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NASA Welcomes San Marino Signing the Artemis Accords  

2026-09-25 19:53

Minister of Industry and Technological Research Rossano Fabbri signed on behalf of San Marino. Gregory Mann, NASA Europe representative, and U.S. Consul General in Florence Joseph Tordella participated in the event on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
Credit: U.S. Department of State

The Republic of San Marino became the 76th signatory to the Artemis Accords during a ceremony in the city of Rimini on Friday with NASA and U.S. Department of State officials present.  

“San Marino joins a growing coalition of like-minded nations committed to the peaceful, transparent, and responsible exploration of space,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson. “President Trump has directed NASA to build a Moon Base and establish an enduring presence on the lunar surface. As we do, we are putting the principles of the Accords into practice. NASA has invited every Artemis Accords signatory to participate in our return to the Moon through scientific payloads, technology demonstrations, CubeSats, and other capabilities. San Marino is already looking toward that future.” 

Minister of Industry and Technological Research Rossano Fabbri signed on behalf of San Marino. Gregory Mann, NASA Europe representative, participated in the ceremony with the U.S. Consul General in Florence Joseph Tordella.   

“We are pleased and honored that the Republic of San Marino has been welcomed as the 76th signatory state of the Artemis Accords,” said Fabbri. “We fully share the principles and values expressed in the Artemis Accords, and we are convinced that the signatory states united under the Accords will make a tangible contribution to promoting international cooperation in space and ensuring the use of space for peaceful purposes.” 

In 2020, NASA and the State Department joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies. They introduced the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing the safety and coordination between nations as they explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond, committing nations to: 

  • Explore peaceably and transparently 
  • Render aid to those in need 
  • Enable access to scientific data 
  • Ensure activities do not interfere with those of others 
  • Preserve historically significant sites and artifacts by developing best practices 

By signing the Artemis Accords, nations open the door to opportunities for future lunar exploration with NASA, advancing humanity’s return to the Moon, and shaping the Golden Age of exploration and innovation. 

Learn more about the Artemis Accords at:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords

NASA Tests Dual Mode Propulsion CubeSat Ahead of Launch

2026-09-25 19:36

Spacecraft propulsion traditionally relies on volatile fuels and separate, bulky systems for different types of maneuvering in space. NASA is working to change that paradigm. Engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, recently completed a rigorous series of environmental and physical tests on a new small satellite designed to make spaceflight safer and more efficient.

The ASCENT (Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic) Propulsion Dual Mode mission is a flight demonstration of a spacecraft about the size of a large shoebox. The mission will test a single, integrated propulsion system that uses a common fuel tank to feed two different types of engines.

An Album of photos showing NASA engineers and technicians in white protective clean room suits working on a small, rectangular spacecraft module. They are shown inspecting the hardware on a laboratory workbench, wrapping it in silver foil, and loading it into a large, metallic vacuum chamber at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center
Dr. Nehemiah Williams, the demonstration’s project manager at NASA, prepares to start testing the mission’s flight hardware in a clean room at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The mission will demonstrate a single, non-toxic propulsion system that combines both high-thrust and low-thrust capabilities into a common tank.
NASA/Charles Beason

Typically, spacecraft carry two separate propulsion systems to navigate: a high-thrust chemical system for rapid movements like entering orbit, and a low-thrust electric system for highly efficient, slow maneuvers like maintaining a position. This requires multiple fuel tanks and heavy plumbing, which eats up valuable space and weight.

The spacecraft being developed uses a single non-toxic propellant called ASCENT. By feeding both a high-thrust combustion engine and low-thrust electrospray thrusters from one central tank, the spacecraft saves critical mass and volume. For future missions, this means more room for scientific instruments and the ability to launch on smaller, less expensive rockets.

Bringing this concept to flight requires a nationwide collaborative effort. While NASA Marshall manages the mission, the spacecraft relies on electrospray thrusters developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a chemical propulsion module built by Plasma Processes, and a spacecraft bus integrated by the Georgia Institute of Technology.

“There are a lot of odds and ends, and a lot of small challenges and some big ones,” said Nehemiah Williams, the demonstration’s project manager at NASA Marshall. “But ensuring the functionality of the propulsion system across all these different teams is what makes the mission successful.”

