With a little help from you, the Penn State community, the Penn State Lunar Lion team could be showcased by celebrity theoretical physicist Michio Kaku in a CBS feature.

If you haven’t heard of it, the Lunar Lion team is racing to put Penn State on the moon by 2015 as a part of Google’s Lunar X Prize (GLXP) competition. The Lunar Lion is also racing to gain the most Google+ influence of the 22 teams that’s it’s competing against. Why? Because sometime in the next few weeks, Michio Kaku and CBS will be hosting a show about the GLXP (via Google Hangout), featuring the two GLXP teams with the most Google+ influence.

Here’s how you can help the Lunar Lion team gain Google+ influence, so it will be chosen for the Michio Kaku/CBS feature:

1. “Circle” the Penn State Lunar Lion Team on Google+; this is the equivalent of ‘liking’ a page on Facebook. (I don’t mean to Captain Obvious here, but I’m assuming that most people don’t use Google+.)
2. “+1” the Lunar Lion’s posts; this is the equivalent of ‘liking’ a post on Facebook.
3. Comment on the Lunar Lion’s Google+ posts.

A Google Hangout with Penn State’s Lunar Lion, Michio Kaku, and CBS would go a long way not only for Penn State’s reputation in the aerospace industry, but also for the Lunar Lion’s broader goal — to inspire the next generation of mathematicians and scientists, whether they pursue space exploration or other disciplines.

“We [the Lunar Lion team] would use this Google Hangout to further our objective of generating public interest in space and in the S.T.E.M. fields,” says Ajeeth Ibrahim, the Lunar Lion’s student team president.

According to Ibrahim, the Lunar Lion has a “good shot” at being chosen for Michio Kaku’s feature because of the growing support the team has received from Penn Staters — support that can only increase given the size and scope of the Penn State community. Ibrahim also notes that Penn State already has significant influence in the scientific community, which can’t hurt the Lunar Lion’s chances.

“The great work that Penn Staters have done have always been recognized by prominent people [such as Michio Kaku],” says Ibrahim. “Through Michio Kaku and the wide audience he can bring, we can show more people the fantastic work that is happening at this university.”

For more on the Lunar Lion, read our interview with team lead Michael Paul; our story on Newt Gingrich’s feature of the Lunar Lion; and our story on Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) and his support of the Lunar Lion.