Public engagement officer, Lauren Mowberry, demonstrating the Apollo 11 launch. Credit: STFC
3…2…1…lift off! World Space Week got off to a great start at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, with 180 primary school pupils taking part in a Space Explorers Day on 4 October. The United Nations organised week, which runs annually from 4-10 October, is a celebration of science and technology, with thousands of events held worldwide.
Lots of exciting activities were in store for the budding space explorers. Throughout the day, pupils got to try out various space-themed activities, including going inside a planetarium, launching rockets, studying meteorites and more.
In the darkness of the planetarium, pupils experienced the night sky up close, learning about star constellations and the stories behind them. They also learnt about how the human eye adjusts to the dark, as well as examples of how constellations have influenced culture and society.
Next up: an ‘Earth Observation Detectives’ session led by Catapult, learning about the importance of satellites and earth observation. They then attempted to create their own origami satellite models, exactly 62 years to the day since the launch of Sputnik 1, the first ever satellite.
The space explorers also learnt about the Apollo 11 mission, the astronauts involved and the pioneering computer programmer behind the mission’s success, Margaret Hamilton. The process of launching a rocket and the distance between the Earth and the Moon was demonstrated on a much smaller scale, allowing pupils to appreciate the challenges of the three-day journey. Pupils then had the chance to make and launch their very own rockets!
Pupils investigating meteorites up close. Credit: STFC
At the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source (ISIS) pupils took part in a ‘Microscopes and Meteorites’ activity. Here, they had the opportunity to examine space rocks under a microscope, before learning about how the world-leading facilities at ISIS can act as very powerful microscopes themselves.
The children had a fantastic time, with one pupil from Hagbourne School commenting “My favourite part of the day was everything we’ve done so far!”
Inspiring young people and the wider public in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) is a core value at STFC.
Find out more about what we do at all our sites by visiting: https://stfc.ukri.org/public-engagement/
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…cool tech that helps us to see more clearly through 3D biological tissue samples and into the Universe.
Congratulations to Professor Susan Smith, Head of STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, who has been recognised with the 2020 Group Prize for Outstanding Professional Contributions. This annual prize recognises outstanding individuals who have contributed to the field of accelerator science and technology in the UK or Ireland and raised its public profile.
What links the UK’s deepest working mine with remote schools in the Scottish highlands? The answer: Remote3, a school robotics project funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
PLANET DIVOC-91, an exciting new webcomic released this week, wants to bring COVID-19 issues to the fore in a unique way for young people.
New research from the UK shows that antibodies derived from llamas are able to neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 virus in lab tests.
In October 2017 Louisa Arnell, then a school pupil, came to the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC)’s UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) in Edinburgh, to participate in a week-long work experience placement.
Technicians, engineers and scientists from STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory have helped deliver 13,437 ventilators as part of Ventilator Challenge UK, more than doubling the stock available to the NHS.
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Last updated: 28 October 2019
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