Before a spacecraft can safely operate in the harsh environment of low Earth orbit, it must pass a battery of tests on the ground. Over the past few months, the engineering team at Marshall has put the flight hardware through its paces inside the center’s Small Spacecraft Servicing and Integration Lab.

To verify the integrity of the unified propulsion system, the team conducted extensive leak testing. Engineers performed a pressurized helium leak test of the spacecraft inside a vacuum chamber to ensure the integrity of the spacecraft’s seals, successfully proving those seals were working as intended. Because the system shares a single tank of ASCENT propellant to feed two different thruster types, ensuring that the fuel lines and valves are perfectly sealed is vital for mission safety and success.

An Album of photos showing NASA engineers and technicians in white protective clean room suits working on a small, rectangular (CubeSat) spacecraft module. They are shown inspecting the hardware on a laboratory workbench, wrapping it in silver foil, and loading it into a large, metallic vacuum chamber at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center
Propulsion subject matter expert Chris Burnside left, and propulsion lead Ebony Bland, right, prepare the mission’s flight hardware for testing inside a clean room at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The 6-U CubeSat recently underwent rigorous spin, thermal vacuum, and leak tests to ensure its innovative, non-toxic propulsion system is ready for the extreme environment of space.
NASA/Charles Beason

The team also subjected the spacecraft to thermal vacuum testing. Space is an unforgiving environment characterized by a total lack of air and extreme temperature swings. By placing the spacecraft inside a specialized vacuum chamber that mimics these harsh conditions, engineers can ensure that the electronics, thrusters, and mechanical systems will operate normally once in orbit.

Additionally, the spacecraft underwent a spin test. Just like a tire on a car, a spacecraft needs to be perfectly balanced. The spin test measures the spacecraft’s mass properties and center of gravity. This validates the CubeSat’s ability to stably fly and maintain the correct attitude, allowing its antennas to communicate with Earth and its solar panels to accurately catch the Sun’s rays.

With the environmental and physical testing now complete, the mission is entering its final stages of preparation. The team will complete the final system checkouts, integrate the spacecraft’s solar arrays, and ship the hardware to its launch destination.

The ASCENT Propulsion Dual Mode mission is manifested to launch no earlier than October 1 as a payload aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Once deployed into an orbit about 325 miles above Earth, the spacecraft will begin a nine-month mission. After an initial checkout period, the operations team will execute short chemical and electric maneuvers. If successful, the spacecraft will spend several months performing multiple orbit-raising and lowering maneuvers, alternating between its high-thrust and low-thrust engines to prove the dual-mode concept works in space.

The ASCENT Propulsion Dual Mode mission is managed and funded by NASA’s Small Spacecraft & Distributed Systems (SSDS) within the agency’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. SSDS is based at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

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Sep 25, 2026
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2026-2027 DWU: Middle School Design Challenge

2026-09-25 17:20

10 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

2026-2027 DWU Middle School Design Challenge Artist concept illustration for the Fueling Flight Design Challenge showing a blueprint in the background a 3D airport, X-59 and a BWB aircraft on top. There is also a container of LNG gas, an iPad showing fuel analysis and drawings of the BWB and wright flyer on transparent paper.

2026-2027 DWU: Middle School Design Challenge

Overview

The 2026-2027 challenge theme is, “Fueling Flight Design Challenge: New Energy Systems.” 

As more and more aircraft are a part of the US’ National Airspace System (NAS), NASA and partners at the FAA, at universities, and in the aviation industry are searching for ways to increase safety, make flight more affordable, find new fuels for aircraft, and reduce the amount of time passengers and cargo spend in the air. This year’s Dream with Us Challenge focuses on new aircraft fuels and how even the addition of one new fuel will change both the aircraft they are used in and the airports where aircraft take off and land.  

The “Fueling Flight Design Challenge: New Energy Systems” challenge is open to middle and high school students, with a different task for middle school teams and high school teams. Teams for both categories will focus on the addition of an emerging aircraft fuel source, liquid natural gas (LNG) into our aviation environment. This will require teams to learn more about LNG, how it might be used in aviation, the benefits of an additional fuel source, and what kind of changes would need to be made to aircraft and to airports to adapt to these new changes.  

