The 32nd Space Exploration Educators Conference (SEEC) was held at Space Center Houston, 5–7 February 2026. The inspirational event brought together 600 STEM educators from all over the world to connect and gain invaluable hands-on experiences.
In addition to hearing from impressive speakers and participating in sessions, attendees toured and explored iconic exhibits and labs at Space Center Houston and NASA Johnson Space Center. Teachers brought back lessons, resources, and content to their classrooms, afterschool clubs, museums & science centers, and homeschool collectives. Additionally, attendees could earn up to 24 hours of continuing education credit at the conference.
The event kicked off with Space Center Houston receiving the first Challenger-7 award. This national honor celebrates organizations whose work reflects the spirit, vision, and values of the Challenger STS-51-L crew. The award was given for the decades of positive impact that SEEC has had on generations of educators.
Attendees were then treated to a moving keynote by Joe Acaba – educator, NASA astronaut, and past chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office. His rousing speech touched on his life and career from being a classroom educator to logging 306 days in space over three flights.
On 6 March, Melissa Pore was honored with the distinguished Cherri Brinley Outstanding Educator Award, celebrating educators with a passion for space science.
In addition to a booth in the expo hall, AIAA staff joined partners from Challenger Center, Club for the Future, and Aymette “Amy” Medina (AIAA Educator Associate Member and recipient of the 2023 Trailblazing STEM Educator Award) to co-present a session for attendees.
This year’s SEEC also featured the world premiere of the documentary Maestra Astronauta about Aymette Medina’s experience going to space as a classroom educator aboard the Blue Origin New Shepard Mission NS-32 in May 2025.
“I look forward to this event all year long,” said a high school teacher from Texas. “If you’re an educator and you care about space, there is no place that compares to SEEC.”