Students from the Wrocław University of Science and Technology have won first and third places in an international space probe competition. Thirty-three teams from all over the world competed.
The CanSat Competition was organized on June 6 - 9 in Monterey, Virginia (USA). Before the actual launch, the organisers checked whether the probes met all technical criteria.
‘Thirty-three teams from all over the world took part in the finals, and their main task was to build a small probe (just over 14 cm in diameter and 40 cm in length), which would be carried on board a rocket to an altitude of approximately 750 meters, after which it would fall to the ground, collecting telemetry data and activating a sound signal upon landing', says Michał Ciepielski from the Wrocław University of Science and Technology.
During the flight, the probes had to measure parameters including speed and pressure. The safety of the 'passenger' was also tested. A chicken egg used for this purpose had to survive the take-off and landing, with overloads reaching 30 g. The probe itself also had to survive in a condition that would allow it to be reused.
The leaders of the competition were students from the Aerospace science club, who scored 99.86% points. This was their fifth start in the competition; a year ago they were second, and two years ago they took fourth place. Third place in this year's competition went to students from the KoNaR science club.
'Their probe also completed the entire mission, and the recovery system they had developed worked perfectly - they were one of the few teams whose probe landed safely by parachute', says Ciepielski.
The competition is organised by the American Astronautical Society. The event was sponsored by NASA and tech companies. (PAP)
author: Michał Torz
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