NASA's CTE Day at Goddard Space Flight Center (In-Person)

NASA's Career and Technical Education Day at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC): Building Technologies to Explore the Universe

Event Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2026
Event Time: 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. ET
Registration Deadline: Friday, November 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET
Intended Audience: High School and Community College students enrolled in Career Technical Education (CTE) programs

Technical careers are the backbone of NASA's ability to build the cutting-edge space instruments that drive our complex missions. In this event, students will hear directly from Goddard subject matter experts about their paths to NASA, what a typical day of crafting space-flight hardware looks like, and the diverse pathways available for students pursuing technical roles. Students will participate in facility tours featuring careers in machining, robotics, and electronics, getting an up-close look at where these components are made. This experience will showcase how NASA leverages its technical workforce in electronics, optics, machining, and more to successfully develop and assemble critical space hardware.

During this event, a panel of experts from GSFC will discuss how they use the unique capabilities found at Goddard to achieve mission goals and respond to student questions. If your group is not selected to participate in-person, you are welcome to apply to participate in a one hour component of the day virtually. Schools applying to participate virtually will be provided with logistical information prior to the event.

This application indicates your students’ interest to participate in-person the day of the event. NASA will employ a down select process; and due to capacity limits, all schools who apply may not be selected. NASA will notify schools of their participation status as soon as possible after the deadline. The application deadline to participate in person is November 13, 2026.

REQUIRED Documents for Application:
Your application must include the following two REQUIRED documents (to be uploaded as separate Word documents at the time of application for your organization to remain eligible). You MUST upload these two documents as part of your application before you submit it or your application will not be complete.

1. Letter from a school administrator on school letterhead indicating their support for participation and transportation to and from the event
2. Document (Word or PDF) addressing the points below:
- School Name
- Email address
- CTE program(s) that will participate in NASA's CTE Day
- Brief description of how this experience will be integrated into your school's CTE program(s)
- Estimated number of students and chaperones who will attend
- Aerospace content or resources currently used in your CTE program(s)

Schools selected to participate are REQUIRED to:
- Invite students who are a part of their school's CTE program(s)
- Attend a virtual information session prior to the event
- Submit media releases prior to the event
- Provide their own bus transportation to and from the event, with buses remaining on Center for the duration of the event
- Present a Real ID or passport for all adult teachers, chaperones, and bus drivers to gain access to the Center.

*Please note, GSFC is an operational government facility, supporting a range of activities and missions. Please be advised that this event may be canceled if operational requirements or mission needs deem it necessary.

For questions about NASA’s Career and Technical Education Day at Goddard, please email [email protected].

**Eligible Applicants:** Educator
**Academic Level:** 9, 10, 11, 12, Undergraduate Freshman, Undergraduate Sophomore, Undergraduate Junior, Undergraduate Senior
**Activity Type:** In-person
**Citizenship:** US Citizen Only
**Type:** Pre-College STEM Experience