Girl Scout builds rocket and wins national contest

"It was incredible. I got to meet real astronauts and now I'm even in the news," said Marielyssa Hernandez about an exclusive visit she made to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.

Hernandez, 11, and member of Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, went to the space center because she won a national competition for rocket construction and part of the prize was to visit the center.

She was one of six national winners in the Reach for the Stars competition, which was presented by the Helping Kids Reach for the Stars program. The cadets are Girl Scouts who attend sixth, seventh or eighth grade, and who are between the ages of 11 and 14 years.

Hernández, who is in the sixth grade at Orange Grove Intermediate Magnet School, had the opportunity to launch her rocket at the Astronaut Hall of Fame, which, after "landing," was autographed by astronauts Jon McBride and Winston Scott.

Rebecca Maldonado, Hernández's mother, also went on the trip.

Maldonado said that her daughter received a trophy; a participation certificate; a diploma for having won both at the local and national levels; ticket admissions for two visits to the Kennedy Space Center for her and three guests; a two night hotel stay at the Cocoa Beach Hampton Inn; and a medal.

"The most special part was the medal with a little card signed by the mother of Christa McAuliffe, the astronaut who died in the Challenger accident," Maldonado said.

Hernandez took part in the competition only by chance. She heard about it because Maldonado wanted her to attend the Science Technology Engineering Mathematics program during the summer.

"There was a summer camp in the same place where I work as a teacher, and it worked for the two of us because I went to my job and she went to her camp," Maldonado said.

"Everything began by them telling us that we were going to make rockets and that the best ones would compete in the nationals," Hernandez said about rocket program.

A lecturer showed them a rocket model and step-by-step instructions on how to construct it.

"You put an engine in the interior part of a small tube and tie it down with a small thread so that the engine can be ignited by remote control," Hernandez said.

"The tube is similar to the one for paper towels, but thinner, and you construct it or you can buy it."