AstroThink
Free Space × AI Program
Igniting curiosity & confidence in the next generation of innovators
Our Mission
Our mission is to ignite curiosity, confidence, and opportunity in the next generation of innovators by empowering students through hands-on education in aerospace engineering and artificial intelligence. By bridging the gender and opportunity gaps in STEM, we aim to inspire young minds to dream big, build boldly, and shape the future—no matter their background.
Meet Our Founders
Anwita Vemana
Hi, I’m Anwita! I’m a junior at Neuqua passionate about aerospace engineering, driven by a love for physics and math. I’m fascinated by how the laws of the universe can be used to design, build, and explore the infinite possibilities beyond Earth—whether it's finding life on Mars or uncovering the mysteries of aliens, I love taking real-world challenges and transforming them into opportunities for innovation. As team captain of my school's Rocket Club, I lead design, simulation, and launches for national competitions like the American Rocketry Challenge, gaining hands-on experience in aerodynamics, propulsion, and leadership. This passion led me to co-found AstroThink.
Maya Sharma
Hi, I’m Maya Sharma, a junior at Neuqua at the intersection of space exploration and artificial intelligence. I love coding through my mental app HAAL, which won the Congressional App Challenge in 2023 (& on Neuqua's computing team), writing through my magazine Thoughtful India, and public speaking at TEDxBolingbrookYouth, which I recently did this summer. I love building tech solutions for issues that matter to me, and I hope to help other students in building these skills! My goal is to spark curiosity and empower the next generation of coders, engineers, and explorers.
Event Timeline
Alive Center: 4-week series in May–June, Summer 2026
Space × AI Challenges
| # | Theme | Build Activity | How It Works & Real-World Tie-In | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paper Airplane Challenge | Build a paper airplane (adjust fins & nose weight) to land in a “crater” bucket | Forces & Design Process: Tweaking fins changes stability & trajectory | Space |
| 2 | Parachute Rescue Mission | Cut a circular paper canopy, tie four strings to a “rover” paper-clip, then drop from height—slowest descent wins | Air Resistance & Drag Coefficient: Larger canopy slows descent, mimicking Perseverance’s Mars parachute braking from Mach 2 | Space |
| 3 | Launch to Orbit (Scratch) | Animate a full “launch → orbit → landing” sprite story in Scratch, complete with countdown & sound effects | Sequencing & Event Triggers: Flight-control software logic for staging, parachutes, steering in real time | AI |
| 4 | Basic Circuits | Snap-circuit light up a rocket card | Electrons, current & simple LEDs | Space |
| 5 | Solar Sail Voyage | Origami-fold a triangular paper sail, mount on a straw mast, and catch a gentle breeze or fan blast to propel | Photon Momentum Transfer: Scaled-up concept powering JAXA’s IKAROS & The Planetary Society’s LightSail | Space |
| 6 | AI Planet Classifier | Train Google’s Teachable Machine to distinguish “Mars vs. Moon vs. Earth” images, then test on new photos | Pattern Recognition & ML: Astronomers use machine learning to sort telescope images of stars & galaxies | AI |
| 7 | Glider Wing Wars | Fold two paper gliders (straight vs. swept wing) and race them through a hoop course | Lift vs. Drag: Wing sweep alters airflow; NASA uses AI algorithms to refine drone wing shapes | Space |
| 8 | Mission Control Dashboard | Build a one-page dashboard on Glitch or Thunkable to showcase season’s top projects & data | Web Storytelling & Data Display: Similar to NASA’s live telemetry dashboards | AI |