VIERA, Fla. — A unique team up in the name of STEM education is designed to feel like the uniting of a super hero team.

That’s by design. To capitalize on the popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Microsoft is working with the studio behind the new “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” along with Redwire Space, NASA and the International Space Station National Laboratory on a STEM project rolled out this week.

The featured piece of this collaboration is to use the Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF), operated by Redwire aboard the ISS, to 3D print a Zune, the MP3 player that was once a rival of the Apple iPod.

It’s prominence in the film is designed to help create student interest in how 3D printing in space works and why it’s important.

“It’s so important for us to partner with real world partners in the science and STEM fields so that these students have those role models that they can look towards and that they can see in the professional arena what they do. And that’s going to engage them in those STEM career fields,” said Consuelo Praetorius, the STEM Director Pinecrest Academy Space Coast in Viera.

Pinecrest’s assistant principal, Heather Barringer, helped to design the classroom guide that goes along with this STEM initiative. She’s been with the school for three years and said getting involved with STEM education is inspiring for her because those fields are key for students to be successful in the real world.

“They need to be problem-solvers, they need to think outside of the box, they need to work collaboratively,” Barringer said. “We really believe here in giving the kids the skills they need to succeed later in life and we feel that it’s never too early to start.”

The classroom guide offers prompts for educators to engage their students in discussion like, “Why would astronauts need a 3D printer in space?” and “Do you think that gravity affects 3D printing? Why?”

Sixth-grade student Sophia Cordero said probing questions asking the why of things is what she finds so interesting about STEM.

“With a lot of other things that we learn about, everyone kind of knows how they work and they kind of have all the rules set out for you already, but science is a lot of stuff that’s still undiscovered and we’re not quite sure about,” Cordero said. “So, everyone who becomes a scientist is just expanding our knowledge further and I think that’s really cool.”

The old domain, Zune.net, which used to offer information about the MP3 player, now hosts links to the classroom guide, along with a link to the “azure space: diversity in stem” challenge. Microsoft describes it as a way to “encourage underrepresented groups to pursue careers in space related fields and provide them with resources to help ignite their passion.”

Barringer said it was great to help establish the classroom curriculum that can be shared across the country. She said it was a natural fit to bring it into their Viera STEM classroom as well.

“Living on the Space Coast, our kids are so well-versed in space. So many of their parents are already working in the space industry,” Barringer said. “So, getting them to talk about and really being able to relate to a real-world space problem was so easy for them and this was really fun for them to do.”