On the heels of International Women’s Day celebrated on March 8th (8M), we look at how kids worldwide can blast off on an adventure to the Moon through an Artemis-inspired set of worlds.
According to NASA, the agency’s Office of STEM Engagement is offering a unique opportunity for students ages eight and up to participate in experiences designed to spark an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.
“NASA strives to reach the broadest audience and inspire the Artemis Generation to prepare them for the missions of tomorrow,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a press release. “Through our partnership with Microsoft, this new frontier in Minecraft reflects NASA’s priority of pushing the boundaries of exploration on the Moon, Mars, and beyond!”
“Artemis: Rocket Build” is available for free on both the Minecraft Marketplace and in Minecraft Education, while “Artemis: Return to the Moon” and “Artemis: Moon Base” are exclusive to Minecraft Education.
Through collaboration with partners such as Microsoft, NASA said it has the opportunity to share space exploration with more students who are part of the Artemis Generation. The collaboration is part of a partnership between NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement and Microsoft, which owns Minecraft.
Minecraft Education is a game-based learning platform set in the Minecraft universe to engage students in NASA’s next chapter in human spaceflight and encourage them to see themselves as future astronauts or scientists. Gamers in new Minecraft worlds can build and launch a rocket, guide their Orion spacecraft, and even establish a lunar base alongside their team.
Minecraft has built two immersive worlds based on the Artemis missions to come, in which astronaut crews, including the first woman and first person of color, will establish a long-term human presence on the Moon. Students will learn basic rocket engineering and mechanics as they build and launch their rocket in Minecraft’s “Artemis: Rocket Build” mission. In the next mission, “Return to the Moon,” they’ll test their coding skills as they program the Orion spacecraft to land successfully.
The Artemis I mission in late 2022 marked the first integrated flight test of the agency’s mega Moon rocket, the Space Launch System, and the uncrewed Orion spacecraft. During the three-week flight, Orion demonstrated its capabilities in deep space and performed two lunar fly-bys, setting the stage for increasingly complex and ambitious missions with astronauts.
The Moon is calling. ⬜
We are partnering with Minecraft to bring the #Artemis missions to players all over the world. Read more about the partnership: https://t.co/gMPFFiBx2g pic.twitter.com/PHCNP6IkNJ
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) March 7, 2023
3…2…1 Lift off! The #Artemis Missions have landed in Minecraft in partnership with @NASA! 🌙 🚀
Design your own rocket and navigate the Orion space capsule on a mission to the moon! #MinecraftEdu
Explore: https://t.co/COzau1UCAb pic.twitter.com/Tsmrd2Jgie
— Minecraft Education (@PlayCraftLearn) March 7, 2023
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