Artemis: Return to the Moon
We are "Go for Launch" with this cosmic map created in partnership with NASA. Put your coding skills to the test as you navigate the Orion space capsule through exciting challenges to the moon!
Open in MinecraftLearning objectives
Welcome to Launch Control and Artemis: Return to the Moon - Minecraft's FIRST multiplayer collaborative, team-based coding world!
Spark a passion for space exploration on your journey to the moon with this exciting coding adventure. Join Orion’s crew and put your coding powers to the test as you work closely with Mission Control to complete mini-missions and solve challenges in space. Experience life as an astronaut and encounter the wonder of space flight!
Artemis: Return to the Moon has the following learning objectives:
- To learn about the Artemis program and its significance
- To successfully solve mini coding puzzles using either useMakecode Block or Python Notebooks
- To learn about the daily activities of astronauts in orbit and the tools they use to navigate.
- To better understand the role of computer science in space exploration
- To take on varying roles, with teacher guidance, when collaborating with peers during the design, implementation, and review stages of program development.
Artemis: Return to the Moon is part of a series designed as a fun and creative introduction to the Artemis Program, the robotic and human exploration program led by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other partner agencies to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024.
Teacher prep and notes
Welcome space explorers – It is time for launch! If you are ready, accept your mission to the Moon and get started!
Artemis: Return to the Moon is part of a series designed as a fun and creative introduction to the Artemis Program, the robotic and human exploration program led by the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other partner agencies to return astronauts to the lunar surface. This one-hour experience will provide students, ages 8-18, with special in-game instruction to journey to the Moon using code to solve microtasks to navigate from the Earth to the Moon and back! Players will work on Artemis missions aboard the Orion, perform special missions using MakeCode blocks or Python Notebooks, and experience life as an astronaut on the Orion. This game has the ability to be played as a single player experience or as a multiplayer experience with up to 4 players.
This Educator Guide is designed to provide you with information to help you support game play for all students. This guide will provide you background information and helpful information to help you feel comfortable and confident to utilize this learning content in your educational environment. Within this guide, you will find the necessary materials to lead an intentional experience to engage in dialog around the Artemis program, facilitate a successful in-game experience, and support student learning throughout game play.
Multiplayer Support
If you want to have students play together, this game, Artemis: Return to the Moon, supports a multiplayer experience.
Multiplayer is one of the most popular and effective ways to leverage Minecraft in the classroom. It's a great way to encourage collaboration, communication and problem solving as students work together on projects in a shared Minecraft world.
Minecraft Education features multiplayer games that connect using picture-based join codes. All players in the same Office 365 tenant can host and join worlds together in the classroom. For most users, this means the part of your email address after the @ symbol matches that of the other players. A single multiplayer game can host a maximum of 40 players, and can connect players across all supported platforms. Server-style multiplayer or a dedicated server is not possible at this time.
Here are the requirements for the best possible multiplayer experience:
- Multiplayer is possible for players within the same Office 365 tenant.
- Players should have the most up-to-date version of Minecraft Education
- All players need to be running the same version of Minecraft Education to be able to host and join worlds together.
This article will provide you with more in-depth information about hosting, join codes, troubleshooting, etc.
You can also watch this video to see how to host and join multiplayer sessions.
Although the Multiplayer experience was designed and optimized for classroom use where all players are on the same network, Multiplayer across different internet connections is possible by making some changes to your home network configuration. Visit the How to Set Up a Multiplayer Game from Home Guide to understand how to host a game that players on other networks will be able to join.
Guiding ideas
How can this lesson be used?
