STEM in 30 is a non-commercial online science educational program for middle school students produced by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The show is hosted by science-educators Marty Kelsey and Beth Wilson. The program is released on a monthly basis throughout the school year free through the museum's website, YouTube and social media as well as broadcast on NASA-TV. Each episode is typically a half hour and features special guests and different science, math, engineering or technology topics.
Since first broadcasting in 2014, the program has covered dozens of topics including the NASA's Apollo program, Tuskegee Airmen, astronaut training, the Wright brothers and the Orion program. While the program is often based in one of the two locations of the National Air and Space Museum, the show has also been filmed on location in New York City, Seattle, Boston, Detroit, Houston, in Hurricane Florence and on the aircraft carrier .
The first four seasons of the show were broadcast live with a student audience. With its fifth season, STEM in 30 has switched its format to a pre-taped show along with a "Mission Debrief" a week later featuring a topic expert. The "Mission Debrief" is a live question and answer session about that month's topic.
In 2019, the first episode of season five, "Robotics: FIRST There Were People, Then There Were Machines," was nominated for a National Capital / Chesapeake Bay Emmy Award for Technology Program. The program has since received five regional Emmy nominations in total.
As of 2025, it was rerun by Nashua ETV, part of Nashua Community Television, in Nashua, New Hampshire.
List of episodes
+Season 1 Episode ListEpisodeTitleSpecial Guests1.1Vacuum Packed Space Food: It's What's for Dinner Chef K1.2Kites to Flight: Inventing with the Wright BrothersTom D. Crouch1.3Lighter, Stronger, Better: CompositesDan Hagedorn1.4Space Junk: Fast TrashDr. Cathy Lewis, Dr. Roger Thompson, Dr. Don Thomas, Dr. Andrew Johnston1.5Oh You're Just Full of Hot Air: Hot Air Balloons and Air PressureTom D. Crouch, Vanessa Nagengast, Greta Glaser, Curt Westergard, Ron Broderick1.6WWI: How History Shaped TechnologyDr. Peter Jakob, Dan Taylor, Dorothy Cochrane, Christopher Moore1.7Earth Day: Earthrise and Photography from SpaceDr. Jennifer Levasseur, Dr. Martin Collins, Dr. Andrew K Johnston1.8Living and Working in SpaceDr. Piers Sellers, Paolo Nespoli, Dr. Jennifer Levasseur, Dr. Valerie Neal +Season 2 Episode ListEpisodeTitleSpecial Guests2.1Time and NavigationRory McEvoy, Dr. Andrew K. Johnston, Roger Connor, Dr. Paul Ceruzzi2.2Asteroid Redirect MissionDr. Michele Gates, Lindley N. Johnson, Randy Bresnik, Bo Naasz2.3MarsDr. John Grant, Dr. Matthew Shindell, Dr. Marshall Porterfield, Dr. Mary Cleave, Paolo Nespoli2.4ISS: 15 Years of Continuous Human PresenceDr. Cathy Lewis, Samantha Cristoforetti, Clay Anderson, Reid Wiseman, Terry Virts, Paolo Nespoli, Randy Bresnik2.5Wilbur and Orville Wright: The Process of InventionMatt Anderson2.6Milestones of Flight: The LindberghsDorothy Cochrane, Bob van der Linden, Malcolm Collum, Reeve Lindbergh2.7WWII and Tuskegee AirmenJeremy Kinney, Tom D. Crouch, Joe Murchison, Charles McGee2.8SR-71 BlackbirdBuz Carpenter, James David, Layne Karafantis, Stanley Seagle2.9Mars RoverJim Zimbelman, Kobie Boykins, Stanley Seagle2.10KitesTom D. Crouch, Amanda Malkin, Jon Burkhardt, James "Fletch" Fletcher, Dawn Hayworth, Scott Weider, Dave Ashworth, Paul LaMasters2.11Copters, Choppers and the Phrog: The Science of Vertical FlightRoger Connor, Steve Bussman2.12Moon RocksDr. Tom Watters, Pricilla Strain, Dr. Allan Needell, Lisa Young +Season 3 Episode ListEpisodeTitleSpecial Guests3.1Star Trek at 50: Science Fiction to Science FactMargaret Weitekamp, Marc Okrand, Rod Roddenberry3.2A Sky Full of