Stars & STEM Evening

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Students in kindergarten through 12th grade can spend an evening at our science and space exploration learning center while participating in engaging STEM activities.

The Stars & STEM evening experience is developed to match each grade level’s standards so students are challenged, inspired and eager to explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concepts when they return to school.

Overview

Exciting, hands-on activities
Grade-level appropriate learning
Catered meal served at Space Center Houston
Private guided tram tour to NASA Johnson Space Center
Second-day visit to Space Center Houston

Price

$59.95 per student
$59.95 per adult for additional adults

Offered by request only. Contact Stars&[email protected] for dates and availability. 35 participant minimum required.

Note: Ages 18 & younger must have chaperone. The agenda is subject to change without notice. NASA Tram Tour length and the locations visited vary depending on the season.

Registration questions can be answered by our reservations team at [email protected] or by fax at +1 281-283-4766.

Elementary School STEM Workshops

(Ages 5-10)

The Eagle has Landed! – Why is it important to land a spacecraft gently on the surface of another celestial body? Students will design and build a shock-absorbing landing system to protect your astronauts from a two-story fall. Students will discover NASA’s previous and future Lunar Landers.
3, 2, 1 Blastoff – Students will design rockets using recyclable materials. Then using intense air pressure, students will compete to see who’s rockets can reach the highest altitude. Students will discover information about the SLS, NASA’s newest rocket during this workshop.
Programing Paths Solar System Challenge – Code robots using light and colors to travel through various challenges. Students will discover the electromagnetic spectrum and learn about the James Webb and Hubble Telescopes.
Constellation Circuitry – Students will create a constellation projector and a flashlight using basic circuits. During this session students will learn about stars, constellations, and the importance of electricity in space.

Middle School STEM Workshops

(Ages 11-14)

Houston, We are Go for Launch – Students will design a model rocket out of foam insulation then compete to see who can land on the Moon and Mars first. Students will discover information about NASAs new rocket, the SLS, trajectory, and Newton’s Laws of Motion.
Sphero Engineering Challenge – Students will engineer a Payload transportation system using recycled materials and a robot to collect samples and transport them across a course.  Students will learn about NASA’s new rover, VIPER, which is being sent ahead of the astronauts onto the Lunar Surface in 2023.
Lunar Mystery – Students will act as Astronauts aboard Gateway and solve a series of lockbox challenges that include escape-room style puzzles to determine why contact was lost with their fellow Artemis VIII astronauts on the surface of the Moon. During this session students will discover NASA’s plans for Lunar habitation and future plans for 2030 and beyond.
Space Suit Cryogenic Challenge – Students will engineer and design a space suit around their astronaut (simulated by temperature probes and marshmallows) using various insulators and conductors while learning about the xEMU, NASA’s new Lunar Artemis spacesuit. Teams of students will then determine who designed the best suit, by performing a 2-minute suit integrity test inside liquid nitrogen (-320 degrees F).

High School STEM Workshops

(Ages 15-18)

On Target Engineering Challenge – NASA is preparing to land supply payloads and humans back on the moon! Learn about engineering design, accuracy and precision as students must design their spacecraft to land the payload on target for the mission to be a success.
Estes Model Rocket Build – Learn about Newton’s laws of motion and NASA’s newest rocket, the SLS, while learning to construct your own Space Center Houston model rocket. If weather and time permits, we will launch several of them at the end of the event if this activity was selected.
TPS Design Challenge – Design a Thermal Protection System (TPS) to withstand 2500 degrees Fahrenheit in order to protect your astronaut (simulated by an egg) for 2 minutes by using various conductors and insulators. This workshop simulates the challenges of re-entering the atmosphere of Earth after a mission. We will discuss NASA’s various heat shield methods and the new DreamChaser shuttle being developed to contract with ISS resupply missions.
Lunar Coding Challenge – Code a robot across an obstacle course representing the Moon in order to scan various hydrogen sources on the Lunar surface. Content will be focused on NASA’s 2023 VIPER, a Rover being designed as part of the Artemis missions to map out water sources across the Lunar South Pole.

Substitutions:

You can substitute a tour for any activity for any of the STEM Workshops.

Starship Gallery Tour – An hour tour showing off space artifacts from the Space Race. See a real Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo capsules, touch a Lunar rock sample, and explore the Skylab trainer
Independence Plaza Tour – Take an hour tour of our outdoor exhibits after-hours. Enter inside Shuttle Independence, the NASA 905 Boeing Airplane, and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket.

All chaperones are required to review the Stars & STEM guide, which includes program policies and procedures.