Orion's Quest

05/26/2026

🚀⚽ New Mission Alert: The Science of Soccer in Space!

🚀⚽ Soccer meets space science — and your classroom!

Adidas tested their official 2026 FIFA World Cup ball aboard the International Space Station, and now Orion's Quest, NASA, and Adidas are bringing that experiment to students everywhere.

🎓 Teachers: Enroll now to access a NASA STEMonstration video and ready-to-use classroom activities exploring the physics of soccer in microgravity. Use the Teachers Enroll button at the top of the page! https://orionsquest.org/sss

05/08/2026

Can space help us better understand the human body?

On board the International Space Station, researchers working with NASA are studying how microgravity impacts muscles, bones, and human health during long-duration spaceflight.

Without Earth’s gravity, the body changes quickly… giving scientists a unique opportunity to study aging, strength loss, and recovery in ways impossible to replicate on Earth.

Through Orion’s Quest, students get the chance to explore real mission data and connect directly with the science happening in orbit.

Space exploration isn’t just about going farther. It’s about improving life back here at home.

Learn more: OrionsQuest.org/Missions

04/30/2026

What if space could help us understand aging?
Aboard the International Space Station, scientists working with NASA are studying how the immune system changes over time… by using microgravity to accelerate the aging process of cells.

Led by Sonja Schrepfer and her team at UCSF, this mission sends immune cells and liver tissue to space to observe how well the body can heal itself.

Here’s where it gets powerful…

Students aren’t just learning about this research… they’re analyzing real data from the mission and evaluating how effectively those cells repair damage.

Learn more: https://orionsquest.org/sae

Real science.
Real missions.
Real student impact.

04/20/2026

Science education should be accessible to every classroom.
Through our Plant Growth in Space mission, students become research assistants studying how plants respond to microgravity aboard the International Space Station. They compare space grown plants with Earth based controls while exploring how light and gravity affect growth.

Even better, all Orion’s Quest missions are provided free to educators and classrooms!!

We believe students everywhere should have the opportunity to experience real world STEM learning connected to space research, regardless of budget.
Students are not just reading about science. They are doing science through authentic missions, real data, and critical thinking tied to discoveries happening beyond Earth.

We are proud to help inspire the next generation of explorers, scientists, and innovators.

Learn more at Orion's Quest

04/10/2026

Almost back home 🌎

Today’s the day the Artemis II crew will splash down in the Pacific Ocean following their journey around the Moon. Here’s how you can watch starting at 6:30pm ET (2230 UTC): nasa.gov/ways-to-watch/

04/10/2026

We’re back!
Today, the Artemis program returns to Earth marking the first human journey around the Moon in over 50 years!!

This is not just a splashdown.
It is the beginning of the next era of exploration.

Splashdown Details....
The Artemis program mission is scheduled to return today with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California near San Diego. Around 8:06 PM to 8:07 PM EDT. Watch live here:

NASA live: Follow live television broadcasts on NASA+, the agency's streaming service, and NASA's social media channels with this schedule of upcoming live events including news briefings, launches and landings.

04/02/2026

We’re back!!
A new era of exploration has begun with Artemis program, and the best is yet to come.

04/02/2026

Photographer Brian Lail captured this remarkable moment of the Artemis II mission approximately two minutes after its 6:35 PM EDT liftoff on April 1, 2026. The image depicts the separation of the twin solid rocket boosters from the Space Launch System core stage at an altitude of roughly 30 miles over the Atlantic Ocean. Having provided over 7 million pounds of thrust to vault the Orion spacecraft off Launch Complex 39B, the boosters jettisoned successfully to allow the four RS-25 engines to continue the ascent into Earth orbit. This mission represents the first time humans have witnessed this separation sequence from within the capsule since the final Apollo mission in 1972, marking a critical milestone in the journey of the crew toward the lunar far side.

Source: NASA / Kennedy Space Center / Brian Lail Photography

03/27/2026

Did you know this about space:

The International Space Station orbits Earth once every 90 minutes.
That means astronauts onboard see 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets every single day.

Imagine starting your morning with a sunrise… and seeing another one before lunch.

This unique environment is not just incredible to experience
It is also what makes the ISS one of the most powerful laboratories in the world.

With microgravity, scientists can study things in ways that are simply not possible here on Earth.
From how fluids move, to how crystals form, to how the human body responds over time in a microgravity environment.

At Orion's Quest, we take discoveries like these and turn them into learning experiences that help students see science in a whole new way. Free of charge to educators.

Would you want to experience 16 sunrises in one day?

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03/20/2026

Space isn’t just for astronauts… it’s a classroom.

Every single day aboard the International Space Station, scientists are conducting experiments that could change how we understand life both in space and here on Earth.

From studying how the human body adapts to microgravity
To improving medicines and materials
To exploring how things behave when gravity is removed entirely

This is not science fiction. This is happening right now, about 250 miles above us.

At Orion's Quest, our mission is to take that real cutting edge research and bring it directly into classrooms, giving students the opportunity to learn from the same discoveries shaping our future.

Because when students see that science is real, active, and happening in space, something powerful happens.

Curiosity turns into questions
Questions turn into ideas
And ideas turn into the next generation of explorers, engineers, and innovators

The future of space exploration is not just being built in orbit
It is being built in today’s classrooms.

If you could send one experiment to space, what would it be?