Cansat is a combination of the 2 words: Can and Satellite. This is because our task is to build a machine, which has some capabilities of a satellite, in the size of a can of coke – or Pepsi, if you prefer, you pyscopath. Cansats in Europe is an initiative of the European Space Agency (ESA) to encourage students to think outside the ‘can’ and simulate a satellite within a confined volume.
We entered the Cansat competition all the way back in September, a couple of weeks after school had started. One of our team members had found this competition and formed a team to compete. 4 of us from this team of 6 did a competition last year – called the Big Bang Competition – and got to the finals. We chose to form a team again because we had formed a bond together and had developed a great understanding of each other. After choosing 2 people – after carefully evaluating their addition to the team – we were ready.
Since then, we have been discussing and deciding on our secondary mission and designing our Cansat. I know it may sound boring to some of you, but I can truthfully say that working with friends after school on something all of us are greatly invested in, is a unique experience that can be compared to little else. We have overcome many disagreements and have learnt more about each other than our last 4 years in school.
On the day of the launch, our Cansat (which we will 3D print and assemble) will be put into a rocket and sent a few hundred meters into the atmosphere. Once the specified altitude is reached, the Cansat will be released from the rocket and start falling from the sky. The parachute, which we will have designed and made will automatically deploy and slow down the Cansat’s descent so it can gracefully land back on Earth – undamaged. It will then relay all the data (which I have explained in another article: cansatathena.com/2024/02/05/renewable-sources-on-other-planets/)to our ground station, which is just a fancy name for our computer.
This is the BEST case scenario. I know that the chances of all of this happening perfectly is really low, but as a team, I know that we will be able to overcome any impromptu challenges the day throws at us.
So, to summarize, Cansat is a physics competition in which we have to design and build a satellite the size of a fizzy drink can. We have been working on this since September and have overcome many difficulties. Hopefully, in March, we will launch our Cansat and it will accomplish both its primary mission and secondary mission to the highest standard.
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