Since the early days of aviation, commercial aircraft have relied on traditional designs and infrastructure. Aircraft have been a similar “tube-and-wing” design, with limitations that were made because of the materials aircraft were made with, along with the technology to build these aircraft. With the increasing availability of new technologies and new materials, aircraft no longer need to follow the same basic design. In addition, new research about fuel types, increasing demand for more flights and more fuel has resulted in many different options that include types of fuel, increasing electrification, and more. That also means airports are going to need to adjust. Changes in airport infrastructure will be needed to add multiple fuel types, different gateway configurations to allow for new aircraft types, and perhaps even different areas for different aircraft. What will this all look like? That partially depends on researchers and designers in the future since these are challenges the aeronautics community is starting to face now and will continue to do in the future.   

Challenge Description

Middle school student teams of 2-4 members will adapt an existing airport (or create one of their own) that incorporates the use of both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and traditional aviation fuel. The airport design should include the overall airport layout that includes (but is not limited to): control tower(s), hangars, fuel locations, terminal, passenger parking, runways. See requirements below for specific details. 

Challenge Rules

The 2026/2027 Dream with Us Design Challenge for middle and high school students opens September 25, 2026. The submission period for middle school entrants begins September 25, 2026, and concludes on January 22, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET. Schools, organizations, and community groups should communicate to parents and guardians that submissions are limited to one entry per team and team registration requires someone over the age of 13 to create the account (adult team sponsors may create the registration on the team’s behalf if desired). Entries must be submitted through the submission link on the Dream with Us Design Challenge webpage: https://www.nasa.gov/dream-with-us/. Signed permission forms from parents or legal guardians are required for all participants that agree to the terms and requirements listed below and on the submission form. 

Use of AI

Use of artificial intelligence tools for challenge-related work is not permitted. Teams must not upload, process, or generate any content using AI systems, including publicly available browser‑based GenAI services, AI‑assisted code generation tools, or AI‑generated imagery. All submissions must be created solely by team members without the assistance of AI.

Grade Eligibility

The middle school challenge is open to all participants in grades 6 – 8 who are attending public, private, parochial, and home schools in the United States of America and children of U.S. military members stationed overseas.

Students in grades 9 – 12 will use the high school module. See the Dream with Us main webpage for details. Note: for teams that have both middle and high school students, those teams will compete in the high school challenge. 

Dates

Submissions for the Dream with Us: Middle School Aviation Challenge are accepted September 25, 2026 – January 22, 2027. Submission link: INSERT LINK HERE. Winners will first be announced during a virtual awards reception (date TBD) then shared on social media and the Dream with Us design challenge webpage after the reception. 

Key Dates

Submissions for the Dream with Us: Middle School Aviation Challenge are accepted September 25, 2026 – January 22, 2027. Submission link: INSERT LINK HERE. Winners will first be announced during a virtual awards reception (date TBD) then shared on social media and the Dream with Us design challenge webpage after the reception. 

  • Challenge begins September 25, 2026 through January 22, 2027
  • Registration Deadline: ?
  • Submission Deadline: ?
  • Finalists selected and announced: ?
  • Finalist presentations (Virtual): ?
  • Winners Announcement: ?

Challenge Rules

Challenge Rules

The 2026/2027 Dream with Us Design Challenge for middle and high school students opens September 25, 2026. The submission period for middle school entrants begins September 25, 2026, and concludes on January 22, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET. Schools, organizations, and community groups should communicate to parents and guardians that submissions are limited to one entry per team and team registration requires someone over the age of 13 to create the account (adult team sponsors may create the registration on the team’s behalf if desired). Entries must be submitted through the submission link on the Dream with Us Design Challenge webpage: https://www.nasa.gov/dream-with-us/. Signed permission forms from parents or legal guardians are required for all participants that agree to the terms and requirements listed below and on the submission form.  

Requirements

Each team submission will have two separate categories: technical and creative. Both categories must be included for consideration. Note: all sources for the presentation should be cited, including images. Please see the section above for rules about the use of AI. 

