If your interest in science goes beyond what a classroom can hold, a NASA internship is worth pursuing seriously. You work on real projects with researchers and engineers in areas like aerospace, astrophysics, earth science, robotics, and data analysis. The work has genuine stakes, not simulated ones.
The selection process is competitive enough that being chosen at the high school level already says something meaningful. The experience also tends to clarify quickly what you want to study and where you want to take it.
What do NASA internships for high schoolers include?
NASA internships vary by program and center, but most place you directly inside active project work. That might mean analyzing mission data, supporting engineering teams, contributing to ongoing research, or running computational models connected to real space and earth science initiatives.
Your mentors are professionals, not program coordinators, which means the guidance you receive reflects how the work actually gets done. You build technical skills, understand how scientific teams collaborate, and come away with a realistic picture of what a career in this field genuinely involves.
With that, here are 15 NASA internships for high school students worth exploring! Do check out another one of Horizon’s relevant blogs here.
1. Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS)
Cost: Free
Location: NASA Langley Research Center (Hampton, VA)
Program Dates: June 21–June 27, July 12–July 18, or July 26–August 1
Deadlines: October 26 (online application)
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors (Virginia residents)
VASTS is a NASA-connected aerospace program for Virginia high school juniors and seniors who want deeper exposure to engineering, human spaceflight, and mission design. During the school year, you complete seven online modules focused on topics like orbital mechanics, crew exploration systems, space missions, and aerospace problem solving. Some assignments ask you to design upgrades for the International Space Station, respond to real-world engineering scenarios, and participate in technical discussion forums with other students. Students who perform strongly in the course may later attend a seven-day residential academy at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
2. Washington Aerospace Scholars
Cost: Free. Phase One offers an optional credit of $255
Location: Virtual
Program Dates: November through March
Deadlines: Mid-October
Eligibility: Scholars must be Washington state residents and be current juniors in high school
Washington Aerospace Scholars is a long-running aerospace education program for Washington state high school juniors interested in engineering, aviation, and space science. The experience begins with an online course developed by the University of Washington, where you complete eight lessons covering air and space vehicle design, aerospace systems, and flight-related concepts. Throughout the course, you work through readings, essays, aerospace math problems, discussion forums, and hands-on lab activities connected to real engineering ideas. Students who complete the curriculum successfully may later attend multi-day summer experiences with NASA scientists, STEM professionals, and aerospace educators. The final project also asks you to apply technical concepts to larger aerospace and mission planning challenges. Graduates receive a complimentary membership to The Museum of Flight along with access to scholarship opportunities connected to the program.
3. STEM Enhancement in Earth Science, NASA, and University of Texas at Austin (SEES)
Cost: Free (fee-based students must pay $2,000)
Location: University of Texas at Austin / NASA Center for Space Research
Program Dates: May 15-July 1 (Virtual); July 5-18 (In-person)
Deadline: Feb 22
Eligibility: U.S. high school sophomores or juniors (16+)
This nationally competitive internship focuses on the interpretation of NASA satellite data. You will learn to analyze remote-sensing datasets to investigate Earth systems, natural hazards, and climate shifts. These prestigious internships are offered to motivated high school students who have an interest in pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics careers. You will work beside NASA and other aerospace subject matter experts, analyzing and visualizing data. Through a combination of scientific knowledge and hands-on experiences, interns engage in authentic NASA research through field investigations and data analysis. You can also strengthen systems design thinking, collaboration, and communication, while developing the technical skills required to succeed in multiple career pathways, from skilled trades to advanced research and engineering.
4. NASA Johnson Space Center’s Texas High School Aerospace Scholars
Cost: No cost
Location: Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas | Virtual
Program Dates: October – March 8 (online course); July: 4-Day residential experience
Application Deadline: 27 September
Eligibility: Applicants must be high school juniors who are U.S. citizens residing in Texas.
Texas High School Aerospace Scholars is an authentic STEM learning experience for Texas high school juniors to engage with NASA’s missions and become the next generation of explorers. HAS is a year-long commitment for Texas high school juniors, which starts in the fall with a four-month online learning experience related to space exploration, Earth science, technology, and aeronautics. Highest achieving students receive an invitation to a five-day gamified virtual summer experience (Moonshot) mentored by NASA scientists and engineers. Online activities during the school year include interactive lessons on NASA activities related to space exploration, Earth science, technology, mathematics, and aeronautics. You’ll get to participate in design challenges, including 3D drawings, science and math quizzes, discussion posts, and technology writings. You’ll get to chat virtually with NASA engineers and scientists. If selected for the five-day gamified summer experience, you’ll get to participate in team projects and briefings directed by NASA engineers and scientists, hands-on design challenges, and engineering activities to plan a mission to the Moon and Mars.
