**A special note for our guests. Please keep in mind that the articles you find on this site were written by 6th-9th grade students, except for those items provided by our professional contributors. Please keep comments kind and constructive as all the students have done amazing work researching and writing about space topics at their individual ability level.
We are back! Live and In Person
Come see us at Quest Academy Charter School
Friday, May 20th, 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Eat your way through learning about space
Sample astronaut food
See MOON ROCKS from the Apollo missions up close
Fly a simulated mission to the moon
Meet the Space Force and NASA specialists
Learn how astronauts will grow food on the way to Mars
Stroll the Solar System on The S.S.T.A.R.S. Trail
Solar System Trail for Astronomical Research by Students
The S.S.T.A.R.S. trail (Solar System Trail for Astronomical Research by Students) was designed by students in West Haven.Â
The S.S.T.A.R.S. Trail features planets and other solar system objects to scale for both size and distance. Each planet or object is represented with a 3D image along with lesser known and interesting facts about that planet or object.
Fun things to do and learn at the trail head park.
First 1,000 guests get free 3D glasses to enjoy the planets as they pop out at you.
Swag prizes for the first 500 guests to complete all the planetary activities.
Fun demos and hands-on activities.
See a bomb disposal robot, make your very own asteroid, follow Ingenuities flight path on Mars, make an impact crater and more!
5.2 Mile Model of the Solar System
Trail starts
Tuscan ParkÂ
2125 W 3100 S, West Haven, UT
Trail ends
Confluence Ogden River Parkway
903 W 17th St, Marriot-Slaterville, UT
Planet Locations on the Trail
Grab your 3D glasses and let's hit the trail. The walking distance to each planet is a scaled representation of the distance between those planets.Â
THANK YOU to our Special Guest Speakers for the S.S.T.A.R.S. Trail Grand Opening, May 2021.
Keynote: Steven C. Smith
STEM EPDC Specialist, NASA Johnson Space Center
Teaching teachers how to better reach those that have been reaching on their own for so long. As a NASA Education Specialist, I work with Minority Serving Institutions all across the country to help them reach all of their students using open source resources from NASA
Lyle TavernierÂ
Educational Technology Specialist at JPL (NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Pasadena, California, United States
Mr. Tavernier works to develop STEM content integrating NASA science discoveries and engineering innovations into K-12 science and math instruction. He also leads JPL's efforts for distance learning, digital learning technologies, instructional technologies and technology education.
Aaron ShepardÂ
Founder Cogito, Robotics Engineering Intern at NASA Langley
Electrical engineering student at Clemson University passionate about robotics, space exploration , and STEM outreach to historically underrepresented students . Founder of Cogito, a company dedicated to inspiring through STEM outreach. Design and develop soft robots for in space assembly.Â
Jodie Guillen
Space Education Specialist
Jodie Guillen is responsible for implementing the extensive space-related educational programs at the Space Foundation, including conducting Discover the Universe field trips for students, teaching Space Across the Curriculum professional development courses to teachers from around the nation, promoting space education in schools, and developing and implementing curriculum and education programs that support science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM).
Special Guest Contributors
STEM EPDC Specialist
NASA
NASA's has combined efforts with Boeing and SpaceX to design, develop, and test systems to send astronauts to the International Space Station from American soil for the first time since 2011.
Steven C. Smith shares resources and information and answers your questions about NASA and the Commercial Crew program.
Retired NASA Astronaut
VP and General Manager, Propulsion Systems
Northrop Grumman
Astronaut Charlie Precourt talks about the future of moon exploration and how you can be a part of it. You are a part of the Artemis Generation, the next humans who will go to the moon and on to Mars.
Launch Abort Systems Engineer from Northrop Grumman
Learn from Erik Gross about solid fuel rockets and how they are made right here in Utah.
Visual Artist, Curriculum Developer, Author - Elements: a love letter to all things everywhereÂ
What do thunderstorms, ultra-smooth ice cream, dynamite and your brain all have in common? Nitrogen made in the center of a star! What’s around you and in you and in outer space right now?!?  Author Hannah Burr teaches all about elements with her new book and curriculum. Get some sweet discounts! See some cool Elements artwork and have some fun with Hannah connecting the dots from us to outerspace and back again!Â
Erika Blumenfeld
Transdisciplinary Artist Project Lead, Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division from NASA Johnson Space Center
Erika Blumenfeld is the lead on a project with NASA to make 3D scans of Apollo mission sample moon rocks available to the public. Interact with some samples of her work.
