We are going to the moon!

The Conrad Challenge is going to the Moon! Through partnerships with Astrobotic and DHL, the Conrad Challenge’s “MoonDrive,” containing historical submissions from past Conrad Challenge participants, is headed to the Moon on Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lander!

As of January 8, 2024, the Peregrine Mission One has launched on its voyage to the Moon aboard the inaugural ﬂight of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket. Slated to be among the ﬁrst commercial lunar landers to soft land on the Moon, Peregrine is carrying cargo from NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative and other customers.

The MoonDrive’s inclusion in the Peregrine’s payload marks a full-circle moment for the Conrad Challenge. Not only does it carry Conrad’s legacy, but it will also land near the Ocean of Storms – the same landing site where Pete Conrad, our namesake, landed more than 55 years ago on the Apollo 12 mission. This was the first mission to bring STEM to the Moon through the Apollo Lunar Surface Exploration Package (ALSEP).

“Pete saw Earth from the Moon as a blue marble in a black sky, without any borders or boundaries,” said Nancy Conrad. “Our students have collaborated without borders to develop solutions that will now return to the lunar surface where Pete walked. This is truly a ‘back to the future’ moment for the Conrad Challenge.”

The Conrad Challenge MoonDrive is safe and secure through our partnership with PHOOZY, the developer of the world’s first thermal device capsule, built upon NASA’s spacesuit technology. Using materials originally developed for the Apollo Space Program, PHOOZY recently launched a limited-edition Space Collection of thermal phone and tech protection cases.

“Apollo 12 is the mission that took STEM to the Moon, and for eighteen years, the Conrad Challenge has been bringing STEM to a global community of students, inviting them to understand and participate in designing a sustainable future for humanity,” said Conrad.

Our MoonDrive includes:

A historical image and video library encompassing all 17 years of the Conrad Challenge
Names of student participants, coaches and judges from the 2019-20 and 2020-21 Conrad Challenge seasons
Student submissions and unique quotes received through our MoonDrive online application held in 2021.

This launch marks an opportunity to invite the next generation, the Artemis Generation, to focus on peace, sustainability, scientific discovery and the economic benefits of exploration. Learn more about the mission here.

“Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that’s a long one for me.”

Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr.
American NASA astronaut, aeronautical engineer, naval officer and aviator, test pilot, and commander of the Apollo 12 space mission, on which he became the third person to walk on the Moon.

WE HAVE SENT OUR MOONDRIVE!

Our MoonDrive is just the first step in Conrad’s journey back to the Moon! We are thrilled with how many people demonstrated our shared dedication to create a sustainable future for all humankind. We will be sending updates on the activities later this year as we approach and commemorate the mission of the MoonDrive. We are making history together!

HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE MOON QUOTES WE RECEIVED…

Moontastic!
DEFINITELY GRAM-WORTHY!
To live is to risk it all; otherwise you're just an inert chunk of randomly assembled molecules drifting wherever the universe blows you.
Always remember the past, but never forget the future.
Go as far as you can see. When you get there, you can see farther.
The bird (peregrine) has landed.
What a view!
Here we stop for a snack break before we move on to the beyond.
Next stop, Mars!
Don't tell me sky's the limit when there are footprints on the Moon!
Exploration, determination and human nature drive us to the Moon an beyond.

Astrobotic is the Moon company and beyond. They develop advanced navigation, operation, and computing systems for spacecraft, and their fleet of lunar landers and rovers deliver payloads to the Moon for companies, governments, universities, non-profits, and individuals. To date, they have two fully funded lunar lander missions on the books, more than 50 prior and ongoing NASA and commercial technology contracts, and a corporate sponsorship with DHL. Astrobotic was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.