NASA Inspires Students

Staff and students at Bitz Intermediate School on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, launched into their summer break with a unique sendoff June 7 when National Aeronautics and Space Administration Public Affairs Specialist Trevor Brownlow stopped by the school to inspire the next generation of space explorers.

The presentation focused on the diverse career fields within NASA and featured key points about the shuttle program, the International Space Station, and the Artemis program, which will be a series of increasingly intricate missions to return humans to the moon and eventually to Mars. The event culminated with a video from NASA Astronaut Christina Koch, who grew up in Jacksonville—just outside Camp Lejeune—and will be flying around the moon on the upcoming Artemis II mission.

The purpose of organizing this event is to launch a summer kick-off by providing students with a unique opportunity to learn directly from distinguished NASA experts, according to Ashley Huygens, an advanced academics and science, technology, engineering, art, and math teacher at BIS. “Our intention is to invigorate, motivate, and empower students by exposing them to authentic experiences and narratives from the field of space exploration,” she said.

NASA’s website has a trove of valuable information and activities for educators and students in grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12.

“Traveling to deep space and planting American astronauts’ boots on the surface of Mars is a herculean, inter-generational effort,” said Brownlow. “As we work to develop the technologies and capabilities to achieve this feat, the future astronaut that will be the first to walk on the Red Planet could very well be one of today’s elementary school students.”

A man is holding a microphone and speaking to a room of students seated on the floor. Behind him is a projector screen and it reads "NASA's Artemis Missions."
NASA Public Affairs Specialist Trevor Brownlow discusses NASA’s Artemis mission with students at Bitz Intermediate School June 7, 2023. The school invited Brownlow to discuss a variety of NASA topics as a way to inspire children to keep exploring and learning during their summer break.
Brownlow is assigned to John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. While NASA facilities in Houston and Florida receive more notoriety, NASA relies on all its facilities—perhaps none more important than Stennis—to complete its missions.

According to NASA’s website, Stennis is a rocket engine test facility, and it has supported the Apollo, Shuttle, and now the Space Launch System (SLS) programs. Brownlow knows firsthand that it takes a diverse group of people and professions to accomplish NASA’s mission.

“While our Astronaut Corps constitutes a highly visible segment of the NASA community, all roles play an integral part of achieving our exploration mission,” said Brownlow. “From the SCUBA diving professionals who train astronauts in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, to the procurement technicians who obtain the goods and services we need to function, to the education and outreach specialists who cultivate public interest in NASA, every role is interdependent and vital for the agency’s mission success.”

Before concluding his presentation, Brownlow played a video message from Jacksonville native and Artemis Astronaut Christina Koch standing inside the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston, Texas. Koch, a North Carolina State University alumna, holds the women’s record for the longest single spaceflight—328 days—and participated in the first all-female spacewalk in the history of space exploration, according to Brownlow.

Koch described her childhood inspiration and reminded students that exploration is possible anywhere. “When I was a little girl growing up in North Carolina, I was inspired by things like the night sky, the ocean, anything that made me ponder the size of the universe and my place in it,” said Koch. “I hope those same things can inspire you this summer."

Students at Bitz Intermediate School assemble paper replicas of the Orion Spacecraft June 7, 2023. The spacecraft will sit atop a system of engines known as the Space Launch System during future Artemis missions and carry the crew to space. NASA Public Affairs Specialist Trevor Brownlow visited Bitz where he provided a schoolwide informational presentation and provided books and activities to students.

Students left the auditorium with a renewed sense of wonder and curiosity for this planet and beyond.

“I thought it was really cool that someone from NASA got to teach us and we learned how astronauts live in space when they have to go on long missions,” said Parker Stitzel, third grade student at Bitz. “I think it would be cool to find the first alien that anyone has ever seen.”

Stitzel plans to explore his grandparents’ house this summer. “They have a basement where a lot of weird things happen, and I am going to explore for ghosts and see if there is something living there.”

Brownlow visited some classrooms following his presentation where he met with students, answered additional questions, and handed out NASA informational books and activities. He looks forward to furthering the partnership between NASA Stennis, and DoDEA educators and students.

“It was a privilege and an honor to share this story with the children of our nation’s military heroes,” said Brownlow. “The students of today will be our astronauts, flight controllers, propulsion experts, astronomers, food scientists, and computer programmers of tomorrow.”