HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Cosmosphere’s Apollo Redux youth program has been named as one of three informal educational organizations to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning to inspire the next generation of explorers for what is known as NASA’s Team II.

NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) has selected the space museum and science center to receive a part of approximately $2 million that will be awarded to the selected projects from the organizations.

Apollo Redux has selected projects that provide authentic mission-driven STEM experiences, including: a new immersive “escape room”-inspired STEM game; traveling exhibitions featuring actual Apollo Mission Control Room consoles and interactive mission simulations; and the world’s first makerspace in a botanic garden, dedicated to NASA’s food production challenges.

The project was selected from 43 proposals through a peer reviewed process and will be implemented over the next two to three years. The three projects range in value from approximately $650,000 to $750,000.

The Cosmosphere will partner with other museums, K-12 and higher education institutions, informal education and maker networks to create exhibits, youth STEM learning programs, immersive multimedia, and hands-on, inquiry-based activities. Such projects extend the reach of informal learning organizations, with the goals of increasing critical-thinking skills and engineering and science literacy. They also prepare youth, particularly those in populations that are historically underrepresented in such professions, for careers in STEM.