This contest is brought to you by NASA’s Radioisotope Power Systems Program, the team that provides spacecraft with the power to visit some of the harshest, darkest, coldest locations in the solar system.
VIDEO
Bethany Eppig, the RPS Launch Approval Manager at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, introduces the three topics and highlights the challenges of sending a robotic spacecraft to visit the outer solar system. Credit: NASA
For this edition of the essay contest, we invite all students to explore three moons that NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft briefly visited during its historic journey through the solar system.
Your assignment is to study three of Uranus' moons: Ariel, Oberon, and Titania. Then, choose the one you think would be the best place to return with another spacecraft someday.
In January 1986, the mighty spacecraft reached the Uranus system. Voyager 2 took as many images as possible of anything within sight. Those were very brief visits, though, and we only know what one side of these faraway moons looks like.
Which of these three moons inspires you to explore further?
What excites you about what we’ve learned so far?
What do you hope we’ll find if we return to these places?
Support your choice in an essay of no more than 300 words.
The essays of winning students will be published on NASA's Radioisotope Power Systems website.
Good Luck!
The Scientist for a Day team
What is an RPS?
Radioisotope Power Systems provide the power to explore, discover, and understand our solar system. You can learn more about RPS on this website. This video explains some of the concepts.
Ariel
Ariel is believed to be the least cratered of all the moons orbiting Uranus. Carbon dioxide has been detected there.
more
Oberon
Oberon, Uranus' second largest moon, has a mountain that rises almost 4 miles (more than 6 kilometers) off the surface.
more
Titania
Titania, Uranus' largest moon, has a system of fault valleys that stretches nearly 1,000 miles (about 1,600 kilometers).
more
2019-20 Canada Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Triton
2019-20 Canada Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 Canada Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Miranda
2019-20 Bahamas Winner - Target: Charon
2019-20 Canada Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 Canada Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Miranda
Sara John-Chuan
Grade 5-6
2019-20 Canada Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Triton
2019-20 Canada Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Triton
2019-20 Bulgaria Winner, Grade: 5-6 - Topic: Miranda
Aleksandr Zamarashkin
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Canada Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 Bulgaria Winner, Grade: 9-12 - Topic: Charon
Teodora Daskalova
Grade 7-8
2019-20 Bulgaria Winner, Grade: 7-8 - Target: Miranda
Shaina Pranjivan
Grade 9-12
2019-20 South Africa Winner, Topic: Triton
2019-20 South Africa Winner - Topic: Charon
Shristhi Bickram
Grade 9-12
2019-20 South Africa Winner - Topic: Miranda
2019-20 South Korea Winner - Topic: Charon
2019-20 South Korea Winner, Grade 12 - Topic: Triton
2019-20 South Korea Winner, Grade 9 - Topic: Triton
Shadit Rahaman
Grade 5-6
2019-20 Bangladesh Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Charon
Emir Han Bulut
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Turkey Winner, Grade 9 - Topic: Triton
2019-20 Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 Turkey Winner, Grade 11 - Topic: Charon
Melodi Sıla Bozkaya
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Turkey Winner, Grade 11 - Topic: Triton
2019-20 Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Miranda
2019-20 Turkey Winner, Grade 11 - Topic: Triton
2019-20 Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Triton
2019-20 Turkey Winners, Grade 12 - Topic: Charon
Muhammad Muzzamil
Grade 5-6
2019-20 United Arab Emirates Winner - Topic: Triton
2019-20 Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Triton
Patricia Lopez-Alvarez
Grade 5-6
2019-20 Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Miranda
2019-20 Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Miranda
Annabel Peltzer
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Triton
Ahana Tajnim Khan
Grade 5-6
2019-20 Bangladesh Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 Bangladesh Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Miranda
Nawba Tahiya Hossain
Grade 7-8
2019-20 Bangladesh Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Triton
2019-20 Bangladesh Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Triton
Azneef Ahammed Chowdhury
Grade 7-8
2019-20 Bangladesh Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Charon
Victor Petrescu
Grade 5-6
2019-20 Romania Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Triton
Yusha Nurullah Ayan
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Bangladesh Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Triton
Syed Nazif Ishrak
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Bangladesh Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Miranda
Anik Dus Gouptho
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Bangladesh Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 Romania Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Triton
2019-20 Romania Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Miranda
2019-20 Romania Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 Romania Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 Romania Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Miranda
2019-20 Romania Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 Romania Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Miranda
Brijesh Raj Phullel
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Nepal Winner, Topic: Miranda
Aaviskar Paudyal
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Nepal Winner, Topic: Triton
Pran Traisorat
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Thailand Winner, Topic: Triton
Ana-Maria Rosescu
Grade 7-8
2019-20 Austria Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Miranda
Ecaterina-Maria Buro
Grade 5-6
2019-20 Austria Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Miranda
2019-20 India Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Triton
Oshadha Perera
Grade 9-12
2019-20 New Zealand Winner, Grade: 9-12 - Topic: Triton
2019-20 New Zealand Winner, Grade: 7-8 Topic: Triton
Prue (Varin) Wongpunler
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Thailand Winner, Topic: Miranda
2019-20 India Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 India Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 India Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Miranda
2019-20 India Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Triton
Sampurnam Sarkar
Grade 7-8
2019-20 India Winner, Grade 7-8 - Topic: Miranda
2019-20 India Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Miranda
Aditya Bajoria
Grade 9-12
2019-20 India Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Charon
2019-20 India Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Triton
Sabrina Silva Cordeiro
Grade 5-6
2019-20 Brazil Winner, Grade 5-6 - Target: Triton
2019-20 Brazil Winner, Grade 7-8 - Target: Charon
2019-20 Brazil Winner, Grade 9 - Target: Triton
2019-20 Brazil Winner, Grade 9-12 - Target: Miranda
2019-20 Brazil Winner, Grade 9-12 - Target: Charon
Myllena Roberto Farias
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Brazil Winner, Grade 10 - Target: Triton
Julian Nakalema
Grade 9-12
2019-20 Uganda Winner, Grade 9-12 - Target: Miranda
2019-20 Uganda, 2nd Place, Grade 9-12 - Target: Miranda
Muhammad Muzzamil
Grade 5-6
2019-20 United Arab Emirates Winner, Grade 5-6 - Topic: Triton
Alishba Rahil Butt
Grade 9-12
2019-20 United Arab Emirates Winner - Topic: Charon
Ebrahim Ahmed Ansari
Grade 9-12
2019-20 United Arab Emirates Winner, Grade: 9-12 - Topic: Triton
2019-20 Canada Winner, Grade 9-12 - Topic: Triton
