NASA’s Moon Pod Essay Contest

On September 15, 2020, NASA, in partnership with Future Engineers, launched the Artemis Moon Pod Essay Contest. The contest, which is open to all (public, private, and independent study) in grades K-12, asks participants to imagine they are leading a one-week expedition to the Moon’s South Pole. In the essay, learners will need to describe to NASA what (and who) they would bring to help make their expedition a success.

The Moon Pod Essay Contest is presented in support of NASA’s Artemis program. The student challenge is part of NASA’s efforts to engage the public in its missions to the Moon and Mars. NASA is returning to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation. Working with its partners throughout the Artemis program, the agency will fine-tune precision landing technologies and develop new mobility capabilities that allow robots and crew to travel greater distances and explore new regions of the Moon.

Visit the Artemis Moon Pod Essay Contest page for important program dates.

The challenge will require students to imagine and share their thoughts on leading a one-week expedition at the Moon’s South Pole. Additionally, participants must include the types of skills, attributes, and/or personality traits they would want their Moon Pod crew to have and why. For a full description of the contest, including the requirements and who can enter, visit the Moon Pod Essay Contest website.

Every student who submits an entry will receive a certificate from NASA and be invited to a special NASA virtual event – with an astronaut!

Selected semifinalists will be invited to represent their state or territory in a series of Artemis Explorer sessions with NASA experts. In addition, nine finalists will travel with a parent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2021 to learn about lunar exploration, and the national winner in each grade division will win a family trip to see the first Artemis test launch to watch the most powerful rocket in the world launch from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Entries for the contest are due no later than 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time on December 17, 2020. Children and students who live in the same household with NASA employees cannot enter. Read the full description of contest rules at Artemis Moon Pod Essay Contest (“The Challenge”) Rules.