NASA Space Place Art Challenge!

An illustration of a paintbrush painting a galaxy.


Do you love making art and using your imagination? So do we! Every NASA mission starts with a creative idea about how to explore something in a new way.


The art challenge:

In this new activity, we'd like to challenge young explorers to think about and draw a space-related situation each month. And after the month is over, we'll select a few imaginative drawings to be featured on the NASA Space Place website!

So, get ready to exercise that creative brain of yours! Here's what you'll need:

  • Paper
  • Art supplies (pencils, markers, crayons, paints – whatever you like to use)
  • A grownup helper with a camera or scanner and access to email

Note: We cannot accept artwork created with AI technologies.


Space Place art challenge prompt:

More than 500 million miles from Earth is a world that is covered with an ocean, topped by an icy crust. This ocean world, called Europa, is one of Jupiter’s many moons. Scientists are interested in learning more about Europa because on Earth, where you find water, you can find life. Could ocean-covered Europa have all the right conditions and ingredients for life, too?

NASA scientists are hoping to find out one day soon! Europa Clipper is a spacecraft that will study Europa. It is launching in October 2024.


A round moon, Europa, is shown against the dark background of space. The moon has an icy gray surface with rusty streaks. A dark shadow covers the left side of the moon.

Jupiter’s moon Europa as captured by the JunoCam instrument aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft on Sept. 29, 2022. Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS. Image processing: Björn Jónsson (CC BY 3.0)

This month's prompt: Europa Clipper will be orbiting Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, collecting lots of information about this special ocean world in our solar system. But imagine that you could peek below Europa’s icy surface. What do you think you might find in the vast ocean underneath? What does the ocean floor look like? Does anything live in Europa’s ocean? No one knows for sure right now! Draw an underwater scene of the ocean on Europa and what you think we might find there!

Want to learn more about Europa before getting started? Check out our Europa page!

Get creative and submit your art before September 30, 2024. Selected art submissions will appear on the website in early October!


How to submit your art:

Once you've gotten your ideas on the page, have a grownup take a photo or scan of the drawing and email the following to [email protected]:


That's it! Have fun creating and we can't wait to see your drawings!


Last Month's Art Challenge Selections

DSN (Deep Space Network) Art Challenge: Draw an antenna on Earth, and the spacecraft or robotic explorer you’d imagine it would talk to.

Illustration of Earth and the Moon in the darkness of space. An antenna on Earth is sending a signal to a spacecraft. Several humanoid robots are floating with the spacecraft.

A'lyvia, 10

Illustration of Earth, the Moon and Mars in the darkness of space. An antenna on Earth is sending a signal to a rover on Mars. The signal is made out of a pipe cleaner, while the rest of the drawing is colored in pencil.

Aahana, 9

Painting of Earth and three other planetary bodies in the darkness of space. An antenna on Earth is connected to one of the planetary bodies by strands of spaghetti. The planetary body has a mouth and eyes, with its mouth wide open to eat the spaghetti coming from the antenna on Earth. Earth and the other two planetary bodies look on in astonishment.

Alena, 13

Illustration of Earth with several spacecraft in orbit around it. An antenna is visible on the surface of Earth.

Alex, 6

Illustration of a DSN antenna sending a command to the Juno spacecraft to find the biggest active volcano on Io. Jupiter and its moon Io are also visible in the sky above.

Anisha, 7

Paper cut outs of Earth with an antenna on it sending a command to dig for soil to a rover on another planet. There is also a spacecraft between Earth and the other planet.

Atharv, 5

Illustration of an antenna on Earth sending a signal, full of happy things like a ribbon, a heart and a smiley face, to a rover on Mars. There is a disco ball above the rover on Mars, who appears to be having a great time.

Charlotte, 12

Illustration of a DSN antenna sending a command to take a picture to a spacecraft.

Deliana, 15

Illustration of a child on Earth sending a signal via DSN antennas to a planet called opposite planet with a spacecraft between the planets to receive and forward the signal. The signal is made out of a pipe cleaner. The child is sending the message Hello mrs ice cream, lets have a space party, we will have some starry snacks, see you there, bye!

Diya, 8

This piece of art uses various styles, including illustration and photography, to create the whole image. A person is inside a control room looking out the window at a DSN antenna in the distance.

Eileen, 13

Paper model of a DSN antenna.

Emmett, 10

Illustration of a DSN antenna pointing up at the sky, sending a request on behalf of a person on the ground.

