Inspiring a new generation of space explorers.

Quick Facts:
30 partners all over Europe, Africa and Asia
Free high quality tools to inspire and engage young people in science with space
Educational resources, stories about space and careers, webinars, interviews...
A unique Islamic Heritage Kit fostering tolerance and inclusion for different cultures

What is Space Awareness?

The main aims of the project are to:

  • 01

    Stimulate the next generation of space-oriented scientists

  • 02

    Broaden children's minds, develop a sense of European and global citizenship and foster understanding for diverse culture.

  • 03

    Build long-term partnerships between people from different cultural backgrounds and countries inside and outside Europe.
     

  • 04

    Help build the scientific and technological capacity of developing countries.

The project strives to inform children and young adults about current research and issues related to space sciences and the numerous career opportunities offered by space, and to show them that space science can be fun and inspiring. Educators can benefit immensely from the project by taking advantage of the large array free high-quality resources that are easily adaptable to different disciplines and countries.

WHAT WILL YOU FIND IN SPACE AWARENESS?

Space Awareness offers a series of complementary activities and resources to inspire children from 8 to 18 years old, primary and secondary school teachers, teacher trainers, science educators, and families.

Space Awareness focuses on four categories related to major global issues and current European space missions. It offers complementary resources, selected according to EU and South African curricula requirements, to address each topic with children:

  • Our wonderful Universe considers the vastness and beauty of the Universe. The category relates to the knowledge and challenges of human space exploration.

  • Our fragile planet deals with the major environmental challenges facing the world, the role that the study of other planets can play in understanding these global issues and the importance of Earth satellites in monitoring climate changes.

  • Navigation through the ages traces the history of navigation, the fifteenth-century European explorers and their missions of global discovery, to the importance of Europe’s Galileo programme for the current needs of citizens.

  • Islamic heritage: the journey of the ideas highlights the important contributions from Islamic scientists during the Middle Ages to our modern concepts of space and the Universe. It tells the story of a shared history based on tolerance and respect for other cultures.

Resources will be available in at least eight languages and are available under Creative Common Licenses.

Where are we?

Contact your national representative for details and support!

Project partners       National contacts

Contact us

The Space Awareness team

Space Awareness is developed by

Space Awareness is developed in collaboration with

Images credits

SECTION PLAY AND PARTICIPATE

Cerberus: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO; Cosmo Quest: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum); Cyclone centre: ESA; Disk detective: ESA/Hubble and NASA and S. Smartt (Queen's University Belfast); Einstein@home: image from Steve Bowers; Galaxy Zoo: ESA/Hubble & NASA; Geo Tag X: Copernicus data (2014)/ESA/PPO.labs/Norut/COMET-SEOM Insarap study; Globe at Night: NASA; Great World Wide Start Count: John Lemieux, CC BY 2.0; Lost at night: ESA/NASA; Night Cities ISS: ESA/NASA; Dark Skies ISS: ESA/NASA; Moon Zoo: ESA ©2007 MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA; Planet Four: Terrains: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO; PlanetHunters: NASA, ESA and G. Bacon (STScI); Radio Galaxy: ESA/ATG medialab; Scope: NASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team; Stardust@home: ESA/Gaia, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO; TheMilky Way project: ESA/NASA; Ths Sun Spotter: SOHO (ESA & NASA); WOW: ESA/ATG medialab; Rock around the world: Astrium – E Allouis; Sandbox Gravity: ESA–C. Carreau; Lune et Jardin: Eumetsat; Feel Gravity: By Miguel Soares, CC BY-SA 4.0; Solar System explorer: By the IAU/Martin Kornmesser, CC BY-SA 3.0; Night Sky Tool: A. Fujii; Skynet: ESA/Hubble, NASA, HST Frontier Fields; Milkyway@home: ESA/Hubble & NASA; Milky Way: CC BY 2.0 

CATEGORIES

Navigation through the ages: Alexander Gerst, 2014-06-14; Our fragile planet: EUMETSAT; The Journey of Ideas: Islamic heritage: Jörg Reuter, CC BY ND 2.0

HOME PAGE

Discover space careers: ESA; Read Space Scoops: ESA; Educate and Inspire: ESO; Develop teaching skills: ESO; Get to know us: ESA