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Erika DeBenedictis (18 years old) of Albuquerqe, N.M.,
writes software that helps spacecraft travel more efficiently in the cold vacuum that exists off-planet.

Her home-brew navigational system identifies "easy transit routes" in the solar system that help spacecraft move faster and use less fuel while dodging planets and avoiding gravitational pull. For her discovery, she netted $100,000 in prize money from the Society for Science, not to mention tenure on just about any NASA job she wants.