Students 'go back to the moon'

SAGLE — The Kennedy Space Center had some special visitors in August when four Sagle Elementary students traveled across the country to cap off their Artemis Rover Observation And Drone Survey challenge.

The Artemis ROADS program, put on by Northwest Earth and Space Sciences Pathways and funded by NASA, offers students a chance to explore STEM concepts through hands-on activities. 

“ROADS takes inspiration from real NASA projects and guides students on a space-related mission,” NWESSP officials said on the group’s website. “Each year, we update ROADS to tackle different science and engineering problems and to visit different solar system bodies.”

For last year’s challenge, students “went back to the moon.”

Six Sagle Elementary students were teacher nominated based on academics and demonstrating the school’s motto “S.O.A.R.,” which stands for: show character, own your behavior, accept responsibility, and respond respectfully. These students included Ruby Moremen, Tyler Weller, Eve Archuleta, Landon Conner, Sofia West and Ethan West.

“Not all of them had an interest in space or robotics at the beginning and it was interesting to see their confidence grow as the challenge progressed," Heather Heyer Moremen, the team’s advisor and Sagle Elementary librarian, said. “These students studied our efforts to travel to the moon from the historic Apollo missions to our next attempt, Artemis," Moreman said. 

Throughout the school year, participating students completed 10 to 11 challenges related to the Artemis moon missions, then they attended a hub event where they demonstrated their skills at the University of Idaho, Moremen said. They learned how to build and code a Lego rover, fly drones along the various Artemis Mission trajectories, and simulate plant cultivation in space.

At the challenge event held at the University of Idaho last June, the students demonstrated their ability to navigate their rover down into a simulated crater, around various obstacles, and back up a steep ramp to exit,” Moremen said. “They presented their mission development logs and discussed all that they had learned during the challenge.”

There were two teams in the North Idaho and Washington region who made it through all of the challenges, with one expected to be awarded with a trip to the space center.

“When it came time to announce the trip winners, the Lunar Ticks were surprised when both teams that qualified were invited on the all-expenses-paid trip to KSC,” Moremen said. “At first only one [team] was supposed to win the trip, but I think our kids won them over with being polite and prepared and both teams got to go.”

One student, Ruby Moreman, said they learned how to navigate challenges and bounce back when something doesn’t work through the challenge. 

"During the competition our rover fell off the ramp, but we didn't panic, and we all worked together and kept trying to figure it out,” Ruby said. “If something doesn't work you try again, that's what engineers do.”

Throughout their visit, the four students able to make the trip explored the KSC visitor complex, participated in a VIP bus tour, and visited launch pad 39-A which is near pad 39-B where the Apollo missions launch and SpaceX currently leases, Moreman said. They were also given access to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where they observed a team practicing stacking rocket components in preparation for the arrival of the Space Launch System. 

"Some of my most memorable experiences were when we went inside of the vehicle assembly building where NASA builds all of their rockets,” Eve Archuleta, student, said. It's one of the largest buildings in the world. I also walked along the Saturn V rocket and the size of it was unfathomable.”

Eve’s mother, Heidi Beekman, said her daughter will never forget her trip. 

“I hope all of the kids continue to be curious about space and science and I am truly grateful for Mrs. Moremen who coached the team all year through all of their challenges and experiment's,” she said. “It truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the kids."

Like Eve, student Landon Conner said that “the coolest part of the trip was going on the launch pad and seeing the machine that they move the rockets with, and seeing the speed at which it moves.”

Moremen said, from her perspective, the best part of all of the trip was seeing a group of kids become friends and learn how to have confidence in themselves.

“I hope that this experience has opened up a new world of possibilities for them, and that they know that they can achieve anything they put their minds to,” she said. “I am so incredibly proud of all of them.” 

    At a challenge event held at the University of Idaho last June, students demonstrated their ability to navigate their rover down into a simulated crater, around various obstacles, and back up a steep ramp to exit, advisor Heather Heyer Moremen said.
  

    Throughout their visit, the four students able to make the trip participated in a VIP bus tour, and visited the Vehicle Assembly Building, where they observed a team practicing stacking rocket components in preparation for the arrival of the Space Launch System.