WASHINGTON, March 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver issued the following statement Thursday, March 22, about the announcement of the YouTube Space Lab contest winners:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO )

"I want to congratulate the winners of the YouTube Space Lab contest for their outstanding proposals. I am especially proud of the two winners from the United States, Dorothy Chen and Sara Ma, and look forward to seeing the results of their experiments after they are flown and conducted on the International Space Station during Expedition 32 and 33 this summer. Earlier today, I had a chance to speak with Dorothy and Sara to thank them for their hard work, and salute them on behalf of NASA.
 
"As a national laboratory, our goal is to open up the space station to new paths for the exploration, discovery and economic development of space. Educating and inspiring the next generation of space explorers and scientists are among the most important things NASA can do, and these students are getting the opportunity of a lifetime. A contest like this taps into the passion of so many people who get involved, from the just over 2,000 students who submitted proposals to everyone who voted for them, and we want to encourage that passion and engagement."

For information about the contest and to see the proposals from the 60 finalists, visit:

http://www.youtube.com/spacelab

SOURCE NASA