NASA Quest Challenges are Web-based, interactive explorations designed to engage students in authentic scientific and engineering processes. The solutions relate to issues encountered daily by NASA personnel.
The content of NASA Quest Challenges follows real NASA tasks with the goal of involving young people in developing tomorrow's solutions, while inspiring them towards careers in science and engineering. As students work in teams to mirror NASA career roles, agency experts are available to answer questions and to encourage a proper design process. The interaction with scientists occurs via Q&A, chats, interactive Webcasts, and posted feedback on the Web site.
Typically, each scholastic year offers one or two NASA Quest Challenges each of which typically spans six to eight weeks. The activities are designed around problem-based learning and crafted to assist teachers with the incorporation of the content into their educational standard's requirements.
A typical challenge begins with students receiving a question relating to an actual NASA mission. Students work on preliminary solutions, based on research, as NASA experts provide "real time" critiquing. Final designs are developed after student obtain constructive feedback and encouragement. Both student work and parallel projects at NASA are featured in a live Webcast.
For information on technical requirements and instructions on how to participate in Web events see our "How to" Page.
Source: NASA's website
