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By NASA
Explore This Section RPS Home About About RPS About the Program About Plutonium-238 Safety and Reliability For Mission Planners Contact Power & Heat Overview Power Systems Thermal Systems Dynamic Radioisotope Power Missions Overview Timeline News Resources STEM FAQ 3 min read
Nine Finalists Advance in NASA’s Power to Explore Challenge
The logo for the 2024-2025 Radioisotope Power Systems Power to Explore student essay contest. Credits: NASA/David Lam NASA has named nine finalists out of the 45 semifinalist student essays in the Power to Explore Challenge, a national writing competition for K-12 students featuring the enabling power of radioisotopes. Contestants were challenged to explore how NASA has powered some of its most famous science missions, and to dream up how their personal “superpowers” would energize their success on their own radioisotope-powered science mission.
I am always so impressed by quality of the essays and the creativity of the ideas that the students submit to NASA’s Power to Explore Challenge.
Carl Sandifer II
Program Manager, NASA Radioisotope Power Systems Program
The competition asked students to learn about NASA’s radioisotope power systems (RPS), likened to a “nuclear battery” that the agency uses to explore some of the most extreme destinations in our solar system and beyond. Long before the early days of Apollo, our Moon has inspired explorers of all ages to push beyond known limits to realize impossible dreams. These systems have enabled NASA to discover “moonquakes” on Earth’s Moon and study some of the most extreme moons of the solar system, which have active volcanoes, methane lakes, and ice glaciers. As of March 25, NASA has discovered over 891 moons, each with secrets ready to be unlocked.
Students were challenged to pick any moon in our solar system’s exploration could be enabled by this space power systems. In 275 words or less, they dreamed up a unique exploration mission of this moon and described their own power to achieve their mission goals.
The Power to Explore Challenge offered students the opportunity to learn more about these reliable power systems, celebrate their own strengths, and interact with NASA’s diverse workforce. This year’s contest received 2,051 submitted entries from all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity overseas.
“I am always so impressed by quality of the essays and the creativity of the ideas that the students submit to NASA’s Power to Explore Challenge.” said Carl Sandifer, program manager of the Radioisotope Power Systems Program at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. “I’m looking forward to welcoming the winners to NASA’s Glenn this summer.”
Entries were split into three categories: grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Every student who submitted an entry received a digital certificate and an invitation to the Power Up virtual event held on March 21 that announced the semifinalists. Students learned about what powers the NASA workforce to dream big and work together to explore.
Three national finalists in each grade category (nine finalists total) have been selected. In addition to receiving a NASA RPS prize pack, these participants will be invited to an exclusive virtual meeting with a NASA engineer or scientist to talk about their missions and have their space exploration questions answered. Winners will be announced on May 7.
Grades K-4
Mini M, Ann Arbor, Michigan Zachary Tolchin, Guilford, Connecticut Terry Xu, Arcadia, California Grades 5-8
Lilah Coyan, Spokane, Washington Maggie Hou, Snohomish, Washington Sarabhesh Saravanakumar, Bothell, Washington Grades 9-12
Faiz Karim, Jericho, New York Kairat Otorov, Trumbull, Connecticut Saanvi Shah, Bothell, Washington About the Challenge
The challenge is funded by the Radioisotope Power Systems Program Office in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and administered by Future Engineers under a Small Business Innovation Research phase III contract. This task is managed by the NASA Tournament Lab, a part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.
Kristin Jansen
NASA’s Glenn Research Center
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By NASA
NASA astronauts work to retrieve batteries and adapter plates from an external pallet during a spacewalk to upgrade the International Space Station’s power storage capacity.Credit: NASA Two NASA astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station, conducting U.S. spacewalk 93 on Thursday, May 1, to complete station upgrades.
NASA will preview the upcoming spacewalk during a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday, April 24, on the agency’s website from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
Participants in the news conference include:
Bill Spetch, operations integration manager, International Space Station Program Diana Trujillo, spacewalk flight director, NASA Johnson Media interested in participating in person or by phone must contact the Johnson newsroom no later than 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 23, at: 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. To ask questions, media must dial in no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of the news conference. Questions also may be submitted on social media using #AskNASA.
The spacewalk is scheduled to last about six and a half hours. NASA will provide additional information, including live NASA+ coverage details, when available.
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers will relocate a space station communications antennae and install a mounting bracket ahead of the installation of an additional set of International Space Station Rollout Solar Arrays, also called IROSA. The arrays will boost power generation capability by up to 30%, increasing the station’s total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts. The arrays will be installed on a future spacewalk following their arrival on a SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply services mission later this year.
McClain will serve as spacewalk crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. Ayers will serve as spacewalk crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit. This will be the third spacewalk for McClain and the first for Ayers. U.S. spacewalk 93 will be the 275th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.
Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
-end-
Josh Finch / Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.oshea@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Apr 18, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
International Space Station (ISS) Humans in Space ISS Research Johnson Space Center View the full article
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By NASA
1 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
ECF 2024 Quadchart Yang.pdf
Shuolong Yang
University of Chicago
This effort will leverage the latest developments in superconductors to build a power transmission cable that can operate in the extreme cold temperatures found on the Moon with very low electrical losses. The team will use novel manufacturing techniques to grow alternating layers of FeSe SrTiO3 films onto a substrate and the resulting, superconducting tape can be fashioned into electrical transmission lines. The project will culminate with a demonstration 1-meter-long superconducting transmission line which supports 1 amp of power transmission at 1,000 volts.
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Last Updated Apr 18, 2025 EditorLoura Hall Related Terms
Early Career Faculty (ECF) Space Technology Research Grants View the full article
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By NASA
1 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
ECF 2024 Quadchart McGuirk.pdf
Christopher McGuirk
Colorado School of Mines
This project will investigate and develop improved storage methods for the fuels needed to generate electrical power in places where sunlight is not available. The effort will focus on particularly tailored materials called Metal Oxide Frameworks, or MOFs, that can be used to store methane and oxygen. The methane and oxygen can be reacted in a solid oxide fuel cell to generate electricity, and storing them in a MOF could potentially result in significant mass and cost savings over traditional storage tanks which also require active pressure and thermal regulation. The team will use a number of computational and experimental tools to develop a MOF structure suitable for this application.
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Last Updated Apr 18, 2025 EditorLoura Hall Related Terms
Early Career Faculty (ECF) Space Technology Research Grants View the full article
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