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In the Advent term, a team of students from the Senior Electronics Club decided to enter the CanSat competition, organised by the European Space Agency. Competing against many other UK schools, their mission was to design a satellite the size of a drinks can. This would then be launched into the atmosphere via a small rocket and reach an altitude of 1,000 feet. During its descent, the satellite will gather data on parameters such as temperature, pressure, and acceleration. This data will be transmitted to the ground via radio signal for analysis, while the CanSat will returns to ground on the parachute we have made.
The CanSat project encompasses Technology, Physics, and Programming. By offering the practical experience of working on a small-scale space project, CanSat makes use of these subjects in an interdisciplinary manner and promotes collaboration and teamwork.
The team is made up of three members, all responsible for different tasks, Sebastian KH, Jethro S and Kian Z.
I have been responsible for the design of our can. The mechanical design has been particularly interesting for me as it has been a challenge to work around the constraints of the electronics. I learned how to design circuit boards and have a deeper understanding of electronics.
Sebastian KH
Since November they have been hard at work creating, designing, and making prototypes of the satellite and its complex electronic systems. They submitted their first draft in November, after review from the competition organisers we were awarded merit in most categories and given a scheduled a launch date of Tuesday, 12 March. As we approached the launch date tests on data collection and transmission were successful. Anticipation and excitement within the team was strong.
I am responsible for all of the programming for the can. I have really enjoyed applying my programming skills to the variety of problems that have occurred, especially with parts I’ve never used before. I have also learned a lot about coding practices and teamwork with code.
Jethro S
My role has been to help organise the team and develop our engineering documents for the competition. I have enjoyed developing my skills in organisation. Co-ordinating and working with a team with two other engineers which can be challenging as we each have individual roles and skills.
Kian Z