National Space Club & Foundation

09/30/2026

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Meet Neha Parepally, an 11th grader at Centennial High School!

This past summer, Neha interned with NASA Goddard’s Public and Internal Engagement Team, helping share NASA’s discoveries and mission updates with audiences around the world and within the agency.

Neha supported the coordination of tours and high-profile events, working alongside NASA professionals across a variety of fields. Through this experience, she learned how important effective communication is in translating complex technical accomplishments into stories that engage and inspire the public: "I have learned so much about how essential public communication is through this amazing opportunity, and I hope to take these skills with me as I continue to learn and grow!"

Looking ahead, inspired by seeing how advanced computing and intelligent automation support space exploration, Neha hopes to help bridge the gap between technical innovation and equitable impact: "I hope to pursue a career that blends computer science, artificial intelligence, and public policy. I am especially interested in researching the societal impacts of machine learning, ensuring data privacy, and exploring pathways to make ethical frameworks for innovation. Seeing how advanced computing and intelligent automation power space exploration has sparked my technical fascination even further! Though I am not exactly sure which career I would like to specialize in, I want to work to bridge the gap between technical capabilities and equitable impact for all!"

09/22/2026

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Meet Avishi Anurag, a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology!

This past summer, Avishi worked on AI-aided wildfire sensing from drones, using NASA’s TEMPO model to explore how artificial intelligence and satellite-based data can help detect wildfires.

Through her internship, Avishi gained hands-on experience at the intersection of AI, remote sensing, and environmental monitoring, exploring how emerging technology can help us better understand and respond to wildfires.

Looking ahead, Avishi plans to pursue a career in computer science or computer engineering, where she hopes to continue working with innovative technology and problem-solving.

09/15/2026

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Meet Elliott Owens, a junior at Whitman High School!

This summer, Elliott interned with NASA Code 5440, where he helped develop a MATLAB system that allows a rover to autonomously avoid obstacles and navigate toward a desired location.

Elliott helped improve the simulation software, including giving users the ability to position and direct the simulated rover and set its goal. The team also planned to implement a LiDAR system that can map the rover’s terrain, replacing the five-sensor setup.

Elliott hopes to pursue a career in the aerospace industry, where he can create systems that improve everyday life and support space exploration. "I am passionate about making a difference and really enjoy hands on work specifically in both mechanical and electrical engineering."

Outside of his internship, Elliott enjoys spending time in nature and creating inventions that can make everyday tasks around his home easier. He also loves working as part of a team, making his NASA internship a perfect opportunity to learn and collaborate!

09/08/2026

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Meet Michael Thoundayil, a senior at Eleanor Roosevelt High School and rising freshman at UMD!

This summer, Michael developed a deep reinforcement learning pipeline for autonomous rover navigation, implementing a DDPG agent and building a MATLAB training simulator for obstacle collision detection.

After training the agent in simulation, Michael helped create a deployment pipeline to transfer the learned policy to a TurtleBot4 running ROS 2. The system processes live LiDAR and odometry data and uses it to generate real-time velocity commands for the physical rover.

From simulation to a working autonomous robot, Michael gained hands-on experience at the intersection of AI, robotics, software, and aerospace.

Looking ahead, Michael plans to pursue a career as an aerospace engineer, applying his passion for robotics and intelligent systems to the future of space exploration.

09/01/2026

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Meet Allison Andreyev, a rising senior at Thomas S. Wootton High School!

This summer, Allison worked as a Space Club Scholar at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, developing a reinforcement learning application in MATLAB for the kinematic and dynamic analysis of mobile robots.

Her project applied Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) to model and control robot motion and dynamics, building on her experience with reinforcement learning techniques including Q-learning, PPO, SAC, and CBF safety filters.

Looking ahead, Allison hopes to pursue a career as an AI researcher and university professor, combining her passion for artificial intelligence with research and education.

08/25/2026

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Meet Marc Dackiw, a rising senior at Flint Hill School and member of the Class of 2027!

This summer, Marc interned at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center with the DAVINCI VASI team, where he helped automate sensor calibration for flight hardware. Mentored by Joseph Galante and co-mentored by Jason Behr, Marc modernized lab automation software that interfaces with a new ACUTROL 3000e control computer and Acutronic thermal rate table.

