Scientist for a Day

Interested in becoming a scientist? Here’s one way to test yourself to see if this profession is for you. NASA is conducting the 2019-2020 essay contest sponsored by Radioisotope Power Systems. (They are the NASA group that develops power technology enabling spacecraft to explore the planets and moons of the outer solar system.) You can research and write about one of three moons—Miranda, Triton, or Charon.

In 1986 Voyager 2 captured images of one side of Uranus’ moon, Miranda. In 1989 that same spacecraft ventured near Triton, a moon of Neptune, but it was just a fly-bye. And in 2015 the New Horizons space craft took pictures of Charon, a moon of Pluto. The space crafts mentioned flew quickly past these moons leaving scientists with some answers but even more questions. They would like to go back, but which one first? Perhaps you can help. 

If you are in grades 5-12 and fascinated by space science, this is a job for you. Your task is to write a 500-word easy about one of the three moons and tell why NASA should return to that moon and explore it in more detail. 

Let your NASA scientist readers know which moon inspires you the most and why. What do you hope we’ll find once we return to Miranda, Triton, or Charon? If you like, tell which science instruments you would put on the next space craft to help NASA learn more. Remember, pick one moon and focus your essay on that. You can learn more about each moon at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/scientist-for-a-day/2019-2020-topics/.

Winning students will be published on NASA’s Solar System Exploration website. Winners in the United States will have the opportunity to participate with their class in a teleconference or videoconference to ask questions of NASA scientists.

All participating students will receive a certificate of participation with the images of the three moons they studied. 

Key Dates to Remember

November 18, 2019- Contest is launched

February 20, 2020- Contest deadline at 5:00 PM Pacific Time

May 2020- Video Conference 

To Learn more about Scientist for a Day contest visit this NASA website: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/scientist-for-a-day/home/. When your essay is ready, click on the “Submit” button on that page and follow the directions. 

Have fun, and good luck.

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