Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS)

Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) is a free aerospace and STEM program from the Virginia Space Grant Consortium for high school juniors and seniors who live in Virginia. It is run in partnership with NASA Langley Research Center, the Commonwealth of Virginia and industry partners. The program starts as an online course. Beginning in late November, scholars work through six web-based modules with assignments due every two weeks. They answer real-world questions, write and present failure analysis reports on past space missions, design a new crew exploration vehicle and take part in discussion forums on current space topics. The top 180 scholars who finish the coursework are invited to a six-day residential summer academy at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. There, teams design a crewed mission to Mars, tour NASA facilities and hear from NASA mentors, astronauts and other experts. Students selected for the academy receive transportation, housing at Christopher Newport University and meals at no cost. Both the 2026-27 online course and the summer academy are free.

Applicants must be Virginia residents, U.S. citizens or permanent residents, currently high school juniors or seniors, at least 16 years old, with a minimum 2.7 GPA, an interest or aptitude in math, science, engineering or technology, and access to email and the internet. Students submit an online application, a teacher recommendation and a school counselor letter. Applications for the 2026-27 course opened August 15 and are due October 25, 2026.