Integrated into computer science classrooms |
Artemis: Return to the Moon is connected to numerous computer science standards. You could easily look at your academic standards and use this learning content when you are algorithms and programming, how to collaborate with peers to complete tasks, how to use critical thinking to solve problems, etc. |
STEAM Labs or Digital Makerspaces |
Who wouldn’t love to use Minecraft in a fully integrated learning environment where everything from the furniture and technology to curriculum and assessment work together to support hands-on, minds-on learning?! The Artemis learning content could be used for student exploration through this applied technology. |
Afterschool learning opportunities |
After a full instructional day, students need something fun and engaging to provide motivation for learning. What could possibly be more fun and engaging than Minecraft Education?! Not only will students love playing Minecraft, but they will also learn educational concepts and develop their skills in creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. |
Summer camps |
Are you planning or hosting a summer camp? Who doesn’t love a space-themed camp?! This learning content could be included in a space exploration week of fun and learning! Students will also have the opportunity to learn about great careers at NASA! |
Homeschool groups |
You don’t have to be exclusively at a school or part of a school district to utilize Minecraft Education. Homeschools, families, and other organizations can purchase and manage Minecraft Education through our commercial offer. You can find more information here. |
Student activities
Overview of the Activities
Welcome to Artemis: Return to the Moon! As a team, the objective of your mission is to get as many points by solving coding puzzles throughout your trip to the moon and before your splashdown back on Earth!
When the game starts, players will be prompted to make some game play decisions. These choices are important as they will affect how the game is played. Players will be prompted to select the type of device they are using to play: keyboard or touch controls. Next, players will need to select their coding language: blocks or Python. Blocks are best for beginners or players who may have never coded before. You should only choose Python if you have coded in it before.
After players have selected their device configuration and coding language, they will be prompted to wait until their entire crew has logged into the world before running the code to signal they are ready to begin the game. If the player is going to experience the game independently, they may continue on and run the code to begin the game. If students are going to have a multiplayer experience (as teams of 2, 3, or 4 players), they will need to wait until their teammates have joined the game to run the start code.
Activity 1: The Orion
- Learn how to manage your console and activate missions and activities.
Activity 2: Complete Missions!
Remember, some tasks require one member, some require 2 crew members, and some special tasks will require the whole crew! The icon shows you how many crew members are required to start the task. For example, the task shown below requires one crew member. Don't worry if you are playing alone, the AI will play as the other members of your team.
Coding Solution Tip
NOTE: It doesn’t matter which player goes first on four-player activities, but it does matter that players only run a single command each in the correct order.
Missions Overview
Single Player Mission |
||
Mission Title |
Mission Objective |
Mission Briefing |
Earth’s Pollution |
Launch CubeSats over cities where you see large pollution clouds. |
One way to combat pollution is to understand the source of those pollutants and how they react with our atmosphere. Los Alamos National Laboratory has built a tiny satellite called the NanoSat Atmospheric Chemistry Hyperspectral Observation system, or NACHOS. Use NACHOS to get this important information about our atmosphere. |
Mars Recon |
Capture an image of the potential Mars landing spot. |
New data has revealed a possible landing spot for our future missions to Mars. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, Ginny, is at our disposal. Navigate Ginny over the location and gather additional image data. |
Landing Site |
Mark three (3) lunar landing sites. |
We found 13 places near the Moon’s South Pole where we might be able to land safely. The three places should be relatively flat, have good communication with Earth, and have lots of ice nearby. Use the probe to mark the landing sites. |
Asteroid Mining |
Collect a mineral sample from the asteroid. |
Astronomers have found an asteroid flying near Earth that may contain rare Earth metals, such as gold. Navigate the probe to the marked site and mine for samples to test. |
Lunar Garden |
Plant three seeds onto the lunar regolith. |
Astronauts on the Apollo mission brought back soil from the Moon, known as regolith. Scientists even grew mustard plants in regolith on Earth! Artemis missions will try growing plants on the Moon. Plant the three seeds in the lunar regolith and observe the results. |
Aurora Pictures |
Take three (3) pictures of the aurora borealis to share back to Earth. |
