Grade 12 student from Cagayan wins multiple awards in NASA, USA astronaut training

Cagayan, Philippines - A young student from Cagayan bagged top awards for her outstanding performance in the astronaut training of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the USA.

Atasha Faye T. Maggay, a Grade 12 student from the University of Santo Tomas and a native of Peñablanca, was one of only 15 delegates selected to represent the Philippines in the HASSE Space School Program 2025. 

Held at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, last month, HASSE is designed for outstanding students from around the world who are interested in science, technology, engineering, and space exploration.  

After completing the training, Atasha received multiple awards for her exceptional skills across various challenges, including advanced robotics navigation, habitat construction under simulated Martian conditions, and thermal protection system design. 

The Sangguniang Kabataan Federation of Peñablanca, which shared her story online, said Atasha ranked first in the Martian Habitat Challenge Robotics and Cryogenic Challenge and earned a silver medal from NASA Space Center University. 

She also won second place in the Lunar Habitat Challenge of the University of Houston Rocketry and Endothermic Challenge and third place in the coding challenge.

Her team (White Team) likewise achieved overall second place in the final standings.