How might your project help to advance atmospheric or space science, aviation or aerospace technologies, or enable humans to explore and live in space, on the Moon, or beyond?

Check out this list of questions to get you thinking about your project, inspire some research, and help you decide what question or problem you might want to investigate.

Brainstorming project ideas:

Big Picture Questions

• What excites you most about space, flight, or exploration?
• When you look up at the sky, what questions do you have?
• What problems do people face when travelling in the air or in space?
• How could aerospace technology be used to improve life on Earth?
• If you could invent any aerospace tool or device, what would it be and who would it help?

Air & Flight

• How could planes or drones be made safer, quieter, or more fuel-efficient?
• What new uses could drones have in your community (e.g., delivery, rescue, research)?
• How could air travel be changed to be more environmentally friendly?

Space & Exploration

• What challenges do astronauts face when living in space (food, water, exercise, mental health)?
• How can we recycle or reuse resources on long space missions?
• Imagine you’re designing something to help the first human mission to Mars—what problem could you try to solve?
• What planets, stars, galaxies, asteroids or other astronomical objects interest you? What would you like to learn more about?
• How could we gather resources from space that are limited on Earth?

Satellites & Technology

• How can satellites help us learn more about Earth (e.g. the weather, climate, environment, human impact on land)?
• How can we deal with space debris and make satellites and space exploration more sustainable?
• How might space technology help people in remote or rural areas?

Remember

Start by picking a topic or idea that sparks your curiosity. Then think about whether you could discover (test an idea through an experiment, research or survey) or innovate (design a new solution) around that problem. Learn more about the difference between Discovery and Innovation projects here.