Hundreds of children from 12 schools will take part in a live online event with the team behind NASA’s Orion spacecraft

Hundreds of pupils from schools across Knowsley will have the chance to meet the NASA engineers behind this year’s Artemis Moon mission as part of a unique live online event.

Taking place on 11 September 2026, the free event will connect pupils with Howard Hu and Branelle Rodriguez, two of the engineers who helped develop NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the Artemis programme.

So far, 12 schools from across Knowsley have signed up, with around 780 pupils expected to take part.

Pupils will hear from the team behind the Orion spacecraft

Broadcast live from Imperial Space School in London, the event will give pupils an insight into the engineering behind the Orion spacecraft and its historic 10-day mission around the Moon.

During the session, pupils will learn how Orion travelled around the far side of the Moon in a figure-eight trajectory, reaching a distance of 270,000 miles from Earth, further than any human spaceflight since the Apollo missions.

The live broadcast will also allow pupils to ask questions directly to the NASA engineers about space exploration, engineering and future missions.

Inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers

The online event has been funded by the charity The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and aims to inspire more young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Councillor Sean Donnelly, Knowsley Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said:

“Wow, what an amazing opportunity for our children and young people!

“Hearing from NASA’s engineers about their mission and future plans will really help to inspire our pupils who may be budding Astronauts themselves, or already have an interest in space, engineering and science.

“It’s not often you get an opportunity like this, so I’m delighted that so far, we have 780 pupils from 12 schools in Knowsley who will enjoy this invaluable experience.”

More schools are expected to join the initiative ahead of the live event in September, giving even more young people the opportunity to hear directly from the team helping shape the future of human space exploration.

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