His project supported calibration of the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) inside DAVINCI’s Zephyr descent sphere. Because the IMU must be tested across a wide range of temperatures and angular rates, each calibration cycle can take hours to complete manually. By upgrading legacy code, Marc helped the team run complex, multi-hour calibration tests completely hands-free, making the process more efficient, reproducible, and reliable.

Beyond the technical work, Marc says being on the NASA Goddard campus has been “incredible,” especially the opportunity to collaborate with talented engineers, scientists, and fellow interns. He describes it as “an inspiring environment where you never stop learning.”

Looking ahead, Marc hopes to combine engineering and entrepreneurship to develop products that solve real-world problems. "I want to use a background in engineering - which I am still developing through experiences like this NASA internship - to solve complex, technical problems, and then leverage entrepreneurial skills to eventually get those products into the hands of people that would directly benefit from them and create long lasting impact."

08/18/2026

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Meet Devin Wanchoo, a senior at Osbourn Park High School & The Governor’s School @ Innovation Park!

This summer, Devin worked in NASA Goddard’s Mechatronics and Robotics Branch, extending a TurtleBot 4 into a rover that can sense and adapt to changing environments. Devin specifically focused on developing the rover’s perception layer, combining visual texture classification with friction estimation to anticipate loss of traction before it happens. His work brought together machine learning, controls, sensing, and physical robotics.

Looking ahead, Devin says, "I want to engineer systems for environments where failure isn't an option: deep space, extreme propulsion, terrain nature has already learned to survive. Specifically, materials science and propulsion draw me because their hardest problems are bottlenecked by physics and I want to integrate biomimicry to draw on answers nature has already tested. I'm most excited by turning qualitative intuition into quantitative models through sensing, controls, and AI, and eventually founding my own firm at that intersection."

Devin is also an Eagle Scout, avid hiker and backpacker, and founder of BlazeWatch, a wildfire risk-intelligence platform combining GIS mapping and materials science research that surveyed 32+ properties across 1,280+ acres in Stanley, VA, in partnership with the local fire department, NPS, and Virginia Department of Forestry. He is also co-lead of AEROCOOL, a Regeneron ISEF Grand Award-winning biomimetic thermal-management project for aerospike rocket engines.

08/17/2026

🚨 Important Update: 2027 Goddard Memorial Dinner

Due to continued growth in attendance and strong demand for seating, the National Space Club & Foundation is updating its registration policy for the 2027 Goddard Memorial Dinner, taking place March 12, 2027.

Beginning this year:
🔹 Table purchases are reserved exclusively for National Space Club corporate members.
🔹 Non-members may purchase up to two individual tickets per email address, subject to availability.
🔹 Non-members will not be eligible to purchase tables.

Interested in purchasing a table? Corporate membership must be paid in full by September 15, 2026. New memberships will not be accepted for table purchases after this date.

Learn more about corporate membership and its benefits: https://www.spaceclub.org/membership/corporate.html

We appreciate your continued support and look forward to bringing the space community together on March 12, 2027! 🚀

Corporate membership in the National Space Club and Foundation.

08/11/2026

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Meet Jayden Nam, a senior at Chantilly High School!

This summer, Jayden worked with the NEON Series-1 team, gaining an “immersive opportunity to dive directly into the core facets of aerospace engineering, mission planning, and major project procurement milestones.”

His work has included analyzing mission operations workflows, supporting technical evaluations for a new meteorological payload, contributing to spacecraft contractor evaluations, and participating in design reviews.

Through the experience, Jayden says he’s gained “an invaluable, hands-on look at the foundational engineering required to transform a theoretical spacecraft concept into a fully operational environmental monitoring mission.”

Looking ahead, Jayden plans to pursue a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and work in aerospace. He is particularly interested in the design, development, and structural integrity of spacecraft, with the ultimate goal of contributing to advanced space exploration missions.

Outside of his internship, Jayden leads a student-led nonprofit mentoring and funding youth robotics teams and conducts independent aerospace research using machine learning and NASA satellite data.

08/04/2026

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Meet Steven Wang, a junior at Glenelg High School!

This summer, Steven interned at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center through the National Space Club Internship Program. He designed and carried out an experiment to determine whether pen-ray lamps could serve as reliable calibration baselines for scientific instruments by evaluating the stability of their wavelength and light intensity over time.

Looking ahead, Steven hopes to pursue a career in aerospace, electrical, or mechanical engineering, where he can work on the instruments and mechanisms that power the next generation of aircraft and spacecraft.