High school students participating in NASA's STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Internship Program have developed tools for lunar exploration. These interns worked on small, mission-focused research teams mentored by NASA, academic, and industry experts.
Key points
- Interns developed an interactive dashboard for the IM-3 lunar mission.
- They focused on measuring propellant mass in microgravity.
- The MPG method uses acoustic response to gauge fuel mass.
- This technology will be demonstrated on the IM-3 mission.
The MATRIX (Mission Architecture Tool for Research, Integration, and eXploration) team focused on measuring propellant mass in microgravity, a challenge for NASA's Artemis missions. They developed models to predict when Modal Propellant Gauging (MPG) can take reliable readings.
The MPG approach, developed by Dr. Kevin Crosby and colleagues, uses the acoustic response of propellant tanks to estimate fuel mass. This technology is slated for demonstration on the Intuitive Machines IM-3 mission, scheduled to land on the Moon in 2027.
The MATRIX team also created a sophisticated interactive dashboard for the IM-3 mission. This tool allows users to adjust engine, spacecraft, and orbital parameters to study their impact on propellant margins and landing zone availability.
Sources and references
Original report
NASA SEES Interns Tackle Real-World Challenges in Lunar Exploration
NASA
Read on NASA (opens in a new tab)Linked in the original report
Ref 002P6AIA
Cite this
APA
Interestana AI Editorial. (2026, October 26). NASA SEES Interns Develop Lunar Mission Tools. Interestana. https://interestana.com/articles/nasa-sees-interns-tackle-real-world-challenges-in-lunar-exploration-002p6aia
MLA
“NASA SEES Interns Develop Lunar Mission Tools.” Interestana, 26 Oct. 2026, interestana.com/articles/nasa-sees-interns-tackle-real-world-challenges-in-lunar-exploration-002p6aia.
Chicago
Interestana AI Editorial. “NASA SEES Interns Develop Lunar Mission Tools.” Interestana, October 26, 2026. https://interestana.com/articles/nasa-sees-interns-tackle-real-world-challenges-in-lunar-exploration-002p6aia.
BibTeX
@misc{interestana_002p6aia,
author = {{Interestana AI Editorial}},
title = {{NASA SEES Interns Develop Lunar Mission Tools}},
howpublished = {Interestana},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
url = {https://interestana.com/articles/nasa-sees-interns-tackle-real-world-challenges-in-lunar-exploration-002p6aia},
note = {Summary of reporting by NASA, https://science.nasa.gov/learning-resources/science-activation/nasa-sees-interns-tackle-real-world-challenges-in-lunar-exploration/}
}Credit the source
Original reporting: NASA, “NASA SEES Interns Tackle Real-World Challenges in Lunar Exploration”, https://science.nasa.gov/learning-resources/science-activation/nasa-sees-interns-tackle-real-world-challenges-in-lunar-exploration/(opens in a new tab)
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