Moonshot Museum + NASA

Inspiring the next generation of space explorers across Appalachia

Moonshot Museum was selected by NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program to expand hands-on STEM learning and connect students to real careers in today’s space industry.

Nasa Careers

A NASA-supported pathway from curiosity to career

Moonshot Museum is helping students see that space exploration is not just something that happens far away — it is being built right here in our region. Through NASA-funded programming, Moonshot Museum is expanding access to immersive STEM experiences for students across Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, with a special focus on reaching underserved communities. The program, Cosmic Careers from the Earth to the Moon, introduces middle school students to the people, technologies, and possibilities shaping the future of aerospace.

What this grant makes possible

Mobile Outreach

Mobile Outreach

In-school experiences including a planetarium show and educational robotics activities bring Moonshot learning directly to students.

Immersive Museum Experiences

Immersive Museum Experiences

Students visit Moonshot Museum for collaborative, team-based experiences rooted in innovation, entrepreneurship, and exploration.

Payload Missions

Payload Missions

Students create art and science experiments, launch them aboard high-altitude balloons, and track their progress to the edge of space.

Virtual and Robotics Learning

Virtual and Robotics Learning

Programs introduce students to the engineers, roboticists, and problem-solvers shaping NASA missions and commercial space exploration today.

A Mission in Three Phases

Over three years, students move from discovery to immersion to launching their own experiments to the edge of space

Spark interest

Students experience a theatrical planetarium show and educational robot programming in schools, with connections to the growing space industry in the Appalachian region.

Step into the mission

Students visit Moonshot Museum for immersive, team-building experiences that bring the future of space exploration to life.

Launch and track experiments

Students create payloads, send them on high-altitude balloons, and follow their journey while engaging with robotics and space professionals.
Mission Phases
Why Moonshot

Why Moonshot Museum

Moonshot Museum is uniquely positioned to deliver this work. Operated by the Astrobotic Foundation, the museum is located alongside Astrobotic Technology in Pittsburgh, giving visitors a rare window into the real-time work of the contemporary space industry. Moonshot describes itself as Pennsylvania’s first dedicated space museum and the first in the world to offer a literal window into lunar spacecraft being built as students and families explore exhibits focused on the future of human space exploration.

About Moonshot Museum

Fueling the Future of Space Exploration

Moonshot Museum’s NASA-funded initiative is designed to expand access to hands-on STEM learning across the region. By combining immersive experiences, mobile outreach, and real-world connections to the space industry, the program creates meaningful opportunities for students to explore future careers in aerospace.
$800,000
NASA grant
93,000
students targeted
285,000
additional reach

“No matter who you are, what you look like, or where you come from, there is a place for you in this industry, and Moonshot is here to guide you on that journey.”

Dr. Jimyse L. Brown | Executive Director

Astrobotic

Powered by Regional Collaboration

The program draws on a strong regional network of collaborators, including Carnegie Mellon University, Keystone Space Collaborative, and Astrobotic Technology Inc. Together, these partners help connect classroom learning with real innovation, real careers, and real momentum in the space sector.

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