Short Story, Sci-Fi, Spaceship crew represent only humanity left in galaxy, searching for habitable planet.

[Jane]

Read in 9th grade (freshman year) ~2003/'04 for an Honors (including that detail on the off chance that the specificity somehow helps) English class. I always remembered it as a short story that my teacher said was actually written by a junior/high school student who won some blind competition for it, but not sure that memory is accurate. Also not sure how recently the story had been written/released.

To the best of my recollection, the plot centers around a small crew in a spaceship and they are potentially the only humans left in the system/galaxy/universe, but they may or may not be aware of that fact. They are possibly searching for other signs of life or a habitable planet to settle on.

SPOILERS

I think the leader of the crew (or some scout they send to the surface of their targeted destination) somehow realizes at the end of the story that the group is doomed or alone (or both). That person realizes the mission is essentially pointless, but he/she keeps that to him/herself for the sake of the morale of his/her fellow shipmates and they all continue onward. The crew sets a course for another place to investigate even though the one member knows it's hopeless.

(I'm new to the group so please let me know if there's anything about this post I need to edit.)

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Do you recall how the clued-in guy learned (factually?) they were the last? Or is he merely suspicious/paranoid?