Romanian high-school students win first positions at NASA contest

35 science projects made by pupils from Brasov, Constanta, Medgidia, Bucharest and Slatina won first, second, third prizes as wells as honorable mentions in a competition that NASA organized for teenagers regarding spatial cities, NASA Ames Space Settlement Design Contest.

The winning high-schools are the National College Andrei Saguna of Brasov, Tudor Vianu High School Bucharest, the National College Mircea cel Batran of Constanta, Saint Sava College Bucharest, Liceul Teoretic Nicolae Balcescu School of Medgidia, National College Mihai Eminescu of Constanta, The International Computer High School of Constanta, Ovidius High School Constanta, The Spectrum School of Constanta, “Ion Minulescu” National College of Slatina.

According to the official website of the competition, they received 562 entries from 1,567 students sponsored by 222 teachers, from 18 countries.

Those who won First Prize distinction are welcomed between May 14-18 in Los Angeles, California, U.S., at the Aerospatiale Development International Conference, where they will take the NASA prizes. Unfortunately, the students from Brasov need EUR 30,000 to get there and a mass-media campaign has started to sustain them.

The Romanian students took Grade 11 First Prize for Renaissance II project, Brasov team and for Selene Expandable Space Orbital Settlement, the team from “Tudor Vianu” High School, Bucharest. Also, Grade 10 First Prize was won by The Honeycomb Space Settlement, Bucharest, Romania (Tudor Vianu High School) and Helios – Celestial Pioneer, Constanta, Romania (Colegiul National Mircea cel Batran), as well as Grade 9 First Prize for Helios, Constanta, Romania.

The Romanian project SpaceBurg, Constanta, Romania (Colegiul National Mircea cel Batran) took Grade 7 and Younger First Prize.

As Second Prizes, the following projects were awarded: Arcturus Space Settlement, Bucharest, Romania, (“Tudor Vianu” National High School of Computer Science), Greenwich Haven Platform, Bucharest, Romania, (“Tudor Vianu” National High School of Computer Science), Dune, Constanta, Romania (The International Computer High School of Constanta), The God’s Kite, Brasov, Romania (“Andrei Saguna” National College), Celestio Space Settlement, Bucharest, Romania (“Tudor Vianu” National High School of Computer Science).