Space Week Challenge

World Space Week STEAM Challenge

October 4-10 | For Kindergarten through Sixth Grade

The Iowa NASA Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) is sponsoring a World Space Week Challenge (WSWC) for Iowa youth in grades Kindergarten through six.

What is World Space Week?

World Space Week is an international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition. The United Nations General Assembly declared in 1999 that World Space Week will be held each year from October 4-10. These dates commemorate two events:

October 4, 1957: Launch of the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, thus opening the way for space exploration
October 10, 1967: The signing of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space,
including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.

Challenge Activities

ISGC’s WSPC features activities from Iowa 4-H and NASA Iowa Space Grant Consortium’s STEAM Academy as a celebration of World Space Week. You can join to celebrate World Space Week with ISGC’s Space Week Challenge.

The Challenge features four activities from the Iowa 4-H and NASA Iowa Space Grant Consortium STEAM Academy to increase awareness of space and our connections to space. The challenge begins on October 4th and ends on October 10th. Use the links below to access the challenges and supporting YouTube videos to completion. Challenges are due October 10th, 2023.

How to Participate

To participate, any organized group of youth can complete the four activities and then submit their final project. Classrooms, 4-H clubs, home school groups, scouts, community youth programs, etc. may submit a final project for the event to compete for the prizes. Individuals can submit to compete for a mystery space themed prize.

The project work submitted should include the work done in each of the four STEAM Academy challenges “Challenge Directions: Do/Reflect/Apply” section along with an answer to at least one of the overall challenge questions below in the submission section.

The answer can be a poem, a story, an essay, a video, a song, or any other format that helps the youth get their answer across to the judges. Participating groups can provide one answer or have each participating youth answer.

To Enter

Complete the form after the completion of the challenges and submit by October 10th.

The first place team will receive a classroom straw rocket launcher from PITSCO; a classroom set of STEAM literacy books, and a ISGC T-shirt for the winning adult sponsor. The second place team will receive the STEM literacy books and a T-shirt for the adult sponsor. The third place team will receive the literacy book set. An individual who competed the competition outside of an organization will be selected to win a mystery space themed prize.

Guidance

To demonstrate the project work done in the Challenge, complete the Challenge Directions: Do/Reflect/Apply section in each challenge. Teams can submit photos showing the process and the results (photo release form required for photos that include student faces). Scan work done, or other creative process such s a video where the activities are explained by the youth.

The final question’s answer can take any form of communication such as text, pictures with explanation, video, cartoon, poem, etc. Any format that helps the judges understand what the participants are telling them about sustainability in space.

If you have any questions regarding anything involving WSWC, please email isgc@iastate.edu

Challenges

Submit Your Findings & Answers

Why do we need to sustain our space in the orbits around Earth?
When you think of the future of space – traveling to the moon and other planets, living and working in outer-space — what might be some problems that we could encounter?
What ideas do you have to solve those problems? What are some ways that we can take care of outer space so that all can enjoy it for years to come?

Submit by October 10th.

Additional Space Materials

Additional space themed materials can be found on the WSW has a World Space Week Teacher Activity Guide for use in grades K-12.