Winners of NASA’s Power to Explore Student Challenge Tour NASA’s Glenn Research Center and Meet NASA Engineers

WHAT: The three grand prize winners of NASA’s third Power to Explore Challenge, a national essay competition for K-12 students featuring the enabling power of radioisotopes, visited the NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 8 to learn about the people and technologies that power NASA missions. During their visit, they toured some of the test facilities that NASA uses to research and develop innovative solutions for a sustained return to the moon and then onto Mars!

WHEN: Thursday, August 8 from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM ET

• Greetings at the Research Support Building
• Zero-Gravity Facility
• Lunch with NASA Engineers at the Glenn Cafe
• Slope Lab
• Electric Propulsion and Nuclear Power
• Glenn’s Visualization Lab (GVIS)

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW (at Glenn Research Center)

1. K-4th Grade Winner: Raine Lin of Lexington, KY (media kit / TV interview)
2. 5-8th Grade Winner: Aadya Karthik of Seattle, WA (media kit / TV interview)
3. 9-12th Grade Winner: Thomas Liu of Ridgewood, NJ (media kit)
4. Lauren Clayman, Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer at NASA
5. Carl Sandifer, Radioisotope Power Systems Program Manager

IMAGERY + B-ROLL:

• RPS launch video (w/out captions here)
• RPS technology explainer video
• Official challenge graphics 
• For more info on RPS visit https://nasa.gov/rps
• NASA Press Release

WHERE:

NASA Glenn Research Center
21000 Brookpark Road, Building 162
Cleveland, OH 44135

ABOUT THE CHALLENGE:

Power to Explore is a national essay challenge that asks students in grades K-12 to learn about Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS), a type of “nuclear battery” that NASA uses to explore some of the most extreme destinations in our solar system and beyond, and then write about, in 250 words or less, an RPS-powered space mission that would energize their space exploration dreams. The next Power to Explore challenge is expected to launch in Fall 2024.

ABOUT FUTURE ENGINEERS:

Future Engineers hosts online contests and challenges for K-12 students. Previous challenges have helped produce historic achievements – from naming NASA’s Perseverance rover to manufacturing the first student-designed 3D print in space. All challenges are offered free for student and classroom participation. For more information, visit futureengineers.org. Follow Future Engineers on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Day-of Media Contact:
Kristin Jansen
Public Affairs Specialist
Office of Communications
NASA RPS Program

Phone: 216-296-2203
Email: kristin.m.jansen@nasa.gov