The year 2024 was a busy and inspiring one for the team at NGO “Association Noosphere”. Despite the challenges of wartime, this year will be remembered for exciting projects, new records, and countless smiles from children. Here’s a look at the highlights that made 2024 a remarkable chapter in Noosphere’s history.
A Record Number of Space Dreams
Spring 2024 saw the 5th annual Noosphere Space Art Challenge, a children’s space art competition. The theme, My Space Dream, encouraged young artists to imagine a high-tech future and interplanetary journeys. Yet, many drawings reflected hopes for peace and Ukraine’s victory.
This year’s event broke records, attracting 28,576 participants aged 3 to 17– nearly as many as the previous four competitions combined. Over the past five years, the Noosphere Space Art Challenge gallery has showcased 58,580 artworks
Busting Space Movie Myths
In 2024, Noosphere hosted two Space Shots events to explore scientific accuracy in popular films. Audiences watched movie clips, while experts in physics, aerodynamics, and astronomy explained what’s fact and what’s fiction.
On July 19, more than 50 people gathered at the O. Makarov National Center for Aerospace Education in Dnipro, with an equal number joining online. The event celebrated the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing and analyzed clips from movies like Ad Astra, Moonfall, and Transformers.
On October 1, during World Space Week, the first-ever immersive Space Shots took place at Noosphere Planetarium. Held in a dome theater, it featured sessions for kids and adults focusing on the theme Day After Tomorrow. Nearly 200 people attended—70 children and over 120 adults.
Summer Tech Bootcamp for Teens
In early 2024, Noosphere partnered with the Youth Academy of Sciences to promote technical creativity among students in the Dnipro region.
This collaboration led to the Noosphere Tech Intensive summer school, where 30 highly motivated teens participated. Over a month, they explored robotics, cybersecurity, rocketry, and astronomy at Noosphere Engineering School Dnipro. The program concluded with a celebration at Planetarium Noosphere, complete with awards and a space show in Star Hall.
Breaking Records at NASA Space Apps Challenge
On October 5-6, Noosphere hosted the 8th NASA Space Apps Challenge in Dnipro. For 48 hours, participants worked in teams to tackle NASA’s challenges.
This year’s event set new records with 247 participants from Ukraine, Poland, Czechia, and Canada. They formed 57 teams and presented 48 projects. Five teams were declared winners, and one—CraftLab—was shortlisted among the world’s best projects.
Robotics: Girls vs. Boys
Noosphere’s annual VEX Roboweek returned with a STEM course for kids. This year’s mission: a math expedition to Mars. Participants built and programmed robots to complete tasks on the Red Planet.
The two-day event started with girls competing first, followed by boys. Both teams gave their best efforts, but in the end, friendship was the real winner.
Exploring the Book Land
In September, Noosphere joined the Bookland festival in Kyiv, partnering with Universe Space Tech magazine and Ukraine Spacemodelling Sport Federation.
Workshops on rocket modeling stole the show, with champions of rocket sports helping kids build paper rockets. Children not only had fun but also discovered a new technical hobby and sport.
The festival also featured Noosphere Store’s merchandise, including books published by the association. Presented to a broad audience for the first time, these books found new readers across Ukraine.
Preserving Our Heritage
Noosphere highlighted the importance of protecting Ukraine’s cultural heritage, especially in occupied regions. An outdoor exhibit in Dnipro’s Gagarin Park showcased 12 historical landmarks at risk due to the war, including the Did burial site in Mariupol and Askania-Nova in Kherson.
As part of the Heritage We Lose project, a bilingual video with English subtitles was also released to raise global awareness.
Ukraine’s space heritage was another focus. The Space Heritage UA project invited teens to share their visions through posters, presentations, animations, podcasts, and essays. Over 500 entries were submitted, most featuring Ukrainian space pioneers like Yuri Kondratyuk and Leonid Kadenyuk, along with iconic observatories and planetariums.
The project also included lectures by experts on Ukraine’s space history, planetariums, and modern research methods, drawing nearly 400 young attendees.
These highlights are just a glimpse of Noosphere’s impactful year. We thank everyone who joined our events, supported our projects, and shared their creativity with us.
In 2025, Noosphere promises even more exciting projects, memorable events, and inspiring encounters. Stay tuned for updates. See you in the new year!