Gabriel, 13

Paper cutouts of Earth with a large antenna on it sending a string of 1s and 0s toward Mars, where the message is received by a rover on the surface.

Gerardo, 10

Illustration of Earth with a large DSN antenna on it, a rocket, a spacecraft and asteroid in space.

Gianluca, 9

Illustration of a DSN antenna on the ground with a person. The antenna is sending data to a spacecraft near Neptune.

Grisel, 12

Illustration of an antenna on Earth sending a signal into the sky where there are a couple spacecraft.

Joao, 8

Illustration of Earth with a large antenna on it. The antenna is sending a signal to a spacecraft near Earth.

Joshitha, 13

Illustration of a DSN antenna sending the message Take a photo of Phobos to a spacecraft in the sky. The antenna is covered in foil.

Kanira, 9

Illustration of a DSN antenna pointing up at the sky. The sky is cracking open, revealing a deeper portion of the universe and a couple planets.

Kate, 13

A paper model of a DSN antenna and several wrapped up foil objects on the ground next to it.

Liam, 7

Illustration of a large DSN antenna in a grassy field sending a signal to a planet in the sky.

Lyla, 13

Illustration of Earth, the Moon, the Sun and Mars. A DSN antenna on Earth is sending communications to a spacecraft between Earth and Mars, and then that message is getting forwarded to a rover on the surface of Mars.

Naman, 11

Cartoon illustration of an astronaut floating in space, surrounded by the Moon, stars, Earth, Jupiter and the Sun.

Olivia, 9

Illustration of Earth with a large antenna sending a signal to a spacecraft that is taking a photo of a planet.

Radu, 9

Very colorful, abstract illustration featuring a DSN antenna on Earth sending a signal into space, which is received by the large hand of a figure wearing a helmet.

Sanam, 14

Illustration of two antennas with smiling faces on Earth sending a signal to two spacecraft near the Moon. The Moon says hello.

Sharadha, 12

Illustration of a NASA employee using a DSN antenna to send a message to the Hubble telescope. The message reads Hubble, please take as many pictures as you can of the comet Hale-Bopp.

Sofia, 13

Illustration of the solar system, including the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. A signal is getting sent from an antenna on Earth to a spacecraft near Saturn and an antenna on Mars.

Srimaan, 6

Illustration of two antennas on Earth sending a message to a spacecraft near an object in space. The message reads Hello, can you pick a stone. The spacecraft responds OK.

Taifur, 5

Paper cutouts of Venus, Earth, a comet, a lander on Venus and an antenna on Earth. The antenna on Earth sends the message Collect smoke from the clouds. The lander on Venus responds Bzz OK.

Victoria, 10

Illustration of an antenna on Earth sending a message to Voyager 1. The message asks Voyager to go to the nearest planet and see if it has good food.

Vihaan, 10

Illustration of an antenna on Earth sending a message to an orbiter, lander and rover on Mars. The message reads Bring me martian Rocks!!

Vivaan, 10

Illustration of an antenna on Earth sending out multiple streams of data to various objects in the sky, including an astronaut, planets and spacecraft.

Vratko, 9

Colorful illustration of a large DSN antenna on Earth sending a signal into space.

Yara, 5



* AUTHORIZATION AND RELEASE FOR PHOTOS, AUDIO AND/OR VIDEO RECORDINGS OF, AND/OR ARTWORK FROM A MINOR CHILD

I hereby grant to the California Institute of Technology (Institute) and its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) the right to make, use, create derivative works and/or display:

  1. photos, video and/or audio tape recordings of, my Child and/or
  2. artwork (in any media, including drawings, photos, music and video creations) created by my Child and submitted to JPL and/or

in any manner or form, and for any lawful purpose at any time. I also grant the Institute to use my Child's name associated with such photos, recordings of my Child or with his/her artwork. I understand that my Child may be photographed and/or video or audio taped verbatim and that the Institute may allow persons external to the Institute to view the pictures or recordings in part or in their entirety. I also understand that any artwork submitted by my Child to the Institute for the Project may be edited, reproduced or displayed publicly at the Institute's discretion. I am fully aware and agree that such use of my Child's image or artwork and name may include posting on publicly available internet sites, including JPL sites and other publicly viewable social media sites. I waive any right that I may have to review or approve of any finished products, or the uses to which such products may be applied. I release and discharge the Institute, its employees, sponsors, and subcontractors from any liability to me by virtue of any representation that may occur in the creation, editing or use of said photos and/or video or audio tape recordings or the editing or use of my Child's artwork.
article last updated September 1, 2024
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