Color: Live from the Albuquerque Balloon FiestaTom D. Crouch, Andy Richardson3.3Seven Minutes of Terror: The Engineering behind Landing on Other PlanetsIan Clark, Bill Siders, Paolo Nespoli, Timothy Kopra3.4Scientist or Guinea Pig: Science on StationAnna Lee Fisher, Brett McNish, Stephanie Wilson, Kjell Lindgren, Michael Collins, Timothy Kopra3.5The Wright Stuff: Flying the Wright FlyerPeter Jakab, Keith Yoerg, Tom D. Crouch, Anna Lee Fisher, Barrington Irving, Timothy Kopra, Kobie Boykins, Eric Fanning, Christina Koch, Kjell Lindgren3.6The Biology of Long Term Space FlightMichael Barratt, Kjell Lindgren, Anna Lee Fisher3.7Taking the Fast Lane to Orbit: The Technology of Rockets and RacecarsKurt Romberg, Kevin Schlesier, Jacob Wallace, Rick Davis, Warren Lipford3.8The Women who are Paving the Way to MarsAbigail Harrison, Catherine Wiedman, Christina Koch, Anne McClain3.9World War I: Legacy, Letters, and Belgian War LaceDirk Wouters, Katrin Wouters, Peter Jakab, Karen Thompson, Lora Vogt, Paul Broadhurst, Juliete Broadhurst, Alice Blom, Louis Blom +Season 4 Episode ListEpisodeTitleSpecial Guests4.1Solar Eclipse Special: Live From the Path of TotalityIvanka Trump, Gary Lezak, Shauna Edson, Staci Lester, Geneviéve de Messiéres4.2Building a Better Mousetrap and Inventing the Airplane: All About PatentsElizabeth Dougherty, Dr. Magaret Weitekamp, Tom D. Crouch, Dr. Cathly Lewis, RJ Batts4.3Live Downlink with the International Space Station & Astronaut Randy "Komrade" BresnikRandy Bresnik4.4We Choose to Go to the Moon...Michael Collins, Julie Kramer White, Daniel Newmyer, Dr. Jennifer Levasseur, Dr. Cathy Lewis, Allan Needell, Vincent Rossi, Brian Matthews4.5Landing a Really Fast Plane on a Really Big BoatCDR Chris Browne, Capt. Paul C. Spedero Jr., Capt. Sterling Gilliam, Lt. Joe Ash, CDR Ray Stromberger4.6The Psychology of Long Term Space Flight: Music, Art, and Creature ComfortsRandy Bresnik, Samantha Cristoforetti, Dr. Jennifer Levasseur, Kjell Lindgren, Dr. James Picano, Beth Turner, Reid Wiseman4.7Meet Orion and SLS: America's Next Great SpacecraftShane Kimbrough, Jack Fischer, Travis Fitzgerald, Danielle Richey, Keith Yoerg4.8The Airplane's Family Tree: From the Wright Brothers to TodayRandy Bresnik, Nick Borer, Peter Jakab, Captain Kyle Whitaker, Julie Callers, Phil Marasigan, Wally Coates, Patti Erickson, Ryan Dominguez, Christine Hanna4.9Astronaut TrainingKjell Lindgren, Joe Acaba, Michael Barratt, Anna Lee Fisher, Travis Fitzgerald, Victor Glover, Shane Kimbrough, Christina Koch, Timothy Kopra, Kate Rubins, Jeff Williams4.10Staying Safe is No Accident: The Science of SafetyMaggy Benson, Carla Dove, Jane Foster, Beth McHugh, Erik Mueller, Don Kramer, Marie Moler4.11The Engineering Behind a Record-Breaking SkydiveTom D. Crouch, Alan Eustace, Jared Leidich, Dr. Cathy Lewis4.12Ask an Astronaut with Randy Bresnik and Paolo NespoliRandy Bresnik, Paolo Nespoli4.13How Do We Know What's Out There?Geneviéve de Messiéres, Shauna Edson4.14Live Downlink with the International Space Station & Serena Auñón-ChancellorSerena Auñón-Chancellor, Deanne Bell, Ansel Austin, Austin Suder, Jason Qin, Niki Werkheiser, Jason Crusan, Joe Acaba +Season 5 Episode ListEpisodeTitleEpisode SynopsisSpecial GuestsMission Debrief Expert5.1Robotics: FIRST There Were People, Then There Were Machines Beth and Marty invite local FIRST teams to show off their robotic skills, while they learn about the different FIRST competitions and the different robots that reside at the museum. Dean Kamen, Frank MerrickPaul Ceruzzi, Centreville Robotics, CascadesThunderbots5.2What Goes Up Must Come Down: Plummeting Through the Layers of the Atmosphere Beth, Marty and a group of middle school students learn about the different layers of the atmosphere by looking at Alan Eustace's