  1. All submissions must be the original work of the students.  
  2. Any graphics that are included in your submission must meet accessibility standards. 
    • To make your documents accessible and compliant with Section 508, it’s important to add descriptive alt tags to all images, diagrams, and graphics. Alt tags provide text descriptions that assist screen readers in conveying visual information to users with disabilities. When adding alt tags, use clear and concise language to describe the purpose and content of each image. In Microsoft Word, right-click the image, select “Edit Alt Text,” and enter your description. This simple step ensures everyone can access and understand your content, regardless of their abilities. 
    • Alt Text Sample on a PC (right click over the image and a drop down will appear, select “inspect accessibility properties and it will open the web inspector.”View Alt Text” option. If you select that option an “Alt Text” window opens with a grey box and instructions for how to create the alt tag.
    • Alt Text Sample on a Mac (right click over the image and a drop down will appear, select inspect accessibility properties and it will open the web inspector. There is a gray area that is highlighted. It is the location of the image alt tag in the code. You may need to click the gray arrow next to the word “image” in order to see the whole alt tag. To hide the properties window click on the X in the top right corner of the window.
The NASA 'meatball' logo featuring a blue planetary sphere, white stars, a red chevron vector, and the white text NASA wrapped in a white orbit wave.
Official insignia of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
NASA

Technical Category Requirements

The technical presentation, using PowerPoint or similar, must include: 

  1. Title slide: Include Team name, school or organization, and first name, last initial of each team member (DO NOT INCLUDE LAST NAMES OF TEAM MEMBERS) 
  2. Labeled layout of the airport 
  3. Explanation of the changes that were made to the airport to accommodate multiple fuel types  
  4. There should be a focus on safety, airport benefits, and any considerations of new types of aircraft that will be taking off and landing from the airport. 
  5. The presentation can be recorded with a narrative but is not required. If there is no audio with the presentation, slides should be self explanatory. 

Creative Product

The team’s creative submission will be a presentation that advertises the benefits of the new airport modification, allowing two different types of fuels to be utilized at the airport. The audience could be city or state leadership, stores interested in investing in a location at the airport, airlines who may want to now fly to this airport (this is up to you!). How you choose to present this advertisement for improvements is up to you. It could be any of the following (or maybe you have another creative idea): 

  1. Video 
  2. Brochure 
  3. Flyer 
  4. Infographic 
  5. Commercial 
  6. Website 
  7. Other 
  8. Any videos, commercials, websites, or similar will require you to provide a link to us (this can be done by attaching a Word document or PDF with a link or QR code to access the content); be sure we are able to access those links to accurately judge the project.  

Submitting Entries

All middle school entries will be submitted through the NASA Gateway link found INSERT GATEWAY LINK HERE and on the Dream with Us Design Challenge webpage. All entries must include the following:  

  1. Signed permission form completed by parent or legal guardian of each student.   
  1. Presentations must be submitted in a PDF format. PDFs are limited to 10 MB.  
  1. Artwork must be submitted as high-resolution images of the original artwork in .jpg or .png format (minimum of 2,400 pixels on the longest edge). Note: AI-generated work will not be accepted. 
  1. Any included videos must be uploaded to YouTube with a “watch URL” link  or QR code submitted as a PDF document. 

Challenge Resources

The following lessons and activities can be used to help participants learn more about aircraft and airport design, along with other aircraft considerations: 

Do you need to find out more about research on liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an aviation fuel source? Find out more here: 

Judging and Criteria

Entries will be evaluated by industry experts based on impact, practicality, originality, and how well the idea is communicated. Judges will make award selections based on the above-mentioned criteria to determine which projects will be recognized.  

Mid-Point Check-In

Are you an educator who needs to know more about how to support a team or multiple teams? Are you a student wanting to know more about how to participate? Join us in October, when we will set up a mid-point check-in! Stay tuned for those dates to be released on the Dream with Us design challenge webpage.  

Questions: 

If you have any additional questions, please reach out to the NASA Aeronautics STEM team at aeroSTEM@nasa.onmicrosoft.com.  

