Coming to the Americas / 2027
American
Virtual
Astronaut
Explore the challenges of living and working beyond Earth through science, design, and teamwork. America Virtual Astronaut builds on the Australian Virtual Astronaut Challenge, created with the NSW Department of Education and Fizzics Education. We are extending that experience to the United States and across the Americas. Below are the three challenges for 2026.
Interested as an educator, school, or potential partner for AVA 2027? Email your organization, location, and how you would like to participate.
2026 Challenge 1
What We Eat
NASA Shortfall: 1525 – Food and nutrition for Mars and Sustained Lunar
Energy, nutrition, sustainability.
How can we sustain life off-world? In this mission, you will explore the complex challenges in nutrition that face astronauts for long-term habitation in space.
2026 Challenge 2
Where We Live
NASA Shortfall: 1601 – Enable Observation of Whole Top-to-Bottom Dynamic Ecosystems
Human habitation off-world.
The ability to make tools and instruments and apply observational data can help us build and understand our human-made lunar ecosystem.
2026 Challenge 3
Going Outside
NASA Shortfall: 1304 – Robust, High-Progress-Rate, and Long-Distance Autonomous Surface Mobility
Explore and discover.
How might rover and vehicle design be improved? Apply engineering skills to revolutionise mobility across lunar regolith