world-record-setting skydive and a weather balloon. They find out why the earth has layers and how that's related to weather.Alan Eustace, Jared Leidich, Chris StrongAnne Douglass5.3World War One: How the Great War Still Influences Today A group of middle schoolers travel back in time to learn about what caused the Great War and what life was like on the home front. Marty and Beth join them for a look at the Sopwith Camel, one of the most important airplanes from the war.Patty Wagstaff, Dr. Peter JakabDr. Peter Jakab5.4Magic or Math? Math in the Aerospace IndustryMarty decides to quit the show to become a magician, the show gets a special message from the Houston Texans and a group of middle-schoolers race the Wright Flyer. Toro, Peggy Whitson, Joe Acaba, Corey WilliamsDr. David DeVorkin, Dr. Geneviève de Messières5.5STEM in Real LifeBeth and Marty celebrate their 50th episode by taking a look back at all the guests and segments of the show. They also look at the different ways science, technology, engineering and mathematics have been used on the show for real life situations.Marc Okrand, Kate Rubins, Jared Leidich, Aaron Parness, Dean Kamen, Curt Westergard, Dr. Michael Nickens (Doc Nix), Jon Burkhardt, Tom D. Crouch, Amanda Malkin Andy Richardson, Kjell Lindgren, Frederick D. Gregory, Randy "Komrade" Bresnik, Scott Tingle, Paolo Nespoli, Peggy Whitson, Shaesta Waiz, Samantha Cristoforetti, Reid Wiseman, Stephanie Wilson, Dr. Peter Jakab, Rod Roddenberry, Ivanka Trump, Shauna Edson, Michael Collins, Dr. Cathy Lewis, Shane Kimbrough
Tim Kopra, Alan Eustace, Walter Cunningham, Michael Barratt, Buz CarpenterLisa Pitts5.6Your Ticket to Space: Commercial SpaceflightMarty and Beth travel to a middle school to conduct some experiments that they haven't been allowed to do in the museum, while explaining the difference between the NASA space program and other commercial space programs. The National Air and Space Museum and Virgin Galactic celebrate the launch of the commercial spaceship SpaceShip Two.Tom Lassman, Scott Tingle, Celena Dopart, Dr. Michael Neufeld, Dr. Ellen Stofan, Sir Richard Branson, Dr. Valerie Neal, Mike Moses, Karin Nildotter, Byron Henning, Mark Stucky, Harrison Ford, Victor GloverTom Lassman5.7Rock Me Like a Hurricane: The Science of Earth's Largest StormsMarty travels with the hurricane hunters through the eye of Hurricane Florence. To better understand the type of data that was collected, he and Beth travel to New York City to talk with ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee. They also talk to the chief scientist of the JUNO mission to Jupiter about hurricanes on other planets.Ginger Zee, Shauna Edson, 1st Lt. Garrett Black, Hoot Gibson, Scott BoltonJason Samenow5.8Reboot the Suit: Neil Armstrong's SpacesuitMarty and Beth surprise a group of middle-schoolers with being able to visit the National Air and Space Museum's conservation lab and see the spacesuit Neil Armstrong wore on the Moon. The students are taught about how important conservation is to the museum and how conservationists protect the collection.Cathy Lewis, Lisa Young, Michael Collins, Jennifer Lavasseur, Alvin DrewCathy Lewis5.9Voyage to the Moon: 50 Years Ago and TodayComing up on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, Beth and Marty travel to Seattle to see the Command Module Columbia that took Neil, Buzz and Michael to the Moon and back. Marty visits the Baltimore Ravens' practice field to find out how to hit moving targets and a group of middle schoolers face off against professional soccer players from Reign FC in gravity games.Ted Heutter, Gene Kranz, Geoff Nunn, Michael Collins, Robert Griffin III, Willie Snead IV, Tim Dee, Megan Oyster, Darian Jenkins, Poppy NorthcuttChristine Darden, Margot Lee Shetterly