Dream With Us: High School Engineering Challenge

Dream With Us

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Last Updated
Sep 25, 2026
Editor
Lillian Gipson
Contact
April Lanotte

Related Terms

2026-2027 DWU: High School Engineering Challenge

2026-09-25 17:19

9 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

2026-2027 DWU High School Engineering Challenge artist concept illustration showing a blueprint in the background the wright brother flyer, X-59 and a BWB aircraft on top. There is also a container of LNG gas, an iPad showing fuel analysis and drawings of the BWB and wright flyer on transparent paper.

2026-2027 DWU: High School Engineering Challenge

Challenge Materials

  1. Engineering Notebook Template
  2. Scoring Rubric

Overview

The 2026-2027 challenge theme is, “Fueling Flight Design Challenge: New Energy Systems.”

As more and more aircraft are a part of the US’ National Airspace System (NAS), NASA and partners at the FAA, at universities, and in the aviation industry are searching for ways to increase safety, make flight more affordable, find new fuels for aircraft, and reduce the amount of time passengers and cargo spend in the air. This year’s Dream with Us Challenge focuses on new aircraft fuels and how even the addition of one new fuel will change both the aircraft they are used in and the airports where aircraft take off and land.  

The “Fueling Flight Design Challenge: New Energy Systems” challenge is open to middle and high school students, with a different task for middle school teams and high school teams. Teams for both categories will focus on the addition of an emerging aircraft fuel source, liquefied natural gas (LNG) into our aviation environment. This will require teams to learn more about LNG, how it might be used in aviation, the benefits of an additional fuel source, and what kind of changes would need to be made to aircraft and to airports to adapt to these new changes.  

Since the early days of aviation, commercial aircraft have relied on traditional designs and infrastructure. Aircraft have been a similar “tube-and-wing” design, with limitations that were made because of the materials aircraft were made with, along with the technology to build these aircraft. With the increasing availability of new technologies and new materials, aircraft no longer need to follow the same basic design. In addition, new research about fuel types, increasing demand for more flights and more fuel has resulted in many different options that include types of fuel, increasing electrification, and more. That also means airports are going to need to adjust. Changes in airport infrastructure will be needed to add multiple fuel types, different gateway configurations to allow for new aircraft types, and perhaps even different areas for different aircraft. What will this all look like? That partially depends on researchers and designers in the future since these are challenges the aeronautics community is starting to face now and will continue to do in the future.   

Scenario

Globally each year, over 62 million metric tons of air cargo are transported, which is more than 33% of global trade by value. This equates to about $8.3 trillion annually. With these large numbers, even a small increase in efficiency can have a large economic impact.

A major air freight company has announced that they are looking to replace some of their fleet with a new aircraft and are interested in new designs to increase efficiency and that will utilize a different type of fuel. Your team has been tasked by your aircraft company to develop a new concept cargo aircraft to present to the air freight company. Your team has been directed to focus on a design that will use liquefied natural gas, or LNG. Since LNG must be stored differently than traditional jet fuel, the aircraft design needs to adapt. These changes, however, may lead to innovative designs that are more aerodynamically efficient.

The air freight company has provided the following requirements.

  • Crew: 2 pilots. Assumed weight of 190 lb/person with a baggage weight of 30 lb
  • Takeoff Field Length (Max Takeoff Weight, Sea Level, ISA+15 deg C, over a 35 ft obstacle to a runway with dry pavement, balanced field) ≤ 12,000 ft
  • Landing Field Length (Max Landing Weight, Sea Level, ISA+15 deg C, dry pavement) ≤ 12,000 ft
  • Approach Speed (Max Landing Weight, Sea Level, ISA) ≤ 150 knots
  • Range: 3000 nmi at max payload weight
  • Cruise altitude: 35,000 ft—40,000 ft
  • Cruise speed: Mach 0.8
  • Reserve mission: Loiter for 30 min at 13,000 ft, Mach 0.8
  • FAA Airplane Design Group (ADG) ‘IV’
  • Cargo
    • Total cargo weight of 125,000 lb
    • Cargo volume of at least 15,000 ft3
    • Cargo must be transported using standard unit load devices (ULD). Selection of the specific ULD type(s) is up to the team. The weight of the ULDs is included in total cargo weight.