The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is a beautiful show of lights in the sky, caused by particles from the Sun hitting Earth’s atmosphere. Astronauts love taking pictures of the auroras from their unique perspective above Earth, so let’s not waste the chance! |
Space Junk |
Guide the Agent and collect three (3) pieces of space junk to complete the mission. |
It is estimated that there are over 100 million pieces of debris orbiting the Earth. This space junk can be big things like broken satellites and old rockets, or small things like tiny paint flakes. Space junk moves really fast… over 25,000 kilometers per hour! If this junk crashes into other satellites or the International Space Station, it could cause big problems. NASA made a special spacecraft to clean up space junk. This vehicle is so light, eight of them can be launched in one trip! |
Orion Splashdown |
Choose a location for the Orion splashdown. |
Several large storms are interfering with the planned splashdown location of Orion. We need to find a new location safe from thunder and lightning. Check the monitor for a location that’s clear of land or storms and enter it into the landing system. |
2 Player Mission |
||
Mission Title |
Mission Objective |
Mission Briefing |
Ice Drilling |
Locate and collect lunar ice samples. |
We’ve sent a lander to the two-mile-deep Shackleton crater on the Moon’s South Pole, which is believed to hold a significant amount of ice. Use the lander to explore the area for ice. When you locate ice, use the drill to collect samples. Player 1 will move the rover to a location with ice. Player 2 will drill down and collect the sample. |
Moon Mapping |
Mark three (3) locations on the South Pole of the Moon and navigate VIPER to each location. |
Explore the Moon’s South Pole using the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). VIPER will scout the South Pole of the Moon for ice and other potential resources on and below the lunar surface that could eventually be harvested to sustain human exploration on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Player 1 will mark the locations. Player 2 will move the rover and take pictures at each location. |
Building Blocks |
Collect lunar material to create building blocks. |
Using the lunar materials known as regolith will reduce the cost of establishing a base and learn more about the Moon’s surface and its resources. Collect lunar regolith, process it down, and form it into a block. Player 1 will move the rover and collect the regolith. Player 2 will process, cast, and test the regolith. |
Crew Meals |
Rehydrate the ingredients and build pizzas for the crew. |
Cooking food in space is different than on Earth. Space food is freeze-dried to store and preserve it. Astronauts rehydrate the food by adding water to their meal packs. Tonight, is pizza night. With your partner, you will make the meal. Player 1 will rehydrate the ingredients. Player 2 will build the pizzas. |
4 Player Mission |
||
Mission Title |
Mission Objective |
Mission Briefing |
Docking Test |
Test the docking using the NASA docking system. |
The NASA Docking System (NDS) connects Orion to other spacecraft and allows the transfer of power, data, and air between them. Run a test to check if Orion can dock with the lander when it comes back from the Moon. One crew member will communicate how to set up the three (3) locking systems and instruct each crew member with their tasks. |
Prox Ops |
Test the Proximity Operations Demonstration Sequence |
One of the most important tests we planned is called the Proximity Operations Demonstration (Prox Ops). For this test, the crew will take manual control of Orion and perform a maneuver near the second stage booster. This will test the crew’s ability to manually perform precise movements. To complete the test, the crew will work together. One of you will be the team communicator and guide the rest of the crew, step-by-step, through the Prox Ops procedures. |
Performance expectations
SPLASH DOWN!
Welcome back to Earth! Check the point system to see how well you did!
Congratulations on your lunar journey! You’re part of a new generation of explorers, astronauts, and visionaries: The Artemis Generation. Your experiences as an astronaut are just the beginning; keep your eyes towards the stars and keep dreaming big! Players should receive their certificate for completion.
Score 0-8 |
Rank of Astronaut! Great job! But there are many more missions to complete. |
Score 9-21 |
Rank of Veteran! That's amazing! But you can still climb higher! |
Score 22-33 |
Rank of Expert! WOW! Great teamwork. |
Score 34+ |
Rank of Expert+! You've got a perfect score! |
External reference
Skills
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
Estimated time
45 min
Supporting Files
- Artemis: Return to the Moon Educator GuideArtemis: Return to the Moon Educator Guide
- Artemis: Return to the Moon Presentation SlidesArtemis: Return to the Moon Presentation Slides
- Artemis: Return to the Moon Student CertificateArtemis: Return to the Moon Student Certificate
- Challenger Center Extension ActivitiesThe Challenger Center has created a suite of lesson extensions that educators can share with students to expand upon their learning.