Moonshots teams pitch ‘crazy ideas’ to astronauts
NL Moonshots ‘24, the innovative project for students in secondary vocational education, higher professional education and university education, is in full swing. After a spectacular kick-off and an intensive deep dive event, the teams are now ready for the next step: a conversation with an astronaut. With short pitches, the teams try to inspire the astronauts to think along with them. The goal? To make the Moonshots even better with the help of the astronauts.
A 24-hour deep dive
During a 24-hour deep dive, the Moonshot teams refined and further developed their innovative ideas. At the end of the deep dive, the teams recorded a pitch in which they talked about their innovative ideas. Lucien Geelhoed, Moonshots intendant, explains: ‘The phase the teams are currently in is called the pitch and match phase. With this 24-hour deep dive, the teams have worked for 24 hours to further develop their Moonshot, with the aim of talking to and triggering astronauts.’
Pitches and summer talks
At the moment, the astronauts are reviewing the pitches and the first meetings are being planned. These meetings take place in so-called summer zoom calls, in which the unique perspective of the astronauts – the overview effect – is integrated into the Moonshots.
‘The astronaut’s view makes the crazy ideas even more extraordinary,’ says Geelhoed. ‘Astronauts have been able to see like no other how vulnerable our earth is. Almost all of them return enthusiastic. This unique experience is the connection with our Moonshots. The participating teams want to contribute to taking even better care of our planet with their innovative Moonshots.’
The next step
After the talks with the astronauts, the teams will continue with the next step: preparing to convincingly pitch their moonshots to a broad audience together with astronauts. Geelhoed: ‘For the students, this is truly a journey of a lifetime. The grand finale of Moonshots will take place during the largest international astronaut conference of this year in the Netherlands, where the best ideas will be presented.’Moonshots is an exclusive project for students, initiated by the Netherlands Space Office (NSO) and financed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). This project promises not only to stimulate the imagination of young people, but also to take concrete steps towards a better and more sustainable future.