NASA Opens Middle School Contest on Future Aircraft Fuels
NASA's 2026-2027 Dream with Us Challenge asks middle school teams to design around the introduction of liquefied natural gas as an aviation fuel. Students must consider how a new fuel source could change aircraft and airport infrastructure. The contest is part of NASA's aeronautics STEM outreach.
NASA's 2026–2027 Dream with Us Challenge uses the theme “Fueling Flight Design Challenge: New Energy Systems.” Middle and high school teams receive separate tasks, but both examine adding liquefied natural gas to aviation alongside conventional fuel. Middle school squads of two to four students must redesign an existing airport or invent one, showing how LNG and traditional fuel would coexist.
Their layouts must account for runways, terminals, passenger parking, hangars, control towers, and fuel storage areas. The middle school submission window runs from September 25, 2026, to January 22, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Each team may submit once, registration needs someone over 13, and signed guardian permission is required.
The contest could give middle schoolers early exposure to aviation fuel transitions and airport planning, potentially strengthening future STEM and aeronautics pipelines. Teachers, families, and schools may be affected through team registration, permission requirements, and project support. Aviation communities might gain public awareness if student concepts highlight infrastructure questions, though real fuel adoption and airport redesign would depend on broader research, safety, and economic factors.