Teams will be provided with performance information for the jet engine.

Challenge Rules

The high school module is for students in grades 9 – 12. Students in grades 6 – 8 will use the middle school module. See the Dream with Us main webpage for details. Note: for teams that have both middle and high school students, those teams will compete in the high school challenge. 

The high school challenge is open to all participants in grades 9 – 12 who are attending public, private, parochial, and home schools in the United States of America and children of U.S. military members stationed overseas.  

The 2026/2027 Dream with Us Design Challenge for middle and high school students opens September 25, 2026. The submission period for middle school entrants begins September 25, 2026, and concludes on January 22, 2027, at 11:59 pm ET. Schools, organizations, and community groups should communicate to parents and guardians that submissions are limited to one entry per team and team registration requires someone over the age of 13 to create the account (adult team sponsors may create the registration on the team’s behalf if desired). Entries must be submitted through the submission link on the Dream with Us Design Challenge webpage: https://www.nasa.gov/dream-with-us/. Signed permission forms from parents or legal guardians are required for all participants that agree to the terms and requirements listed below and on the submission form. 

Use of AI

Use of artificial intelligence tools for challenge-related work is not permitted. Teams must not upload, process, or generate any content using AI systems, including publicly available browser‑based GenAI services, AI‑assisted code generation tools, or AI‑generated imagery. All submissions must be created solely by team members without the assistance of AI.

Engineering Design Notebook

The final product for this challenge is to prepare and submit an Engineering Design Notebook. 

Teams of judges will evaluate your work based on what you submit in your Engineering Design Notebook. Your team should look through the Scoring Rubric and begin to do research to design a system to address the requirements of the notebook; specifics about the notebook requirements can be found in the Scoring Rubric. The headings in the Scoring Rubric should be used as the headings in your Engineering Design Notebook. Fill in sections of the Engineering Design Notebook as you complete the work in each section.  

Engineering Design Template (insert) 

Scoring Rubric (insert) 

Resources

The following research resources can get you started on your work. This is not an all-inclusive list of resources publicly available but is meant to give you a strong starting point: 

AACES 2050 

Fundamental Experimental Tests and Modeling of LOX/CH4 Engines at High Pressures 

“As Jet Fuel Supplies Tighten, Can Other Fuels Meet Demand?” 

Important Dates and Deadlines

  • Sep. 25, 2026 – Challenge goes live
  • TBD (check back soon!) – Information Session
  • Dec. 08, 2026 – Registration Deadline
  • Jan. 25, 2027 – Submission Deadline
  • Mar. 19, 2027 – Finalists selected and announced
  • Apr. 2, 2027 – Finalist presentations (virtual)
  • Apr. 9, 2027 –Winners Announcement

Submitting Entries

All high school entries will be submitted through the NASA Gateway link found INSERT GATEWAY LINK HERE and on the Dream with Us Design Challenge webpage. All entries must include the following:  

  1. Signed permission form completed by parent or legal guardian of each student.   
  2. Presentations must be submitted in a PDF format. PDFs are limited to 10 MB. While each participant should sign up for the challenge in NASA Gateway, ONLY ONE STUDENT SHOULD SUBMIT THEIR TEAM’S PROJECT ON THE TEAM’S BEHALF.  
  3. Artwork must be submitted as high-resolution images of the original artwork in .jpg or .png format (minimum of 2,400 pixels on the longest edge). Note: AI-generated work will not be accepted. 
  4. The submitted Engineering Notebook must meet accessibility standards. 
    • To make your documents accessible and compliant with Section 508, it’s important to add descriptive alt tags to all images, diagrams, and graphics. Alt tags provide text descriptions that assist screen readers in conveying visual information to users with disabilities. When adding alt tags, use clear and concise language to describe the purpose and content of each image. In Microsoft Word, right-click the image, select “Edit Alt Text,” and enter your description. This simple step ensures everyone can access and understand your content, regardless of their abilities. 
    • Alt Text Sample on a PC (right click over the image and a drop down will appear, select “inspect accessibility properties and it will open the web inspector.”View Alt Text” option. If you select that option an “Alt Text” window opens with a grey box and instructions for how to create the alt tag.
    • Alt Text Sample on a Mac (right click over the image and a drop down will appear, select inspect accessibility properties and it will open the web inspector. There is a gray area that is highlighted. It is the location of the image alt tag in the code. You may need to click the gray arrow next to the word “image” in order to see the whole alt tag. To hide the properties window click on the X in the top right corner of the window.
The NASA 'meatball' logo featuring a blue planetary sphere, white stars, a red chevron vector, and the white text NASA wrapped in a white orbit wave.
Official insignia of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
NASA

