Support Old Palace in the UK CanSat Competition 2023
We are so excited to be taking part in the amazing UK CanSat project this year.
“When I first heard the word ‘CanSat’, I wondered what it meant.”
‘CanSat’ as a name refers to a literal ‘Can’, and the ‘Sat’ is shortened from ‘Satellite’.
The CanSat competition challenges students to recreate an actual satellite with all the main satellite systems and size it down to fit into a soft drink can. The regional launch will occur in March 2023. Our CanSat will then be launched to an altitude of 400 metres via a rocket and our challenge is to be able to complete our missions successfully by relaying information from the satellite to our ground station during its descent and land it safely!
The European Space Agency has defined two mission objectives:
Primary mission: Measure atmospheric Temperature and Pressure during the descent of the CanSat
Secondary Mission: A scientific or technological mission of the students’ choice
One of OP team is thinking of measuring levels of UVA during the descent and to investigate whether pilots are exposed to more UVA at higher altitudes by doing some post flight analysis. The second OP team aspires to track their satellite using a GPS module as satellites are expensive to build and recovery is always desired.
What are we doing in our sessions?
“I am excited to take part in the CanSat challenge as it allows me to further my interest in engineering and introduce me to astrophysics. It will not only develop my existing knowledge but help me discover and come to my own conclusions through first-hand experience. I hope for the project to help develop my communication and resilience as we overcome challenges as a team.” ~ Nicola, Yr12
“I’m really excited to work with my team and that I’m excited to see some experts in the tech field” ~ Harnitha, Yr12
“I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to explore physics outside of the A-Level curriculum and being able to work in a team with people with similar interests to mine. I hope I will be able to gain some more team building skills as I listen to different ideas and perspectives throughout this project” ~ Ruby, Yr12
To see more, check out our Instagram page… op_astroops
