Next Gen STEM – Celebrating STEM on Station_An Introduction to 20 Years of Discovery.png

Learn about the International Space Station [ISS], NASA's orbital outpost for expanding our presence farther into the solar system while also benefitting all of humankind.

Badge Topic/Theme:
On October 31, 2000, the Expedition 1 crew of William Shepherd (NASA), Yuri Gidzenko (Roscosmos) and Sergei Krikalev (Roscosmos) launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, bound for the ISS. In the 20 years since, one of the largest international collaborations in space history has completed the Station's construction while learning to live and work in microgravity. This partially U.S.-designated National Laboratory facilitates groundbreaking research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics [STEM] towards achieving the twin goals of sending humans to deep space destinations and improving life down here on our blue planet. The ISS also provides a unique platform from which to inspire educators and the next generation of explorers: NASA's Artemis generation.

Actions Required for Badge Completion:
To successfully earn this badge, an educator will:

describe ISS milestones from the past 20 years of operations aboard the International Space Station [ISS] (action: quiz),
explain how the ISS provides the foundation for NASA's future operations in low Earth orbit and deep space (i.e., the Moon, Mars and/or an asteroid) (action: quiz), and
identify how ISS research and education resources could be incorporated into their classrooms (action: reflection).

Intended Audience: K-12 STEM pre-service/in-service/informal educators

Time Required: ~2.0 hours [estimated]

Student Companion Badge: No

Click here to begin the steps of the badge.