Students plan mission to Mars at NASA academy

Forty-one rising high school seniors from Virginia recently spent a week planning a mission to Mars as part of the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars academy at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton.

The VASTS academy, held July 11-17, was hosted by NASA Langley in a partnership with the Virginia Space Grant Consortium.

Students from the Richmond area who attended the academy include:

• David Wilmer, a student from L.C. Bird High School in Chesterfield County.

• Curtis McCreight, a home-schooled student from Richmond.

• Rebekah Turner, a student from Patrick Henry High School in Ashland.

• Christopher James Neal, a student from Hopewell High School in Hopewell.

During the academy, students built, programmed and tested robots, toured NASA labs and facilities, talked with NASA researchers, scientists and astronaut Dr. Roger Crouch, as well as gained work force experience and college credit.

In addition, Hilliary Logan, a teacher from Thomas Dale High School in Chesterfield County, supported the academy as a master teacher.

During the academy, scholars worked in teams to plan a feasible mission to Mars. As a master teacher, Logan facilitated the coursework during the week, spending days with the students to ensure that they were on task and focused on mission objectives.

VASTS is a competitive program that allows high school juniors the opportunity to engage in an online NASA-based course that uses a space exploration theme to teach a broad range of math, science, engineering and technology skills. The program will expand its offerings next year, allowing more students to take advantage of the course. Applications for the 2009-2010 program will be available Aug. 21 and will be due by Nov. 6. Selections will be made and coursework initiated in early December.

For more information or a VASTS application, visit http://www.vasts.spacegrant.org. For more information about NASA research and exploration, visit http://www.nasa.gov.