Posted by Oliphant Science Awards

on 15/05/2026

Are you fascinated by space science and technology? Do you love designing and creating new things? The Robinson Aerospace Prize for Student Projects in Space Science & Technology (7-12) might be for you! This prize is awarded to the most outstanding student projects demonstrating creativity, innovation, and the application of engineering or design principles in space technology.

There are many options for tailoring your project to suit this Sponsor Prize. Here are some ideas!

Posters:   

  • Space Watchers: How We Use Satellites to Study Earth. Create a poster showing how satellite sensing and communication systems help predict and monitor natural disasters such as bushfires, floods and cyclones.
  • Carbon in Balance: Space Technology Fighting Climate Change. Investigate how satellites monitor the contributors of climate change including carbon dioxide and methane levels, and deforestation.
  • Everyday Chemistry: Good or Gross? Chemistry in Space Food. Explore how astronauts eat in space by contemplating freeze-dried food, flavour changes in microgravity and packaging chemistry.
  • Waste Not: Zero-Waste Space Station. Design a poster showing how ‘closed-loop systems’ help astronauts recycle water, air, food waste or materials.
  • Harvesting Tomorrow: Smart Farming from Space. Show how satellites provide precision agricultural technology to help farmers monitor crops, measure soil moisture, reduce water waste or improve harvests. 

Programming, Apps and Robotics (including electronic games):

  • Design a robotic assistant to support astronauts during emergencies.
  • Create a simulation or city-building game where players design and manage a sustainable colony on Mars. Think about oxygen and water systems, habitat design, energy generation, waste recycling and transportation systems. 

Science Writing:

  • Science for Peace: Small Discoveries, Big Changes. Explore how satellite navigation technology originally designed for military use now supports peaceful everyday life through emergency rescue operations, coordinating disaster relief after earthquakes or floods or helping planes and ships avoid accidents.
  • Inventing Tomorrow: Climate Solutions for a Cooler Planet. What if the biggest climate solution never touched Earth at all? Explore the ethical issues and engineering challenges posed by proposals to place giant reflective satellites or dust clouds in orbit to slightly reduce Earth’s temperature.
  • Next Giant Leaps: From NASA to Life Beyond Earth. The Moon is no longer the finish line — it is the training ground. Discuss how the Artemis II mission prepares us for deeper space exploration.
  • From Trash to Treasure. Focus on the growing problem of space debris and how scientists are trying to remove or recycle it.
  • Chemical Reactions That Changed the World. Explore the chemical reactions inside rocket engines that made space travel possible, or the chemistry keeping astronauts alive aboard spacecraft and space stations.
  • Listening to Country: What First Nations Science Can Teach Us. Focus on how satellite imagery becomes more powerful when combined with First Nations knowledge to enhance land and water management.

Games:

  • Create a board game where players act as aerospace engineers trying to repair failing satellites before communication systems collapse.
  • Design a puzzle-style game where a lunar rover becomes stranded and players must navigate dangerous terrain back to base.

Models & Inventions:

  • Design a satellite that solves an environmental problem, such as tracking plastics, monitoring ocean temperatures or tracking wildlife migration.
  • Use water treatment engineering principles to devise a chemical filtration system astronauts could use on Mars.
  • Design a system for growing food in space colonies. Your invention could consider hydroponics, artificial lighting, water recycling and pollination methods.

Multimedia:

  • Create a website or video to communicate the chemistry, physics or biology concepts involved in an aspect of space exploration, highlighting opportunities for future innovation.

Science Investigations

Conduct an investigation to explore:

  • Plant growth in space conditions. Which light colour or soil type best supports “space farming”?
  • Radiation protection. Test materials that could protect astronauts from UV radiation.
  • Which rocket fin design creates the most stable flight? Build and test small paper or water rockets.

Check out these resources for inspiration:

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Oliphant Science Awards - Students

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