Every year, NASA, ISDC and NSS host the most prestigious aerospace development competition in the world. Tens of thousands of students take on the challenge of designing a self-sustainable space settlement. The winners are then invited to represent their country and high school in front of an audience comprising some of the most famous researchers, astronauts, entrepreneurs, and experts in the field.
This year, a team of 12 students from the "Tudor Vianu" National College of Computer Science won the Grand Prize. Out of more than 29,000 students from 28 countries, Project Nova 2, carried out by the team in Bucharest, is the first Romanian project to win this award in the last 6 years. One of the winning students is Luxin, our first intern at Blackshell.
The 12 winning students are: Maria Neagoie, Medeea Marinescu, Luxin Matasaru, Mihai Priboi, Vlad Carasel, Tudor Nicorescu, Andrei Ciobanu, Hristoforos Koutsioukis, Eliza Radu, Vlad Dimulescu, Alex Paun, and Luca Teodorescu, with Ioana Stoica as the coordinating teacher. The motto guiding their work is "per aspera ad astra" - "through hardships to the stars," expressing their continuous commitment and determination to make new discoveries in the field of space exploration. The next step in this journey is presenting the project at the International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles at the end of May - one of the most important aerospace conferences in the world –, an extraordinary opportunity for the team, the high school, and the country.
To be at this year’s ISDC, the team needs outside financial support. Blackshell’s foundation is built on ambition that knows no limits, performance beyond any challenges, and results that defy expectations. Therefore, we are here to help the winning team as much as we can. The costs exceed the amount that a single entity of our size can offer – if you are interested in contributing, you can do so by writing at contact@black-shell.com - we will put you in touch with the students.
