ARLINGTON, Va., April 26,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- "The Crewmates" from
Irvine High School in Irvine, Calif., are the champions of AFA's
2023-2024 StellarXplorers National Space Design Competition.
The 10th StellarXplorers season began with more than 300 teams
from across the country, competing in four rounds of online
competition. Ten teams qualified for the National Finals, a
challenging, two-day competition held April
18-20 at the Denver Sheraton Tech Center Hotel in
Greenwood Village, Colo.
Teams had the opportunity to explore the Wings Over the Rockies
Air and Space Museum. They also learned about a variety of career
opportunities and pathways in the space sector, hearing firsthand
from U.S. Space Force personnel and a group of industry
representatives from United Launch Alliance, Lockheed Martin, Ansys
Government Initiatives, True Anomaly, and Sierra Space.
"Denver and its surrounding
area is a hub for the aerospace industry, making it an ideal
location to host the StellarXplorers National Finals," said
Rebecca Dalton, Director of
StellarXplorers. "We are so appreciative of our program sponsors
not only investing in our nation's youth, but taking the time to
personally share their stories and inspire these students toward
careers in space and STEM."
Other top finishers from this season's StellarXplorers National
Finals Competition included:
- The second-place "Stellar Strikers" from Edmond North High School in Edmond, Okla.
- The third-place "Flying Tigers" from North Allegheny High
School Air Force JROTC in Pittsburgh,
Pa.
Click here for the full list of national finalist
teams. Click here for a photo album from the entire National
Finals Competition, awards ceremony, and more.
Through its annual competition and summer camps nationwide, the
StellarXplorers Space STEM Program, created by the Air & Space
Forces Association (AFA), inspires high school and middle school
students toward careers in space, aviation, and other science,
technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines critical to
our nation's future.
The StellarXplorers National Space Design Competition challenges
teams of students from organizations across the country to solve
orbit planning, satellite design, and launch operation scenarios in
a series of online rounds, culminating with an in-person national
finals competition.
Supporters of StellarXplorers include Air and Space STEM
Outreach, L3Harris Technologies, Nova
Space, Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance (ULA), SSAI
and the Bahethi Family Foundation, General Atomics Sciences
Education Foundation, and Ansys Government Initiatives (AGI).
"AFA is honored to host nationally prominent STEM programs like
StellarXplorers, and we are grateful to our industry and government
partners who help underwrite them," said AFA Chair Bernie Skoch. "Watching the brilliant
performance of these young competitors this week reaffirms that our
future is in great hands and that AFA's commitment to strengthening
America's technical workforce is producing the exact results we had
hoped for."
About StellarXplorers
The StellarXplorers Space STEM Program, created by the Air &
Space Forces Association (AFA), inspires K-12 students toward
careers in aerospace, aviation, and other science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our
nation's future. The StellarXplorers National Space Design
Competition provides specific training in the use of system
simulation software, Systems Tool Kit (STK), as well as an online
textbook as a curriculum supplement and study resource for online
"team" quizzes given during the competition.
About AFA
The Air & Space Forces Association is an independent,
non-profit 501(c)3 association dedicated to advocating for
investment and support for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force,
and for supporting Airmen, Guardians, and their Families. Founded
in 1946, AFA is the single largest entity of its kind focused on
air and space power. With more than 113,000 members and 200
chapters spread around the world, our mission is to promote
dominant U.S. Air and Space Forces as the foundation of a strong
National Defense; to honor and support Airmen, Guardians, and their
Families; and to remember and respect the enduring heritage of the
Air and Space Forces.
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SOURCE Air & Space Forces Association