posted 05-23-2007 10:51 AM               

Student Designs Pennant for STS-118

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NASA and AOL's kids service KOL are pleased to announce that Tapasya Das of Mount Laurel, N.J., is the winner of the NASA Space Pennant Design Challenge. The winning pennant (above), titled "Education 4 Exploration," will fly on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-118 mission, targeted to launch in August 2007. The grand prize also includes the opportunity for the winner to view the launch.

Tapasya's description of the winning entry reads: "The pennant shows Earth pictured in a book, and STS-118 is going out to space. The space missions signified by the space craft carry space exploration out of theory into practice. The first teacher who is fully trained as an astronaut is going to space in the STS-118. The teacher is taking the visions of an educator, to look at space research with a new perspective. Also, education from now will approach space missions with a more practical approach, and not just theory in textbooks. Hence, futuristically, it will forever be education for exploration."

Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-118 mission will be the first flight of an educator astronaut, Barbara Morgan, and is an important step in the ongoing assembly of the International Space Station.

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