Indian American student Tapasya Das from New Jersey has won the NASA Space Pennant Design Challenge beating thousands of competitors who showcased their vision for space.
The winning pennant, titled 'Education 4 Exploration' will fly on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-118 mission, targeted to launch this August.
The grand prize also includes the opportunity for the winner to view the launch.
The entries required students to research, apply what they learned, and write an explanation of their design and how their pennant incorporates their knowledge about the STS-118 shuttle flight or America's long-term exploration strategy, known as the Vision for Space Exploration.
The Vision for Space Exploration is the program that will see humans return to the moon and then travel to Mars and beyond.
Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-118 mission will mark the first flight for Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan, an educator who is fully trained as an astronaut. This mission is an important step in the ongoing assembly of the International Space Station.
To compete effectively for the minds, imaginations and career ambitions of America's young people, NASA is focused on engaging and retaining students in education efforts that encourage their pursuit of disciplines critical to NASA's future engineering, scientific and technical missions.
