BY KAREN BOSSICK

Hemingway STEAM School Tech Teacher Scott Slonim is returning to NASA Space Center.

Slonim was accepted to LiftOff 2026 Summer Institute: Moon to Mars—A New Era of Discovery.

The summer camp for teachers will take place from June 22-26 in Houston, and the Idaho Space Grant Consortium is covering all his costs, including hotel, airfare, tours and meals.

Slonim said he and other educators will be studying:

The technologies needed to build and maintain a long-term presence on the Moon

How research in Low Earth Orbit, including the ISS, supports human health and prepares us for deep space missions

The role of commercial partners in accelerating innovation and expanding access to space

How discoveries in space lead to real-world benefits, from engineering for deep space to medical advances

“I am so excited to learn from real astronauts, scientists and other space professionals and to collaborate with amazing educators,” he said. “Last year I learned so much. It changed how I taught some lessons that I have done for years and helped me become more inquiry-based with my students in my teaching.

“It also hugely increased the Starlab Planetarium lessons I teach and my knowledge of NASA and space. I can't wait to see what I will learn this year.”

Slonim spent a week at LiftOff Summer Institute at NASA Space Center in Houston last summer—one of 52 educators from 38 states.

The space camp offers hands-on training and behind-the-scenes access to space exploration facilities.

Slonim watched as they put moon soil in a 3D printer to make what they need while on the moon. He got to walk alongside an Apollo rocket that was longer than a football field. He  saw a swimming pool the size of a football field with a space station underneath the water where astronauts put on space suits and spend eight hours in the pool practicing how to use tools underwater where there’s no gravity.

He got to code a robot while wearing gloves and a white plastic space suit as if he were on the moon. And he got to pose a plethora of questions to astronauts and others.

Slonim said he learned that it takes three days to get to the moon and six months to get to Mars.

“We say we want to go to Mars. But the real line is: We need to get back to the moon first.”