For Educators · Curriculum Committees · CTE Directors

Marstronaut™ in Training™ Program Standards Map

A single, reviewable cross-walk of the Marstronaut program to the ten standards frameworks every Force for Health build must align to — so any teacher, principal, CTE director, or curriculum committee can verify the program belongs in their school, district, or workforce pathway.

10Standards frameworks
5Mission phases
26Astronaut Qualities
12Discipline tracks
K–12+Workforce extension

Why this map exists

Marstronaut in Training is not a single subject. It is a cross-disciplinary program that uses the human spaceflight metaphor to teach the same skills schools already need to teach — health and physiology, math and science, ELA, technology, social-emotional learning, career-technical readiness, civics, and the arts. This document shows, framework by framework, exactly which standards each part of the program addresses, and links back to the curriculum artifacts that deliver them.

1
NHES — National Health Education Standards
CDC/SOPHE · Pre-K through 12 · Health literacy outcomes
Health

What it measures

Eight standards covering concepts, influences, accessing information, communication, decision-making, goal-setting, self-management, and advocacy — the backbone of every health-education program in the U.S.

Marstronaut alignment

StandardWhat it asksWhere Marstronaut deliversCoverage
NHES 1Comprehend health conceptsBody Is a Physics Lab unit; Anatomy & Physiology of Spaceflight; Bone density / muscle atrophy modulesPrimary
NHES 2Analyze influences26 Astronaut Qualities daily feed (peer, media, family, culture); "We Are All Astronauts" identity workPrimary
NHES 3Access valid infoNASA / ESA / SpaceX source vetting practice; Coach Lucy resource routingPrimary
NHES 4Interpersonal communicationCrew-cohesion sims; Maria & Marcus dialogue scripts; conflict-resolution missionsPrimary
NHES 5Decision-makingMission Control choice-tree simulations; risk-vs-reward EVA scenariosPrimary
NHES 6Goal-settingHealthy Coins economy; Drops community-service tracker; 5-phase pathwayPrimary
NHES 7Self-managementDaily Quality opt-in; sleep / nutrition / hydration mission logsPrimary
NHES 8AdvocacyShare It™ phase; Ambassador and Group Leader tiers; community Drops campaignsPrimary
2
SHAPE America — PE & Health Education Standards
Society of Health and Physical Educators · K–12 · Physically literate individuals
PE / Health

What it measures

Five standards on motor skills and movement, concepts & strategies, fitness for health, responsible behavior, and valuing physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and social interaction.

Marstronaut alignment

StandardWhat it asksWhere Marstronaut deliversCoverage
S1Motor skills & movement patternsAstronaut Fitness missions; balance & vestibular drills; suit-mobility challengesPrimary
S2Concepts & strategies of movementForces That Shape Everything unit; biomechanics of EVAPrimary
S3Fitness for healthHealthy Coins fitness log; 5-phase fitness pathway tied to mission readinessPrimary
S4Responsible personal & social behaviorCrew protocols; teamwork sims; emotional regulation in confined-space scenariosPrimary
S5Values physical activity"Trainee" identity; mission-readiness narrative; family/community Drops activationsPrimary
3
CTE — Career Technical Education (National)
Advance CTE / Perkins V · 16 Career Clusters · Workforce-ready competencies
Workforce

What it measures

Career-cluster knowledge and skills statements and the Career Ready Practices — the 12 cross-cluster behaviors employers expect of every graduate. Marstronaut is intentionally cross-cluster: it touches Health Science, STEM, Information Technology, Government & Public Administration, and Education & Training.

Career Ready Practices addressed

  • CRP1 — Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee
  • CRP2 — Apply appropriate academic and technical skills
  • CRP4 — Communicate clearly, effectively, and with reason
  • CRP5 — Consider environmental, social, and economic impacts
  • CRP6 — Demonstrate creativity and innovation
  • CRP7 — Employ valid and reliable research strategies
  • CRP8 — Use critical thinking to make decisions
  • CRP9 — Model integrity, ethical leadership, and effective management
  • CRP10 — Plan education and career path aligned to personal goals
  • CRP11 — Use technology to enhance productivity
  • CRP12 — Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence

Marstronaut alignment

ClusterWhere Marstronaut deliversCoverage
Health ScienceAerospace physiology, telemedicine, public health, preventionPrimary
STEMForces unit; physics labs; data analysis missionsPrimary
Information TechnologyMission Control dashboard; data dashboards; digital citizenshipPrimary
Education & TrainingGroup Leader tier; peer-teaching; Share It capstonesPrimary
Government & Public AdminCivics of space treaties; agency-agnostic case studiesSecondary
Arts, A/V Tech & CommunicationsMission media projects; Share It storytelling; speaker seriesSecondary
4
Arizona CTE Professional Skills + eCTE
AZ DOE · Career & Technical Education Professional Skills Standards · digital pathways
Career Skills

What it measures

Arizona's Professional Skills standards explicitly identify the workplace competencies that cross every career program in the state: communication, teamwork, problem-solving, professionalism, technology, and leadership. eCTE adds online-pathway delivery competencies.

