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Winners of 2016 Student Launch Announced by NASA, Orbital ATK

NASA has announced the winners of the 2016 NASA Student Launch challenge, held April 13-16 near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Vanderbilt University of Nashville, Tennessee, won first place and took home the top prize of $5,000, offered by Orbital ATK, of Promontory, Utah, longtime corporate sponsor of the challenge.

Vanderbilt University of Nashville, Tennessee, won first place at the 2016 Student Launch challenge.
Vanderbilt University of Nashville, Tennessee, won first place at the 2016 Student Launch challenge.
NASA/MSFC/Fred Deaton

The University of Louisville, in Kentucky, won second place, and Cornell University of Ithaca, New York, placed third. The Rookie of the Year award was presented to the University of Cincinnati in Ohio.

Nearly 50 middle and high school, college and university teams from 22 states demonstrated advanced aerospace and engineering skills related to real-world activities and programs on NASA’s journey to Mars. Teams spent eight months building and testing rockets designed to fly to an altitude of one mile, deploy an automated parachute system, and land safe enough for reuse, while some teams also designed scientific payloads for data collection during flight.

River City Rocketry, from the University of Louisville in Kentucky, took home second place during the 2016 Student Launch.
River City Rocketry, from the University of Louisville in Kentucky, took home second place at the 2016 Student Launch challenge.
NASA/MSFC/Fred Deaton

Preliminary awards for achievements such as best vehicle design, safety, best team website and others were announced during an April 16 ceremony at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, hosted by Orbital ATK.

The Academic Affairs Office at Marshall manages Student Launch, to further NASA’s education goal of attracting and encouraging students to pursue degrees and careers in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. NASA’s Office of Education and Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, as well as Orbital ATK’s Propulsion Systems Division, provide funding and leadership.

This year’s third-place Student Launch winners from Cornell University of Ithaca, New York, load their rocket on a launch rail.
This year’s third-place Student Launch winners from Cornell University of Ithaca, New York, load their rocket on a launch rail.
NASA/MSFC/Tony Triolo

To view behind-the-scene photos of this year’s Student Launch, visit the Marshall Center’s education album on Flickr.

Archived launch-day footage is available on the Marshall Center’s Ustream account:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfc  

The University of Cincinnati in Ohio launches its rocket during the 16th annual Student Launch challenge.
The University of Cincinnati in Ohio launches its rocket during the 2016 Student Launch challenge.
NASA/MSFC/Fred Deaton

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