Kids love learning about space. NASA just launched its fourth Power to Explore Student Challenge, an exciting (and totally free to enter) science, engineering, technology, and mathematics (STEM) writing challenge for K-12th grade students in the United States. This interactive challenge invites students to learn about radioisotope power systems, a type of nuclear battery that has, for over 60 years, allowed NASA to explore the harshest, darkest, and dustiest parts of our solar system and enabled spacecraft to study its many moons. Then, armed with new knowledge and inspiration, write a short essay about how they’d use RPS to explore one of our solar system’s hundreds of moons.  Submissions, limited to 275 words, are due by January 31, 2025. One grand prize winner from each grade category (K-4, 5-8, 9-12) will receive a trip to NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, to learn about the people and technologies that power NASA missions. 
Thank you to Kristin Jansen (Public Affairs Specialist and Stakeholder Engagement Lead for the NASA Radioisotope Power Systems Program) for sharing the information!

(You can also learn more about NASA STEM on Ep 224 and Ep 231)

Resources mentioned during the podcast:

• NASA RPS Website: nasa.gov/rps
• Power to Explore Writing Challenge: nasa.gov/power-to-explore
• RPS Writing Challenge Launch Video: YouTube Link 
• NASA EXPRESS Newsletter: nasa.gov/stem/express

Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast... Connect with him:

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