Data literacy is a critical 21st century skill that students need for the jobs of tomorrow. Microsoft’s partnership with NASA includes a Day of Data, where students can explore how data powers our astronauts, our space missions, and our world.

Celebrate 20 years of humans aboard the International Space Station with live events, lesson plans and virtual Data Camps. You can participate in three ways:

• Talk to a NASA Astronaut: Join two live events on November 2 and November 18 at 8 a.m. CST with NASA astronauts and rocket scientists, where they will discuss how they use data and how it affects their jobs. Speakers will share their personal stories and answer questions from the audience at these Skype in the Classroom Live Events. The video will also be available on demand after the live event.

• Get Free ‘Day of Data’ Resources from the Microsoft Educator Center: Dive into two immersive 45- to 90-minute NASA-inspired data experiences in Excel with standards-aligned lesson plans, suited for remote learning. Students can explore data in a self-paced Excel workbook to earn a Space Data Badge, and have the option to reflect on their experiences using Flipgrid. The Excel workbooks contain detailed lesson plans, curated data sets, and thought-provoking student journals. Hacking STEM’s Day of Data resources can be found on the Microsoft Educator Center.

• Attend Free Virtual ‘Space Data Camps’ with Microsoft stores team: For a guided experience in the classroom, visit the Microsoft Store virtually through a ‘Space Data Camp’ where a Microsoft Store team member will walk you through the Day of Data experience. Participants will get a chance to earn a digital certificate of completion and a virtual Space Data badge. Learn more: Space Data Camps.