The NASA Science Activation program’s Northwest Earth and Space Sciences Pathways (NESSP) team has successfully concluded the 2024–2025 Artemis ROADS III National Challenge, an educational competition that brought real NASA mission objectives to student teams (and reached more than 1,500 learners) across the country. From December 2024 through May 2025, over 300 teams of upper elementary, middle, and high school students from 22 states participated, applying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) skills in exciting and creative ways.
Participants tackled eight Mission Objectives inspired by NASA’s Artemis missions, which aim to return humans to the Moon. Students explored challenges such as:
- Designing a water purification system for the Moon inspired by local water cycles
- Developing a Moon-based agricultural plan based on experimental results
- Programming a rover to autonomously navigate lunar tunnels
- Engineering and refining a human-rated water bottle rocket capable of safely returning a “chip-stronaut” to Earth
- Envisioning their future careers through creative projects like graphic novels or video interviews
- Exploring NASA’s Artemis program through a new Artemis-themed Lotería game
In-person hub events were hosted by Northern Arizona University, Central Washington University, and Montana State University, where teams from Washington, Montana, and Idaho gathered to present their work, collaborate with peers, and experience life on a college campus. Students also had the chance to connect virtually with NASA scientists and engineers through NESSP’s NASA Expert Talks series.
“Artemis ROADS III is NESSP’s eighth ROADS challenge, and I have to say, I think it’s the best one yet. It’s always inspiring to see so many students across the country engage in a truly meaningful STEM experience. I heard from several students and educators that participating in the challenge completely changed their perspective on science and engineering. I believe that’s because this program is designed to let students experience the joy of discovery and invention—driven by both teamwork and personal creativity—that real scientists and engineers love about their work. We also show students the broad range of STEM expertise NASA relies on to plan and carry out a mission like Artemis. Most importantly, it gives them a chance to feel like they are part of the NASA mission, which can be truly transformative.”
– Dr. Darci Snowden, Director, NESSP
NESSP proudly recognizes the following teams for completing all eight Mission Objectives and the Final Challenge:
- Space Pringles, 3rd-5th Grade, San Antonio, TX
- Space Axolotls, 3rd-5th Grade, Roberts, MT
- TEAM Wild, 6th-8th Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- Pessimistic Penguins, 6th-8th Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- Dwarf Planets, 6th-8th Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- Astronomical Rovers, 6th-8th Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- Cosmic Honeybuns, 6th-8th Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- Houston we have a Problem, 6th-8th Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- FBI Wanted List, 6th-8th Grade, Eagle Mountain, UT
- Lunar Legion, 6th-8th Grade, San Antonio, TX
- Artemis Tax-Free Space Stallions, 6th-8th Grade, Egg Harbor, NJ
- Aquila, 6th-8th Grade, Gooding, ID
- Space Warriors, 6th-8th Grade, Wapato, WA
- Team Cygnus, 6th-8th Grade, Red Lodge, MT
- Maple RocketMen, 6th-8th Grade, Northbrook, IL
- RGB Hawks, 6th-8th Grade, Sagle, ID
- The Blue Moon Bigfoots, 6th-8th Grade, Medford, OR
- W.E.P.Y.C.K., 6th-8th Grade, Roberts, MT
- Lunar Dawgz, 6th-8th Grade, Safford, AZ
- ROSEBUD ROCKETEERS, 6th-8th Grade, Rosebud, MT
- The Cosmic Titans, 6th-8th Grade, Thomson Falls, MT
- The Chunky Space Monkeys, 6th-8th Grade, Naches, WA
- ROSEBUD RED ANGUS, 9th-12th Grade, Rosebud, MT
- Bulky Bisons, 9th-12th Grade, Council Grove, KS
- The Falling Stars, 9th-12th Grade, Thomson Falls, MT
- The Roadkillers, 9th-12th Grade, Thomson Falls, MT
- The Goshawks, 9th-12th Grade, Thomson Falls, MT
- Sequim Cosmic Catalysts, 9th-12th Grade, Sequim, WA
- Spuddie Buddies, 9th-12th Grade, Moses Lake, WA
- Astrocoquí 2, 9th-12th Grade, Mayaguez, PR
- Big Sky Celestials, 9th-12th Grade, Billings, MT
- TRYOUTS, 9th-12th Grade, Columbus, MT
- Cosmonaughts, 9th-12th Grade, Columbus, MT
- TCCS 114, 9th-12th Grade, Tillamook, OR
- Marvin’s Mighty Martians, 9th-12th Grade, Simms, TX
You can see highlights of these teams’ work in the Virtual Recognition Ceremony video on the NESSP YouTube channel. The presentation also features the teams selected to travel to Kennedy Space Center in August of 2025, the ultimate prize for these future space explorers!
In addition to student engagement, the ROADS program provided professional development workshops and NGSS-aligned classroom resources to support K–12 educators. Teachers are invited to explore these materials and register for the next round of workshops, beginning in August 2025: https://nwessp.org/professional-development-registration.
For more information about NESSP, its programs, partners, and the ROADS National Challenge, visit www.nwessp.org or contact info@nwessp.org.
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NASA’s Northwest Earth and Space Science Pathways’ (NESSP) project is supported by NASA cooperative agreement award number 80NSSC22M0006 and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/
