative solutions that advance NASA’s mission through two distinct pathways:
🌎 ORBIT Earth – Teams leverage NASA-owned patents or software to create products and services that address real-world challenges here on Earth.
🚀 ORBIT Space – Teams design mission-focused concepts that support current and future NASA exploration goals while addressing strategic needs in space.
We’re excited to recognize the two Arizona State University Teams:
⭐ Sol Invictus Engineering Team – Finalist, ORBIT Earth Track
⭐ Sun Devil Orbital Systems Team – Finalist, ORBIT Space Track
Congratulations to these outstanding teams and to all the finalists selected for this year’s competition! We look forward to seeing them present their ideas at the NASA ORBIT Pitch Showcase in Houston, Texas, this summer.

Learn more about NASA ORBIT at: https://nasaorbit.org/

🚀 Interested in the future of space exploration and astronomy?Join NASA on June 10 from 12:00–1:00 PM ET for a special w...
06/03/2026

🚀 Interested in the future of space exploration and astronomy?

Join NASA on June 10 from 12:00–1:00 PM ET for a special webinar introducing the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and upcoming opportunities for STEM organizations and community partners.

🔭 Learn about:
✨ The telescope's engineering and science goals
✨ Early mission operations
✨ Ways to collaborate around key mission milestones
✨ Resources and ideas for sharing Roman's story with communities across the country

📅 June 10, 2026
⏰ 12:00–1:00 PM ET

🎟️ Register via Eventbrite (link in bio) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-stem-and-public-engagement-webinar-tickets-1989242343398

🚀 What does it take to bring a sample back from an asteroid?This semester, University of Arizona Space Grant Fellow and ...
06/01/2026

🚀 What does it take to bring a sample back from an asteroid?
This semester, University of Arizona Space Grant Fellow and Lunar & Planetary Laboratory graduate student, Melissa Kontogiannis, brought the excitement of space exploration to nearly 80 students in grades 4–6 through a hands-on Sample Return Mission Development activity.
Inspired by NASA’s asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx, students worked in teams to design their own sample return missions, develop mission plans, and build protective capsules to safely return a mock sample (water balloons!) back to Earth. Along the way, they explored concepts in physics, engineering, teamwork, and the scientific process.
The activity connected cutting-edge asteroid research with real-world mission design, showing students that science and engineering are collaborative fields where everyone can contribute their unique talents. Students enthusiastically tackled engineering challenges, asked thoughtful questions, and demonstrated excellent teamwork throughout the project.
By combining creativity, critical thinking, and space exploration, this outreach event helped inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers. Way to go Melissa! 🌎🛰️✨

Photos: Melissa Kontogiannis interacting with students during her presentation about sample return missions.

🎪✨ Charlotte Zehnder, a UA graduate student pursuing a PhD in Physics, just finished her 2nd year as a Space Grant Fello...
05/27/2026

🎪✨ Charlotte Zehnder, a UA graduate student pursuing a PhD in Physics, just finished her 2nd year as a Space Grant Fellow and we want to give her a shout out for some of the unique and inspiring outreach work she’s done across the Tucson community!
In her first year as a Space Grant Fellow, Charlotte partnered with the Circus Academy of Tucson to create interactive workshops that teach physics through circus arts. Students explored projectile motion by learning to juggle; angular momentum by spinning on a trapeze to name a few.

This year, Charlotte expanded her “Circus Physics” curriculum and partnered with the Children’s Museum of Tucson and local school programs, adapting activities into classroom-friendly lessons for K–12 students.
Her goal: make introductory physics more engaging, intuitive, and accessible by combining science with creativity and movement. 💡

Check out some of the photos from this year’s Circus Physics event. Congratulations Charlotte and we can’t wait to see what’s next!

Photo credit: Charlotte Zehnder.

Photo 1: A circus academy volunteer is teaching some aerial silks tricks to participants on the left. Participants learn how center of mass is important to balancing in these shapes. On the right, people are learning about circular motion and periodic behavior while spinning poi (prop with string and colorful scarf at the end). In the back, participants learn about conservation of angular momentum while spinning plates.

Photo 2: Charlotte Zehnder’s view from the bungee station where she demonstrated conservation of energy.

🌌 MEET SPACE GRANT FELLOW SOPHIE LEBOWITZ 🌌✨ Graduate student in Astronomy & Steward Observatory🛰️ Researching supermass...
05/22/2026

🌌 MEET SPACE GRANT FELLOW SOPHIE LEBOWITZ 🌌
✨ Graduate student in Astronomy & Steward Observatory
🛰️ Researching supermassive black holes and galaxies with Dr. Kevin Hainline & Dr. Stephanie Juneau
🕳️ AZ Space Grant Fellowships are focused on funding graduate-level NASA-related research, while also supporting our fellows as they create and conduct unique scientific outreach and communication projects throughout the community. As part of her project, Sophie created “Discovering Black Holes” — an interactive, game-based learning experience designed to help students explore:
⭐ Black holes
⭐ Galaxies
⭐ Gravity & mass
⭐ Space systems
🚀 This lesson has expanded over time and now includes a hands-on galaxy investigation where students become astronomers and explore galaxy colors & shapes! Sophie is partnered with Braided STEM and the Children’s Museum Tucson to bring astronomy directly into Tucson schools!
💫 Goals of the project:
✨ Inspire curiosity about space
✨ Bring astronomy into local classrooms
✨ Support NGSS science learning
✨ Create free public resources for educators
✨ Help students discover a lifelong passion for science
Way to go, Sophie! 🌟 We’ve loved watching the positive impact you’ve made in the community over the past two years, and we can’t wait to see where your passion, creativity, and dedication take you next!
Pic 1. Space Grant Fellow, Sophie Lebowitz, guides 5th graders class at Centennial Elementary in conducting their own galaxy investigation to understand why evolving galaxies have different shapes and colors.
Pic 2. Space Grant Fellow, Sophie Lebowitz, teaches 5th graders at Centennial Elementary about black hole “gravity wells” as part of the outreach program, "Discovering Black Holes".

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