Moon and Beyond project

Project overview

Moon and Beyond: An Immersive Game for STEM Learning in Museums and Planetariums is developing a STEM educational game that immerses players in scenarios related to lunar science and exploration. The project team is collaborating with subject matter and game design experts and utilizing unique NASA assets to create a game designed for use in informal educational settings. The game will be implemented by hundreds of NISE Network partner organizations across the United States to engage public audiences in learning about space exploration, science, and engineering, especially families with children and students in grades 4-8. 

Moon and Beyond is one of three projects selected in 2018 through NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) initiative. The three selected projects are also collaborating with NASA’s Museum Alliance, a nationwide network of informal education professionals at over 900 science museums, planetariums, NASA visitor centers, Challenger Centers, youth-serving organizations, camps, libraries, visitor centers, nature centers, aquariums and zoos. 

Learn more about NASA STEM Engagement and their resources for educators and students. 

Opportunities for NISE Network partners

The Moon and Beyond game will be distributed together with the NISE Net Explore Science: Earth & Space toolkit in 2020. Both new and existing NISE Network partners located in the United States are invited to participate in Moon and Beyond. Physical toolkits are available to informal learning organizations through a competitive application process. 

  • How to Apply for a 2020 Physical Toolkit
    Applications for physical Explore Science: Earth & Space 2020 toolkits are due November 1, 2019. The application will open by September 1, 2019. The 2020 toolkit will ship in two parts and will include an immersive Moon game as well as hands-on activities.

Audience

  • The game is designed for use in children’s museums, science centers, science museums, public planetariums and observatories, and NASA visitor centers in the United States.
  • The game is appropriate for diverse public audiences, especially families with children and students in grades 4-8.

Timeline and development process

  • 2019: project planning, development, and formative evaluation 
  • 2020: 350 copies of the game shipped along with the Explore Science: Earth and Space toolkits; online workshops
  • 2021: summative evaluation

Learn more about the NISE Network development process

Project partners

The project is led by Arizona Science Center (Phoenix, AZ) and Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ) in collaboration with the NISE Network.

Project team members and advisors include:

  • Arizona Science Center, Phoenix, AZ
  • Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
  • The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL 
  • Children's Creativity Museum, San Francisco, CA
  • Commercial Spaceflight Federation, Washington, DC
  • Emily Maletz Graphic Design, Portland, OR
  • Museum of Life and Science, Durham, NC
  • Museum of Science, Boston, MA
  • Science Museum of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN
  • Sciencenter, Ithaca, NY
  • University of California Berkeley, CA
  • Wilfred Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
  • Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA

Partnerships include:

  • NASA STEM Engagement
  • NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate 
  • NASA Science Mission Directorate
  • NASA’s Ames Research Center
  • NASA’s Museum Alliance

Local partnerships may include:

  • Museums
  • Planetariums
  • K-12 schools and teachers
  • University researchers and students
  • Amateur astronomers
  • Out-of-school time programs
  • Libraries
  • Community organizations

Acknowledgements

This material is based upon work supported by NASA under Grant Number 80NSSC18K1219. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Image credit: 

The near side of the Moon, as seen by the cameras aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft (NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University, 2017)