Judging and Criteria

Entries will be evaluated by industry experts based on impact, practicality, originality, and how well the idea is communicated. Projects will go through several levels of judging. Top teams will be asked to take part in the finalist stage, where participants will be asked to join a select group of industry judges and virtually present their projects (see timeline for dates). A panel of Blue Ribbon Judges will then make award selections based to determine which projects will be recognized.  

A Scoring Rubric (see above) is available as a guide for teams. This does not need to be submitted with the team’s project. 

Mid-Point Check-In

Are you an educator who needs to know more about how to support a team or multiple teams? Are you a student wanting to know more about how to participate? Join us in October, when we will set up a mid-point check-in! Stay tuned for those dates to be released on the Dream with Us design challenge webpage.  

Questions: 

If you have any additional questions, please reach out to the NASA Aeronautics STEM team at aeroSTEM@nasa.onmicrosoft.com.  

Dream With Us: High School Engineering Challenge

Dream With Us

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Last Updated
Sep 25, 2026
Editor
Lillian Gipson
Contact
April Lanotte

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Hubble Spots Chaotic Secret in Galaxy

2026-09-25 15:54

A spiral galaxy viewed at an angle, with a bright central bulge and winding spiral arms. The arms form a ring around the galaxy, without appearing to reach its center. Prominent red-brown dust lanes weave through the arms, which are also dotted with bright blue and reddish regions of star formation. The galaxy is set against a dark background scattered with stars and faint distant galaxies.
ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker, the MAUVE-HST Team

A chaotic secret hides within this seemingly serene image of spiral galaxy NGC 4698 taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and released on Sept. 18, 2026. As a spiral galaxy like our own Milky Way galaxy, NGC 4698 has spiral arms that curl around within a thin disk of stars, gas, and dust. These arms are marked by opaque clumps of brown dust and dotted with small collections of bright blue stars.

Unlike many other spiral galaxies, NGC 4698’s delicate spiral arms are only prominent in the outer reaches of the disk; spiral arms often wind down to the very center of a galaxy, but NGC 4698’s spiral arms appear to shy away from its glowing center. The arms instead hover in a ring-like structure around the perimeter of the galaxy.

Read more about this unusual spiral galaxy.

Text credit: ESA/Hubble

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker, the MAUVE-HST Team

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Meta opens early access program for new Muse features

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Anyone interested in joining has to ask Muse to put them on the list.
The hottest new hangout for middle schoolers is NPR’s comment section?

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When NPR staffers flagged strange comments under their podcasts on Spotify as bots, it took a Gen Z colleague to (immediately) figure out the mystery.
Anthropic to pay Akamai $11.6 billion over seven years in cloud deal

2026-09-25 19:13

Anthropic has committed $11.6 billion over seven years to Akamai's cloud infrastructure, a bet on CPUs that could grow to about $20 billion, and in an unusual arrangement, Akamai is giving Anthropic a potential stake of up to 5% of its stock that grows as Anthropic spends more.
Mark Wahlberg is coming to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, and he wants to talk about your work, not his

2026-09-25 18:48

Mark Wahlberg joins Bruce K. Lee at Disrupt to discuss investing, entrepreneurship, healthcare, wellness, and building businesses.
Ahead of US IPO, British AI neocloud Nscale secures $3.36B in convertible financing

2026-09-25 18:33

The funding, which comes from Third Point, Nvidia, and others, will fuel the company's massive AI data center buildout.
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10 months ago Category :
Web development is a constantly evolving field, with new trends and technologies emerging each year. Staying up to date with the latest web development trends is crucial for developers looking to create modern, user-friendly websites and applications. In this blog post, we will explore some of the current web development trends that are shaping the industry in 2021.

