Virtual Mission
Destination Moon
Mission Goal: Explore the Moon’s surface and establish a second lunar habitat.
See All Virtual Missions
Grade Level 5-8
Earth and Space Science
Stay In My Classroom
Take a seat in Mission Control.
Researchers are ready to return to the Moon to explore its surface and establish a second habitat for astronauts to live and work.
To get there, your students will work in teams to launch and fly Blue Orgin’s reusable launch vehicle, New Glenn, into orbit; safely land Blue Origin’s lunar lander, Blue Moon, on the lunar surface; and prepare to explore the Moon’s surface. While in orbit, they’ll monitor for potentially dangerous space weather and space debris, conduct safety checks on the spacecraft systems, deploy and monitor satellites, and launch payloads.
With the journey underway, your students in Mission Control learn there’s an emergency on the original lunar habitat. They’ll collaborate with another crew to problem-solve and troubleshoot the emergency. Will the crews solve the urgent issue? A successful mission depends on it.
Featuring Adam Wuerl, Director of Advanced Concepts and Strategy, Blue Origin
Kick off your Earth and space science unit with our interactive Destination Moon simulation, where students experience real-world STEM careers, and are placed into teams to conduct research and collaborate to find solutions to urgent challenges.
While Destination Moon primarily focuses on Earth and space science themes, it also integrates physical science topics.
Integrate our pre-and post-mission activities into your lesson to expand students’ understanding of space science and technology.
“I always love to see how engaged our students are when they experience missions. They always come away feeling so confident and excited about their accomplishments.”
Teacher from Illinois
Learning Objectives
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Understand and analyze the launch process of a spacecraft
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Learn about spacecraft design and the optimal conditions for space travel
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Troubleshoot and solve problems using the engineering design process
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Collaborate with peers to achieve a common goal
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Enhance scientific vocabulary
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Approximate program time: 1 hour
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Pre- and post-lesson activities available
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Closed captioning available
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Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) aligned
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Common Core State Standards (CCSS) aligned
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Internet connection required
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Device with audio/video capability required
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No personal student data collected
Pre-Mission Astronaut Training
Prepare your class of astronauts for a rich Destination Moon experience by teaching them about rovers, solar weather, radiation, mapping, tracking and structure, and engines.
Post-Mission Challenge
Students confront scientific misconceptions by sharing what they learned in Destination Moon to help others. In this challenge, students will produce a 2-minute NASA Spotlite animated video.
Send a Postcard to Space
Club for the Future, a non-profit founded by space company, Blue Origin, has a mission to inspire students to pursue careers in STEM and help visualize the future of life in space.
Use these Club for the Future lessons to have your students create a space constitution, sketch a prototype, and create artwork.
Ask students to create postcards with their dreams of the future and visions for life in space. Blue Origin will fly the postcards on a New Shepard launch above the Kármán line into space then mail them back to each student.
In Partnership
Destination Moon was developed in partnership with
Pre- and post-mission activities were made in partnership with Blue Origin, Club for the Future, NASA, and the National Institute of Aerospace.