5. Sustainability & Energy Program Support
Cost: Free
Location: Wallops Flight Facility (Wallops Island, VA)
Program Dates: Late May–August
Deadline: 28 February
Eligibility: U.S. high school juniors and seniors who reside within a 50-mile radius of the Wallops Flight Facility.
This NASA internship focuses on environmental engineering and sustainability work connected to NASA facilities and long-term infrastructure planning. During the internship, you help track energy and water conservation data while working with benchmarking tools and environmental analysis systems used across NASA operations. Some projects involve utility meter surveys, drawing reviews, engineering research, pollution prevention planning, and climate adaptation analysis tied to aerospace facilities. Students may also assist with recycling strategy evaluations, RF interference identification, and sustainability reporting connected to environmental impact studies. Much of the work revolves around collecting and organizing technical data used in larger conservation and infrastructure decisions.
6. AR/VR for Science and Engineering
Cost: Free
Location: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, MD)
Program Dates: Late May–August
Deadline: 28 February
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors are all eligible to apply; they must reside within a 50-mile radius of the NASA Center.
This internship is designed for computational specialists. You will learn to develop AR/VR applications using Unity (C#) and Unreal (C++). Technical work involves 3D asset creation in Blender or Substance Painter to build scientific visualizations for planetary science and astrophysics. You will be doing a variety of tasks related to developing augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications for science and engineering. You will also be working with teams that are developing a range of AR/VR software applications that benefit the scientists and engineers at NASA. They target all NASA science domains (Earth Science, Planetary Science, Astrophysics, Heliophysics), Exploration, and Engineering. You will interface with NASA engineers to translate complex topography into immersive virtual environments.
7. GeneLab for High Schools (GL4HS)
Cost: Free
Location: Virtual (NASA Ames)
Program Dates: June 1– Aug 28
Deadline: March 15 or when a cap of 1,000 applications is reached
Eligibility: U.S. citizens, rising juniors or seniors (16+) with 3.0+ GPA
GeneLab for High Schools is a NASA Ames Research Center program focused on space biology, bioinformatics, and computational research using real biological datasets connected to spaceflight. During the program, you learn how to analyze omics data such as genetic sequences, protein interactions, and other large biological datasets through bioinformatics tools and computational biology methods. Much of the coursework centers on how microgravity and space radiation affect living systems, including human, animal, and plant biology, studied through NASA research.
8. Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI)
Cost: Free; A stipend of $2,400 is provided
Location: GISS (NYC) or Goddard Space Flight Center (MD)
Program Dates: June 17–August 9
Deadlines: Historically close around February 28
Eligibility: U.S. citizens (16+) with a 3.0+ GPA
NASA’s Climate Change Research Initiative places high school students directly into Earth science research teams working on climate and environmental data analysis. You work with NASA scientists, graduate researchers, and educators on projects connected to climate modeling, terrestrial observations, soil moisture analysis, and SnowEx research. You will work with real NASA datasets while learning how environmental observations are collected, interpreted, and applied in climate science research. The internship also includes scientific presentations, research posters, and collaborative discussions tied to ongoing Earth observation studies at NASA centers like Goddard Space Flight Center and GISS.
9. Knowledge Management Internship
Cost: Free
Location: Virtual (Langley Research Center)
Program Dates: Late May–August
Deadline: 21 March
Eligibility: U.S. citizens, high school juniors, and seniors who reside within a 50-mile radius of Langley Research Center.
This Knowledge Management Program includes the use of the previous knowledge gained in ways that promote improved future project execution. The capture of knowledge from departing members of the workforce and the infusion of knowledge to incoming workers are also within scope. You will work with Langley and other NASA engineers, scientists, project managers, budget/schedule experts, etc., to help better encapsulate past knowledge learned and incorporate it into future endeavors. You get to use storytelling techniques to help motivate the Langley workforce to more broadly share and infuse knowledge with each other. You will gain experience in capturing and documenting lessons learned from complex flight projects. Work involves data gathering, technical storytelling, and project management to ensure critical engineering insights are transferred between generations of NASA mission personnel.
