NASA's HUNCH Program in the North Western States

NASA HUNCH (High school students United with NASA to Create Hardware) is an innovative program that engages high school students in all regions of the United States in the design and fabrication of real-world products for use in space missions. In the North West, HUNCH programs are currently in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. The NASA HUNCH program allows students to develop modern workforce skills along with motivating students to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) courses and careers.

HUNCH students take ownership in their projects, which vary greatly. Below is a list of project types:

>Working on designing and prototyping an item to be used in space

>Manufacturing and documenting hardware

>Sewn products that fly to space

>Applying their culinary skills to make an entree that the astronauts may eat in space

>Videos that inform the public about NASA's missions

>Software to help space exploration and cyber security

>Health and Biomedical investigations to keep astronauts healthy

For all 9 of the HUNCH projects please visit the "Programs" tab.

Mentoring Future Astronauts, Engineers and Space Enthusiasts

NASA HUNCH students are not just learning; they are actively participating in the future of space exploration. Their projects embody the spirit of teamwork, collaboration, creativity, resiliency, and problem-solving that NASA champions. When they finally present their work, the pride in their eyes shines as brightly as the stars they aim to reach.

In one Wyoming physics classroom you can find students working on commercial sewing machines which are placed in the middle of the classroom, surrounded by students working on 3D printers along all four walls of the classroom. These students help astronauts live and work in space.

NASA HUNCH students are not just observers of space exploration but vital contributors, bridging the gap between education and the extraordinary challenges of living and working in space. Through their hard work and dedication, they embody the future of space exploration, engineers and scientists.