NASA/BSA Path to Exploration

Eagle Scout Scott Parazynski, the only person to have flown in space and summited Mount Everest.

NASA explores and so do Scouts! Exploration is more than an adventure. It is discovering and uncovering information. It is contributing to scientific knowledge. NASA focuses on exploration above and beyond. It is exploring biological and physical sciences through microgravity research, the Earth through satellites, and our solar system and beyond through rovers, space telescopes, unmanned probes, and more. And with the Artemis program, NASA is preparing to send the first women and next men to the Moon in preparation for the future human exploration of Mars. NASA is also exploring how to advance technologies—such aviation, communication, energy, human health, materials, and robotics—which can improve life on Earth and enable future space exploration.

BSA activities and advancement allow youth to explore topics that can prepare them for careers at NASA in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). As example evidence, roughly two thirds of NASA’s career astronauts had been Scouts as youth, including 11 of the 12 men who have walked on the Moon. And many former Scouts work for NASA without leaving the Earth, such as those in the photo below. Internships can bridge the gap between Scouting and a NASA career, where Pathways internships, in particular, provide a direct pipeline to full-time NASA employment. But Scouting is a good place to start because it provides an opportunity to explore and discover what might match with your interests and lead to a rewarding career.

2010 gathering of Eagle Scouts working at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Discover how these BSA programs can be steps on a trail to a NASA career of exploration:
• Cub Scouts (youth, grades K-5)
• Scouts BSA (youth, 11-17 years old)
• Venturing (co-ed, 14-20 years old)
• Sea Scouting (co-ed, 14-20 years old)
• Exploring (co-ed, clubs: grades 6-8, posts: 14-20 years old)

Learn about:
• Astronauts who were youth in the BSA
• NASA in-person outreach to the BSA
• NASA opportunities for the BSA

NASA Links:
• Careers
• Exploring Careers @ NASA
• Informal Education
• Internships
• NASA/BSA on Facebook
• Scouting Posters: The posters cannot be ordered but are in the public domain to be freely downloaded for noncommercial use. They may be displayed—in print or via digital projection—at camps, courts of honor, Scout offices, troop meeting sites, etc.
• STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Questions? Contact NASA POC: Dennis Stocker

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