St. Louis has a rich history in space exploration, making important contributions. Currently, as we prepare for a return to the Moon, via Artemis, St. Louis (and Missouri) will continue to impact exploration. NASA announced in March 2022 that it selected scientists at Washington University to build a rover-mounted drill sensor to quantify the 3D distribution of water at the Moon’s south pole. Principal investigator Alian Wang, research professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, will lead the research team and instrument development under NASA’s first-ever Lunar Surface Technology Research (LuSTR) solicitation.

As the Artemis program develops a sustainable presence on and around the Moon, there will be many more opportunities for St. Louis to contribute. In this workshop, we will briefly learn about St. Louis space exploration firsts, current projects, and NASA’s Artemis program to put the first woman and person of color on the Moon. Then, we will use design thinking to brainstorm sustainable ideas for living and working on the Moon – ideas that you could use in your company or startup.