Student Release Form

A student release form is required for all entries. Please download and sign the Student Release Form below. If student is over 18 years of age, the student can sign the form; if the student is under 18, a
parent or guardian must also sign the form. After the form is signed, please make a scanned pdf copy* if possible and email it, along with your final entry.  

All entries will be submitted electronically. Detailed instructions on how to submit and what format to use will be posted in January.

*If a scanned pdf copy of your release form is not possible, you may mail the signed form to:

Aeronautics Student Contest
attn: Dr. Elizabeth Ward
Mail Stop 218
NASA Langley Research Center
Hampton, VA 23681

Release Form (word document)

Submission requirements and Format for all entries



Student submissions shall be treated as being free of restrictions and limitations on their use, reproduction, and publication.

All entries should arrive on or before the due date of March 15, 2009 and follow the format and submission rules given below.

Format for all papers: 



Entry (except title page and reference pages) is limited to 12 single sided pages, 10 pt. font minimum, no less than single spaced, pages numbered in lower right hand corner.

All figures, photos, and illustrations must have captions.

All references should follow a standard citation format. (Consult your library and/or English teacher) Examples: MLA, Chicago (Turabian), APA, etc. Choose one and stick with it throughout the paper and reference pages.

Paper should be well organized and use headings and subheadings to help make transitions between sections. Writing should be clear and concise with no spelling or grammatical errors. Please ask your teacher or parent to proof read your paper to help catch errors.

Title Page (does not count in 12-page limit):

Name of school or sponsoring organization

Complete mailing address for school (address, city, state, zip code or if non-US, address, city, state, country, postal code)

Teacher or adult sponsor name (First name Last name) and email

Student name (First name Last name) and email

Grade Level of Student (9, 10, 11 or 12)

Date school ends for the year (month and day)

For teams add: List of student team members and their grade level.

Main Section (firm 12 page limit)

Advanced Curriculum students (firm 12 page limit):

First page abstract: Summarize your research, design, and conclusions.

Pages 2 –11: Detailed discussion of your aircraft design.  Include information on how your design incorporates the small supersonic airliner design goals of 2020 including sonic boom, airport noise, cruise emissions, cruise speed, range, payload, and fuel efficiency.  You may also suggest how your design could be used in the predicted national airspace system of 2020.  Use headings and subheadings to help the reviewers follow your narrative.

Last page: State your conclusions and recommendations for further study.

Regular Curriculum students (firm 12 page limit):

First page abstract:  Summarize your paper in one or two paragraphs.

Pages 2 – 11:  Summarize your review of current and predicted technologies that will help make commercial supersonic flight possible by 2020.  Discuss the pros and cons of commercial supersonic flight including the challenges and solutions necessary to integrate a fleet of small supersonic airliners into the existing commercial service.  Include headings and subheadings in your paper to help reviewers to follow your narrative.

Last page:  State your conclusions.

Other required material (is not counted in the 12 page limit):


List of references using standard citation format

Signed statement from supervising adult affirming that the student’s work is original (scan this and include it in the paper as part of the file). If not possible to include it electronically in the file, then send it separately by e-mail or by regular mail to address above.

Please provide complete mailing addresses for student certificates sent out in the May to June 2008 timeframe.

Illustrations as desired (optional), must be scanned as .jpg or .pdf files, do not include hard copy illustrations.

SUBMISSION RULES FOR ALL ENTRIES:

Make an electronic copy saved as .pdf or .doc with the name of the file as follows—before making the file, read NOTE below:

For individual student entries, file name should be: Lastname.Firstname.pdf

Example: Squarepants.Spongebob.pdf

If the name is long, it is okay to abbreviate the name. Leave no spaces in the file name.

For team entries, file name should be: TSchoolname.teacherlastname.pdf

Example: THolton.Rapp.pdf

If the name is long, it is okay to abbreviate the name. Leave no spaces in the file name. Please retain the cap letter T so we know it’s a team entry. If more than one team from a school and a teacher is entering, number the file names accordingly…

Example: T1Holton.Rapp.pdf, T2Holton.Rapp.pdf, T3Holton.Rapp.pdf, etc.

NOTE: We cannot accept Word Perfect files. Please arrange to convert your file to Adobe .pdf or MS Word, .doc. Please do not use any other file names such as NASA, the contest, or the title of your paper. We have to enter all the papers into an on-line database and file names must be consistent in order to get this done quickly and allow reviewers time to complete the reviews before your schools end for the year.

Once you have saved your paper with the appropriate file name, it should be emailed as an attachment to
elizabeth.b.ward@nasa.gov Subject Line: High School Entry
Note: Do not include your paper in the body of the email. No information in the body of the email is necessary. Once your entry is received, you should get an email confirmation within 72 hours. If you do not get this confirmation, please write to ask if your entry was received.

For students or schools that cannot email their entries, ship one hard copy and a CD copy of the electronic file saved as directed above to:

Dr. Elizabeth Ward
Attn: High School Contest
Mail Stop 218, 17 W. Taylor St.
NASA Langley Research Center
Hampton, VA 23681

Phone: 757-864-7638