The Astro Bunch 2024 Student Astronaut Challenge

Hi, I am William Hardesty, I have been coaching a High School Level Student Astronaut Challenge Team for over 8 years in Longwood, FL. Each year the team is made up of 6 very diverse students. This year, these 6 students started preparing for this competition during the summer of 2023. They will spend hundreds of hours over 8 months preparing for the competition held at KSC, Kennedy Space Center, on February 8-10, 2024. This is a 3-day event consisting of multiple challenges; a six-person Mission Control & Space Shuttle simulator with emergency problem solving, Space Shuttle landing with emergencies, Lab report, experiments and a presentation on uses for lunar regolith as the engineering project. The eight months of training is the true journey for these students, but the competition is the reward.

With the competition being over 3 days at KSC, it is very costly. We have event fees, project costs, travel, hotel rooms, theme park food cost, parents' KSC ticket cost, etc. I never want financial hardship to prevent a student from wanting to be on the team and subsidize as I can. Someone had mentioned to me that our team should reach out for support through gofundme and this is what we are doing. I am asking for support to help these six amazing young students reach their reward while their parents cheer them on. Any support would greatly be appreciated!!!!!!! Every dollar helps :) All funds will be used to help with the students' costs.

These are truly six amazing students that go beyond the norm and reach for the stars; even when the stars seem out of reach.

link to the competition for reference: student astronaut challenge website

thank you for your consideration and for helping my students!