“Lockheed Martin, a global security and aerospace company, has partnered with Discovery Education to launch the next phase of Generation Beyond, an initiative to use science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to prepare today’s middle school students nationwide for deep space exploration. Lockheed Martin has supported every NASA mission to Mars over the last four decades and is currently developing technologies like the Orion spacecraft to help NASA send humans to deep space destinations like Mars in the 2030s. Generation Beyond brings the science of space into homes and classrooms across America to engage students in grades 6-8 and help them prepare to make these missions a reality and pursue STEM careers. The program, available at no cost, includes an online curriculum for teachers and families, with standards-based, digital resources such as lesson plans, educator guides and family activities. These resources will introduce a wide variety of STEM-focused careers in space exploration, compare and contrast differences between life in space and on Earth, and illustrate the challenges of a future Mars mission.”