Scouting/BSA/Space Exploration Merit Badge

The requirements to this merit badge are copyrighted by the Boy Scouts of America. They are reproduced in part here under fair use as a resource for Scouts and Scouters to use in the earning and teaching of merit badges. The requirements published by the Boy Scouts of America should always be used over the list here. If in doubt about the accuracy of a requirement, consult your Merit Badge Counselor.

Reading this page does not satisfy any requirement for any merit badge. Per National regulations, the only person who may sign off on requirements is a Merit Badge Counselor, duly registered and authorized by the local Council. To obtain a list of registered Merit Badge Counselors, or to begin a Merit Badge, please contact your Scoutmaster or Council Service Center.

Piers Sellers spacewalk

Requirement 1

Tell the purpose of space exploration and include the following:

A. Historical reasons

B. Immediate goals in terms of specific knowledge

C. Benefits related to Earth resources, technology, and new products.

D. International relations and cooperation

Requirement 2

Design a collector's card, with a picture on the front and information on the back, about your favorite space pioneer. Share your card and discuss four other space pioneers with your counselor.

Requirement 3

Build, launch, and recover a model rocket (see note below). Make a second launch to accomplish a specific objective. (Rocket must be built to meet the safety code of the National Association of Rocketry. See the "Model Rocketry" chapter of the Space Exploration merit badge pamphlet.) Identify and explain the following rocket parts:

A. Body tube

B. Engine mount

C. Fins

D. Igniter

E. Launch lug

F. Nose cone

G. Payload

H. Recovery system

I. Rocket engine

NOTE:If local laws prohibit the launching of model rockets, do the following activity: Make a model of a NASA rocket. Explain the functions of the parts. Give the history of the rocket.

Requirement 4

Discuss and demonstrate each of the following:

A. The law of action-reaction.

B. How rocket engines work

C. How satellites stay in orbit

D. How satellite pictures of Earth and pictures of other planets are made and transmitted.

Requirement 5

Do TWO of the following:

A. Discuss with your counselor a robotic space exploration mission and a historic crewed mission. Tell about each mission's major discoveries, its importance, and what was learned from it about the planets, moons, or regions of space explored.

B. Using magazine photographs, news clippings, and electronic articles (such as from the Internet), make a scrapbook about a current planetary mission.

C. Design a robotic mission to another planet or moon that will return samples of its surface to Earth. Name the planet or moon your spacecraft will visit. Show how your design will cope with the conditions of the planet's or moon's environment.

Requirement 6

Describe the purpose and operation of ONE of the following:

A. Space shuttle or any other crewed orbital vehicle, whether government owned (U.S. or foreign) or commercial

B. International_Space_Station

Requirement 7

Design an inhabited base located within our solar system, such as Titan, asteroids, or other locations that humans might want to explore in person. Make drawings or a model of your base. In your design, consider and plan for the following:

A. Source of energy

B. How it will be constructed

C. Life-support system

D. Purpose and function

Requirement 8

Discuss with your counselor two possible careers in space exploration that interest you. Find out the qualifications, education, and preparation required and discuss the major responsibilities of those positions.

External links

• Space Exploration Merit Badge with Workbook PDF, current requirements, and resources.
• Jobs in Space that are Out of this World
• NASA Careers in Space Exploration
• NASA webpage for students