NASA HUNCH (High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware) is an innovative program that engages high school students in all regions of the United States in the design and fabrication of real-world projects for use in space missions. The NASA HUNCH program allows students to develop 21st Century workforce skills along with motivating students to pursue STEM courses and careers.
HUNCH students take ownership in their projects, such as working on designing and prototyping an item to be used in space, manufacturing and documenting hardware or sew products that fly to space or even applying their culinary skills to make an entree that the astronauts may someday eat in space.
In one Wyoming Physics classroom you can find students working on commercial sewing machines which are placed in the middle of the classroom, surrounded by students working on 3D printers along all 4 walls of the classroom. These students' agency allows students to creatively make challenging decisions as well as items that may someday help astronauts live and work in space.
Outside the HUNCH classrooms, the community rallies around the students’ efforts. Local businesses help sponsor materials and equipment, and guest speakers—engineers and scientists—share their experiences, inspiring the next generation of innovators. The excitement builds as students compete for an invitation to the annual NASA HUNCH Review Showcase at Johnson Space Center, where they will present their projects to NASA astronauts and engineers.
NASA HUNCH students are not just learning; they are actively participating in the future of space exploration. Their projects embody the spirit of teamwork, collaboration, creativity, resiliency, and problem-solving that NASA champions. When they finally present their work, the pride in their eyes shines as brightly as the stars they aim to reach.
NASA HUNCH students are not just observers of space exploration but vital contributors, bridging the gap between education and the extraordinary challenges of living and working in space. Through their hard work and dedication, they embody the future of space exploration, engineers and scientists.
