International students dreaming of space exploration and creative stardom—NASA just opened the hatch to an inspiring opportunity! In collaboration with Space Center Houston, NASA invites students enrolled in U.S. K-12 schools for the 2025–2026 academic year to design the official mission patch for its next Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) Campaign 8.
What is HERA?
The Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) is a specialized, two-and-a-half story habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. This high-tech simulator mimics the isolation, stress, and confinement astronauts will face on deep space missions. Inside, four crew members live and work for 45 days in a controlled mock mission to the Moon—without ever leaving Earth.
Their mission? To help NASA understand how long-duration space travel affects everything from sleep patterns and teamwork to mental health and decision-making. Think of it as NASA’s human testbed for Mars, the Moon, and beyond.
The Challenge
NASA is asking young visionaries to design a campaign patch that represents the essence and scientific goals of HERA Campaign 8. Your design could end up displayed on the HERA facility itself during all four missions scheduled between 2026 and 2027!
Whether you’re passionate about art, science, or space, this challenge offers a rare chance to merge creativity with exploration.
Who Can Enter?
- Open to public and private school students in the United States
- Must be in grades K–12 during the 2025–2026 school year
- One entry per student or class project
- Age Categories: Grades K–4, Grades 5–8, and Grades 9–12.
Prizes
- Winners from each age category will receive a virtual tour of the HERA facility
- The grand prize winner will collaborate with a NASA graphic designer to refine their patch, which will then be displayed on HERA throughout Campaign 8
Design Themes to Explore
Your patch should creatively reflect themes from Campaign 8, such as:
- Crew autonomy with limited communication
- Psychological and physical effects of isolation
- Multicultural teamwork in space
- Sleep quality and cognitive performance in confined settings
NASA encourages you to look at previous mission patches for inspiration, including those for Artemis II, the Orion spacecraft, and past HERA campaigns.
Submission Deadline
The last date to submit your patch design for NASA’s HERA Campaign 8 is Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
Apply: https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/students-design-nasas-next-hera-campaign-patch/.