Program Overview

 Parent Involvement improves student performance.

Live the vision of lunar exploration with this award-winning    family challenge!

Welcome! Lunar Challenge offers a proven way to turn kids on to science while developing critical workplace skills, and it’s ready to go to work for you!

                   It’s fun…. It’s Effective… It’s Unique.

Here’s What It Is:
Lunar Challenge is a kit you can buy with lesson plans and activities to involve families together in cool space activities. Think of it as "How to do community involvement-in-a-box".

Here’s What You Do:
Using the school or facility as a model, family teams design and build the first lunar colony out of recycled materials. A teacher/facilitator leads the group as you attempt to answer the question, “How can we build a colony capable of supporting life on the moon?” Community mentors provide career-based insights for the families.

Here’s Who It’s For:
Each Lunar Challenge event brings 15 parent-child teams (grades 4-8) together for four, two-hour sessions. Use it for your school's family involvement goals or in the classroom minus parents, during after-school programs, for Scout groups, or your community's partnership organization.  Click here for sample adaptations.

Here’s What You Learn:                                                            Participants will learn how systems come together and will examine their own needs as they communicate and work together as a team. You'll learn how scientists use "inquiry" to address problems they face. Along the way you can also experience real world career roles from multiple science and engineering fields. Content is based on the National Research Council’s National Science Education Standards.

Heads Up ! This is not the same-old colony design you may have seen elsewhere. The way in which people work together is radically different from programs you’ve done before. Participants have individual responsibilities on one of five Mission Design Teams but have to network with fourteen other teams to accomplish the group goal. Weekly activities include fun explorations, fact finding (in person or through on-line Learning Links), mission design and reflections. Teachers, scientists and families work as partners.

Here's How You Know It Works:
Lunar Challenge was built on an award-winning learning model.
Nationally field-tested and evaluated by the National Science Foundation and the NASA Explorer School program, both students and parents indicate stronger interest in STEM activities and careers as a result of Lunar Challenge participation.

Here's How to Order:
This section covers kit contents, pricing information and easy steps to get the program.

For support, check out the Professional Development (pdf) options.

Still have questions? Check out our FAQ.

View a map of Lunar Challenge use to date.

Click here for a printable version (pdf) of this page.