May 15, 2025

The Moon Mascot: NASA Artemis Challenge is a global competition, inviting creators to design a Zero Gravity Indicator (ZGI) for the Artemis II mission. This ZGI will be a plush toy that accompanies astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft during its journey around the Moon. The winning design will be fabricated by NASA’s Thermal Blanket Lab and flown into space! Check out the link to learn more about the design challenge, including full contest details and how to enter. 

Did you know that every time you weigh your groceries, fill up your gas tank, or rely on GPS to find your way, you're depending on metrology? World Metrology Day is a celebration of the science of measurement, and it's more important than you think!

Discover how engineer and CEO Chandler Wicks uses creativity to tackle our nation’s toughest defense challenges. Watch the episode and explore free resources and the lesson plan here. Want more ways to interact with this lesson? Check out the lesson plan in PocketLab for free!

Join CEO and Stanford University instructor Dave Bakker to learn how he's using his decades of technology experience to bring science to life for students. Watch the episode and explore free resources and the lesson plan here. Want more ways to interact with this lesson? Check out the lesson plan in PocketLab for free!

National Paper Airplane Day is on May 26th, and it is the perfect excuse to embrace the simple joy of folding paper and sending your creations soaring into the sky! Paper airplanes are more than just a nostalgic pastime—they're a fun mix of creativity, engineering, and a bit of friendly competition. Whether you’re a folding pro or a newbie, it's a day to let your imagination take flight.

The NASA "Wingin' It" activity helps students explore how material, shape, weight, and distribution affect paper airplane flight. It offers insight into the engineering principles used in aircraft design, directly connecting to NASA’s work on sustainable aviation technologies.

Autonomous Vehicle Day shines a spotlight on the cutting-edge STEM technologies powering the self-driving revolution. From robotics and AI to sensors and machine learning, autonomous vehicles are a perfect example of how science, technology, engineering, and math work together to shape the future.

Explore the world of autonomous underwater vehicles with underwater robotics engineer Amy Kukulya. Watch the episode and explore free resources and the lesson plan here. Want more ways to interact with this lesson? Check out the lesson plan in PocketLab for free!

Get a sneak peek at a NEW X-STEM All Access episode coming in July! Join the Hip Hop M.D. Maynard Okereke for a conversation with Eythan Jenkins. He's a software engineer at Northrop Grumman who contributed to the groundbreaking Manta Ray project — a first-of-its-kind autonomous underwater vehicle.