Planetary Learning that Advances the Nexus of Engineering, Technology, and Science (PLANETS)

Funded as part of the NASA Science Mission Directorate Science Activation Program, this project is a partnership with Northern Arizona University, the U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center, and the Museum of Science Boston, and out-of-school programs across the country funded by NASA. 

The PLANETS is a program that develops and disseminates NASA out-of-school time (OST) curricular and educator resource modules that integrate planetary science, technology, and engineering. It provides free educator materials in the form of STEM units geared toward youth in grades 3-8 with a goal of serving minorities, including those with physical disabilities, Native Americans, and English language learners.

To download the curricular and educator resources visit, planets-stem.org

We want PLANETS to excite and inspire kids and educators about planetary science and engineering. We hope to provide useful tools and resources to support learning and that these efforts will result in a greater appreciation of the importance of STEM in understanding our world and solar system.

Joelle Clark,
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR FOR PLANETS AND ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF NAU’S CENTER FOR SCIENCE TEACHING AND LEARNING (CSTL)

The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) engages the nation’s science community, sponsors scientific research, and develops and deploys satellites and probes in collaboration with NASA’s partners throughout the world to answer fundamental questions requiring the view from and into space. SMD seeks to understand the origins, evolution, and destiny of the universe and to understand the nature of the strange phenomena that shape it.