On November 5, 2016, seven students from Kensington Intermediate School participated in Young Astronaut Day at NASA Glenn Research Center. The students were accompanied by teachers Meredith Muccio and Linda Rocco.

The day kicked off with a presentation by astronaut Michael T. Good, an Ohio native who has flown two space shuttle missions. Following the presentation, students broke into teams to participate in pilot activities.

Danny Capka, Joe Schill, and Stephen Tirpak were tasked with designing and building a rocket that could accurately transport the most payload to its target. Additionally, these students had to determine how much air and at what angle the rocket should be launched. These students’ design creativity earned an Honorable Mention.

Izzy Kovacs and Colin Slomka took on the Spudnaut Challenge. These students had to develop and design, in a limited budget, a suit that could withstand the impact of micrometeoroids. Izzy and Colin received a third place ribbon.

Dilara Beta and Meredith Miller participated in the Parachute Drop Challenge. The girls designed and built a parachute and capsule that could accurately land a payload of candy when dropped from a second floor landing. Dilara and Meredith were awarded a second place ribbon.

Kensington Intermediate School had an out-of-this-world showing at the annual Young Astronaut Day, with their team placing third overall out of the fourteen schools participating. In addition to their third-place finish, students learned a lot that day, reflects Meredith Muccio. “When presented with a challenge, they had to brainstorm ideas to create final products that solved their particular challenge.” And that’s a skill that will take them far.