***If you have 3D glasses, go get them so you can reach out and touch a moon rock.***
April Darger
Robots Education Outreach
Robots are an integral and intriguing part of space exploration. From the Mars Rovers that have already sent us so much information to NASA’s Valkyrie Humanoids that might end up building your new home on Mars, robots are paving the way for human exploration.Â
STUDENT CONTRIBUTIONS
Rockets, Landers, Rovers, Satellites and Planes
The Vehicles of Space
How to make your own cardstock rocket at home.
A car-sized rover lands on Mars looking for signs of life and caching samples that will eventually be brought home.
Rockets are one of the most intricate forms of transportation known to man. Rockets are very powerful and they are designed to deliver Astronauts to space for research purposes.Â
Tiny satellites you could hold in your arms made it to Mars. CubeSats are becoming a driver in innovation. Takada explains the future of tiny satellites.
Landing on the moon is hard, but you can make your own Lunar lander and test your landing skills with Serenity.
Learn the principles of aerodynamics with Max and how NASA builds experimental air craft to advance air travel.
Not only satellites can give us pictures and information about our planet. Radar like devices mounted on airplanes can give us information about volcanoes.
The SUPER HEAVY launch system to get us to the Moon and Mars. This is the most powerful rocket ever built!
NASA plans to send a car sized drone to Titan to study the chemicals of life there. Kade can tell you all about it.
And how do satellites work? Most satellites go into space by rockets, the satellites orbit Earth when its speed is balanced by the Earth's Gravity. The satellite moves in the same direction and rate as the Earth
The Sun
What is the atmosphere of the sun like? It turns out there are currents of plasma. Learn about these currents of plasma with IRIS and make your own model of these plasma currents at home.
Did you know that the Sun's magnetic sphere flips every 11 years? Discover how we know that and learn a little about Ulysses.
Explore Off Planet
How is moon dust made? Make your own sample of moon dust with Sebastian and Kiya.
See how NASA crashed a rocket body into the moon and what secret they found. David will teach you how to play LCROSS, then watch NASA crash a rocket into the moon.
LADEE gathered information about the moons atmosphere, where it comes from and how it is changed.
Why should we spend money on NASA when we have so many problems on Earth? Why is NASA important in the first place? Questions people ask all the time.Â
Have you ever wanted to learn more about the solar system? Well here's your chance. The solar system is the sun and everything that orbits around it, mostly asteroids, comets and planets.Â
What will living on Mars be like, What missions have been on Mars
What is the Moon's atmosphere made of? What are the patchy circles on the moon?
How did Earth get its Moon?
Space Rocks
How are asteroids made?Make your own asteroid with Colby and Kyle.
Find out how big a meteor it would take to destroy the planet Earth. Learn about meteorites and craters. Can you design an impact that would melt the planet?
Play with 3D models and print coloring pages while you learn about New Horizons probe and what it taught us about our favorite dwarf planet Pluto!
Space rocks help us figure out the origins of the solar system, some rocks come off of other planets when the planet was forming. Scientists believe that some of the space rocks that are around could be from Earth forming.
The Dark Side of the Universe
Learn about black holes and how they work.
Black holes, the death of stars, slow down time, and would stretch your body.
Dark matter and dark energy make up about 95% of our universe and control what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future. How much do we know about them? Not much.
Want to see how black holes work? What happens when a star gets sucked into a black hole. You can see a video here.
Living and Working Off World
The ISS is constantly doing experiments that advance our understanding of health and wellness. Learn about a few of them here.
NASA has plans for astronauts to stay for much longer periods on the moon. That means they will need a place to live. TJ will show you some potential designs and then help you make your own lunar habitat in your living room.
Astronaut Training
Astronauts train in many different way before they go to space. Some of them become aquanauts before they become astronauts.
Astronauts need to stay fit for space. The micro gravity environment causes bone and muscle loss unless astronauts follow a strict exercise routine.Â
Manned Missions
Humans in Space
We are going back to the moon, but this time to stay. With the help of new technologies like the Lunar Gateway, SLS, and Orion, humans will be able to have a long term presence on the moon.
One small step...one giant leap. 50 years later and there is still nothing quite like the Apollo moon landings. Blake and Will would like to tell you about them.
Apollo 15 was the first mission where a Lunar Roving Vehicle was used to help astronauts travel further on the moon.
Robots in Space
Robot "bees" are already on the space station helping astronauts with simple tasks, but more robots are on their way and may do things like repair the space station or build habitats for astronauts on the moon.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
