SCCPSS middle school students attending the Savannah-Chatham E-Learning Academy recently competed against some of the best middle school engineering/aerospace schools in the south and qualified in the Top 11 for the Student Astronaut Challenge National Finals. The Student Astronaut Challenge is an aero-space based competition sponsored by Florida State University and presented with cooperation from NASA and the Kennedy Space Center. The focus of the competition is the mobile Space Flight Simulator designed to replicate the retired NASA Space Shuttle.
The competition takes place through four events.
- In the Aerospace Engineering Challenge, students are provided an aerospace related problem that they must solve while working as two teams – mission control and Skylab flight crew.
- In the Space Science Design Challenge, student teams must submit a typed design proposal including a prototype model to a team of judges.
- In the Space Shuttle Flight Simulation Challenge, student teams work through three rounds during which they are required to perform the pre-flight operation, launch, orbit and landing of the Space Shuttle Simulator while performing the operation and responsibilities of the mission control team. During the semi-final and final rounds, students are provided with in-flight emergencies that must be managed to safely complete their mission.
- In the Space Shuttle Landing Simulation Challenge, team members work in pairs through two rounds when they perform one of three types of landings of the Space Shuttle Enterprise flight simulator and the operation and responsibilities of the mission control team.
The National Finals Competition is scheduled to take place at the Kennedy Space Center in February if in-person competition is permitted. If the competition must be held virtually, dates will be determined.
Congratulations to the following members of the SCELA-naut team!
*Chy'Andrea Jenkins
*Kaeleb Wilcox
*Janice Miranda
*Olivia Hampton
*J'Kaalah Cole
*Simone Hicks
*Isabella Frazier
*Ava Jones
*Zecoi Mincey
*Narcy Velasquez
*Chase Usry