Marstronaut alignment

DomainWhere Marstronaut deliversCoverage
CommunicationMission briefings; crew check-ins; Share It presentationsPrimary
Teamwork & CollaborationCrew sims; STEAM teams; Ambassador cohortsPrimary
Problem-Solving & Critical ThinkingMission Control choice trees; failure-mode analysesPrimary
Professionalism26 Qualities daily reps; trainee code of conductPrimary
Technology & Digital LiteracyDashboard, certifications, digital coin/portfolioPrimary
LeadershipGroup Leader tier; peer mentoring; advocacy capstonesPrimary
eCTE Online DeliveryFully online Ambassador pathway; asynchronous + cohort optionsPrimary
5
NGSS — Next Generation Science Standards
3-D learning: Practices · Crosscutting Concepts · Disciplinary Core Ideas
Science

Disciplinary Core Ideas addressed

  • PS2 Motion & Stability — Forces That Shape Everything unit; orbital mechanics
  • PS3 Energy — Propulsion, life-support energy budgets, radiation
  • LS1 From Molecules to Organisms — Bone, muscle, vestibular, cardiovascular adaptation
  • LS2 Ecosystems — Closed-loop life support; Earth as spacecraft
  • ESS1 Earth's Place in the Universe — Solar system, Artemis II context
  • ESS2 Earth's Systems — Climate as life-support system
  • ETS1 Engineering Design — Mission design challenges, iterative testing

Science & Engineering Practices

  • Asking questions / defining problems · developing models · planning investigations · analyzing data · using math / computational thinking · constructing explanations / designing solutions · arguing from evidence · obtaining, evaluating & communicating information

Crosscutting Concepts

  • Patterns · cause & effect · scale, proportion & quantity · systems & system models · energy & matter · structure & function · stability & change
6
ISTE Standards for Students
International Society for Technology in Education · 7 student standards
EdTech
StandardWhere Marstronaut deliversCoverage
1 Empowered LearnerSelf-directed Ambassador pathway; coin economy goal-settingPrimary
2 Digital CitizenAI disclosure training (Coach Lucy/Dr. Rob twins); media literacyPrimary
3 Knowledge ConstructorMulti-source mission research; agency-agnostic sourcingPrimary
4 Innovative DesignerMission design challenges; capstone artifact productionPrimary
5 Computational ThinkerData dashboards; simulation logic; decision treesPrimary
6 Creative CommunicatorShare It™ phase; podcast / video / visual artifactsPrimary
7 Global Collaborator"We Are All Astronauts"; international agency comparison; partner cohortsPrimary
7
Common Core Math — Standards for Mathematical Practice
8 cross-grade practices · embedded across all mission math
Math
PracticeWhere Marstronaut delivers
MP1 Make sense of problems & persevereMulti-step mission planning; resource constraints
MP2 Reason abstractly & quantitativelyUnit conversion (mass / weight / gravity); fuel budgets
MP3 Construct viable arguments & critiqueMission debriefs; peer reviews
MP4 Model with mathematicsOrbital trajectories; rocket equation; life-support equations
MP5 Use appropriate tools strategicallyCalculators, simulators, dashboards
MP6 Attend to precisionEngineering tolerances; medical dosing analogies
MP7 Look for & make use of structurePatterns in adaptation, drag, thrust
MP8 Look for & express repeated reasoningRecursive mission iteration; failure-recovery cycles

Domain-specific standards (Number & Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, Statistics & Probability) are mapped per badge in the badge curriculum docs.

8
Common Core ELA / Literacy
Reading · Writing · Speaking & Listening · Language · Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects
ELA
StrandWhere Marstronaut delivers
Reading Informational TextNASA mission reports; medical & science source vetting
Writing — Arguments & InformativeMission reports; capstone advocacy pieces
Writing — NarrativeMaria & Marcus voice journals; "We Are All Astronauts" first-person writing
Speaking & ListeningCrew briefings; podcast missions; Share It presentations
LanguageTechnical vocabulary; precision; audience adaptation
Literacy in Science & Technical SubjectsReading scientific procedures, charts, schematics
9
CASEL — Social & Emotional Learning
5 core competencies · pre-K through adult
SEL
CompetencyWhere Marstronaut delivers
Self-Awareness26 Qualities daily reflection; "What kind of astronaut am I today?"
Self-ManagementMission stressors & coping skills; isolation/confinement scenarios
Social Awareness"We Are All Astronauts"; cultural & agency-agnostic perspective
Relationship SkillsCrew cohesion; conflict-resolution sims; mentoring across tiers
Responsible Decision-MakingRisk/reward EVAs; ethics of resource allocation
10
NASA Astronaut Candidate Requirements (ACR)
Education · Experience · Physical · Behavioral domains
Aerospace

Marstronaut treats the official NASA Astronaut Candidate Requirements as a real-world capstone benchmark. Trainees see, from middle school onward, exactly which education, physical, and behavioral milestones an astronaut must meet — and how their current K–12 work maps to those milestones.

DomainWhere Marstronaut delivers
Education (STEM degree paths)Discipline tracks across 12 fields with proficiency levels
Operational experienceSimulated missions; team leadership; technical operations
Physical requirementsAstronaut Fitness missions; vestibular, cardiovascular, strength
Behavioral competencies26 Qualities; long-duration crew compatibility scenarios
Public engagementShare It™ phase; ambassadorship for science and health

Coverage Matrix — Curriculum Area × Framework

A glance-level view showing where each Marstronaut curriculum area lands across the ten frameworks. primary coverage · secondary / supporting · — minimal.

Curriculum Area NHESSHAPECTEAZ CTENGSSISTECC MathCC ELACASELNASA ACR
Forces That Shape Everything (physics unit)
Your Body Is a Physics Lab (A&P unit)
Three-Mission Playable Simulation
26 Astronaut Qualities (daily feed)
17 Badge Curriculum
Mission Control Dashboard (admin)
Learner Portal (student)
Maria & Marcus character work
Share It™ Capstone & Advocacy
Speaker / Advisory Panel Series
Healthy Coins / Drops Economy
Group Leader / Ambassador Tier Training

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