Web development is a constantly evolving field, with new trends and technologies emerging each year. Staying up to date with the latest web development trends is crucial for developers looking to create modern, user-friendly websites and applications. In this blog post, we will explore some of the current web development trends that are shaping the industry in 2021.

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10 months ago Category :
Waterproofing is a crucial aspect of construction and building maintenance, especially in areas prone to heavy rainfall, flooding, or high humidity levels. With advances in technology and construction materials, waterproofing trends have evolved to offer more effective solutions for protecting structures from water damage. Let's delve into some of the latest waterproofing trends that are shaping the industry:

Waterproofing is a crucial aspect of construction and building maintenance, especially in areas prone to heavy rainfall, flooding, or high humidity levels. With advances in technology and construction materials, waterproofing trends have evolved to offer more effective solutions for protecting structures from water damage. Let's delve into some of the latest waterproofing trends that are shaping the industry:

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10 months ago Category :
It's time to dive into the world of watch trends! Watches are no longer just time-telling devices; they have become a fashion statement and a reflection of one's personal style. Let's explore some of the latest trends in the watch industry that are making waves this year.

It's time to dive into the world of watch trends! Watches are no longer just time-telling devices; they have become a fashion statement and a reflection of one's personal style. Let's explore some of the latest trends in the watch industry that are making waves this year.

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10 months ago Category :
In recent years, waste management has become an increasingly important issue as the world grapples with the challenges of dealing with growing amounts of waste. Thankfully, advancements in technology and changing attitudes towards sustainability have led to the emergence of new trends in waste management that are shaping the way we handle our trash. In this blog post, we will explore some of the key waste management trends that are making an impact today.

In recent years, waste management has become an increasingly important issue as the world grapples with the challenges of dealing with growing amounts of waste. Thankfully, advancements in technology and changing attitudes towards sustainability have led to the emergence of new trends in waste management that are shaping the way we handle our trash. In this blog post, we will explore some of the key waste management trends that are making an impact today.

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10 months ago Category :
Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, is a vibrant and dynamic metropolis with a rich history and a thriving cultural scene. In recent years, Warsaw has been experiencing several trends that are shaping the city's development and transforming it into a modern and innovative urban center.

Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, is a vibrant and dynamic metropolis with a rich history and a thriving cultural scene. In recent years, Warsaw has been experiencing several trends that are shaping the city's development and transforming it into a modern and innovative urban center.

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10 months ago Category :
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that plays a crucial role in maintaining good health. It is known for its powerful antioxidant properties, which help protect the body from oxidative stress and support the immune system. While vitamin C supplements are available, getting this important nutrient from natural food sources is always the best option.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that plays a crucial role in maintaining good health. It is known for its powerful antioxidant properties, which help protect the body from oxidative stress and support the immune system. While vitamin C supplements are available, getting this important nutrient from natural food sources is always the best option.

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10 months ago Category :
Exploring Trends in Visual Impairment Aids

Exploring Trends in Visual Impairment Aids

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10 months ago Category :
The business landscape in Vietnam is rapidly evolving, with several trends shaping the way companies operate and grow in the country. In this blog post, we will delve into some of the key trends that are currently influencing Vietnamese business companies.

The business landscape in Vietnam is rapidly evolving, with several trends shaping the way companies operate and grow in the country. In this blog post, we will delve into some of the key trends that are currently influencing Vietnamese business companies.

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10 months ago Category :
Vienna, the capital city of Austria, is known for its rich history, stunning architecture, and vibrant culture. In recent years, Vienna has also become a hub for various trends across different aspects of life. Let's explore some of the current trends making waves in Vienna, Austria.

Vienna, the capital city of Austria, is known for its rich history, stunning architecture, and vibrant culture. In recent years, Vienna has also become a hub for various trends across different aspects of life. Let's explore some of the current trends making waves in Vienna, Austria.

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10 months ago Category :
Veterinary Assistant Trends: What You Need to Know

Veterinary Assistant Trends: What You Need to Know

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