10. Glenn High School Physical Sciences and Technologies
Cost: Free
Location: Glenn Research Center (Cleveland, OH)
Program Dates: Late May–August
Deadline: 28 Feb
Eligibility: U.S. citizens, high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who reside within a 50-mile radius of Glenn Research Center
This NASA Glenn internship introduces you to physical science research connected to the International Space Station and microgravity experiments. During the program, you help organize and analyze flight data while supporting experiments in areas like fluid physics, combustion science, and soft matter research. You will also assist with inventory management for specialized flight hardware and laboratory setup work tied to space-based experiments. Technical tasks may involve CAD software, Excel-based data organization, and experiment documentation connected to NASA research systems. Since the internship is based at Glenn Research Center, you also gain exposure to how scientific investigations are prepared and managed for space environments.
11. OSTEM General Internship Sessions
Cost: Free
Location: Any of NASA’s 10 field centers (In-person or Remote)
Program Dates: Fall (Sept–Dec), Spring (Jan–May), Summer (May–Aug)
Deadline: May 22 (for Fall programs)
Eligibility: U.S. citizens (16+) with a 3.0+ GPA
NASA’s internship system includes a wide range of research and engineering opportunities across fields like aerospace engineering, robotics, climate science, Earth observation, computer science, biology, communications, and space exploration. Through programs managed by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, you will work on real agency projects alongside NASA mentors at research centers and laboratories across the United States. Depending on the internship, you may analyze satellite datasets, assist with engineering design, develop software tools, support laboratory experiments, or contribute to public communications tied to NASA missions. Most internships are paid through stipend support, and many programs operate during fall, spring, and summer sessions. NASA also offers both in-person and virtual opportunities, with placements available across multiple research centers, including Goddard, Glenn, Langley, Ames, and Johnson Space Center.
12. George Mason University – NASA Data Science Analysis
Cost: Fees required (Please email [email protected] for application and program fees)
Location: Hybrid / GMU Fairfax Campus (VA)
Program Dates: June 13 – August 29
Deadline: Available seats are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Eligibility: All high school students
This George Mason University program introduces you to astronomy and space science through NASA-focused data analysis and quantitative research projects. During the session, you work with observational datasets connected to active NASA missions while learning how scientific inference and statistical analysis are used in astrophysics research. The curriculum combines lectures, collaborative research work, and guided paper development, so much of the experience revolves around interpreting space-related data and communicating findings clearly. You will also learn how observational data collection and management systems function within large scientific projects tied to astronomy and space science.
13. NASA Communications Internship – Public Affairs Communications Internship
Cost: Free
Location: Langley Research Center (Hampton, VA)
Program Dates: June–August
Deadline: Feb 2nd (based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility: U.S. high school seniors
This NASA internship introduces you to the communication and public engagement side of space science and aerospace missions. During the program, you work on content creation, research, outreach materials, and digital communication projects connected to NASA Langley Research Center. Tasks may include writing stories for nasa.gov, helping manage speaker bureau materials, organizing databases, supporting exhibit content, and assisting with public engagement activities tied to NASA programs. The internship also gives you experience translating technical aerospace concepts into communication materials designed for broader public audiences. Since the work happens inside NASA’s communications environment, students also observe how large scientific organizations handle outreach, media, and mission storytelling.
14. Aviation Systems Division Concept Design Experience
Cost: Free
Location: Virtual (NASA Ames Research Center)
Program Dates: 8-week period in the summer
Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: U.S. citizens in grade 10 or 11 at the time of application
If you want to solve complex, “wicked” real-world problems through aviation, this virtual program hosted by NASA’s Ames Research Center is an incredible opportunity. You will work in a professional virtual team consisting of six students and two NASA mentors. Through a mix of synchronous team discussions and independent work, you will learn about air traffic management, brainstorm aerospace concepts, and dive deep into researching key supporting technologies. Your team will utilize the engineering design process to propose an aviation solution and present it to NASA subject matter experts. Remember that to apply, you must download and complete a specific supplemental application form to upload alongside your NASA STEM Gateway application.
15. NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) High School Internship
Cost: Free
Location: NASA Ames Research Center (Moffett Field, CA) / Remote
Program Dates: Summer session (May–August)
Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: U.S. high school students (16+) with a 3.0+ GPA
NASA’s Open Science Data Repository internship connects high school students to space biology and life sciences research using NASA’s publicly available spaceflight datasets. During the program, you work with biological data collected from NASA missions, including studies on how microgravity and space radiation affect living systems, under the guidance of NASA researchers and science mentors. Projects involve data exploration, computational analysis, and scientific interpretation tied to real biological experiments conducted aboard the International Space Station. You will also gain familiarity with open-science tools and data management practices that NASA uses to make spaceflight research accessible across the scientific community.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image Source: NASA