Erika Alden DeBenedictis
New Mexico
Erika Alden DeBenedictis, 18, of Albuquerque, developed a software navigation
system that would allow spacecraft to exploit low-energy orbits for the physics
& space sciences project she submitted to the Intel Science Talent Search.
According to the NASA-approved Interplanetary Superhighway concept, the gravity
and movement of planets create a network of low-energy opportunities that allow
for more efficient transit routes through the solar system. Working at home and
building on existing research, Erika developed an original optimizing search
algorithm that discovers energy minimizing routes in specified regions of space
and would allow a spacecraft to adjust its flight path en route. She believes
her novel single-step method of repeated orbit refinement could work with
essentially autonomous spacecraft, and may be a practical step forward in space
exploration. Erika is an accomplished pianist and vocalist at Albuquerque
Academy and winner of numerous competitions. In 2009, she was a Davidson Fellow
and a first place award winner in the New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge. The
daughter of Erik and Beverly DeBenedictis,
she hopes to attend Caltech or MIT.
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