What is CanSat? (And who are we?)
Written by Pratyush Joshi ..... 14 November 2024
CanSat is an international competition, where students have to design a satellite which has to complete a scientific mission and all of this has to be done in only the space of a soft drinks can! The competition is usually taken part in by Year 12s across the country, as they work together in teams to work on innovative and creative ways to build impressive satellites in only the space of a can.
All teams have to complete a primary mission and a secondary mission. The primary mission is to measure the air temperature and pressure, and send the data via radio to the ground station at regular intervals. Furthermore, teams have to choose a secondary mission. For our secondary mission, we have chosen to measure how successfully different strains of bacteria grow in the CanSat, to see how well they would grow on different planets and their atmospheres - we imagine that we are launching the CanSat on a different planet, although, of course we are launching it on Earth! Whilst it seems strange at first that we chose to research bacteria in space, the reason for this is that there is a lot of ongoing research about how bacteria can be used to help humans colonise planets in space - from making soil on astronauts to creating new building materials.
But who are we? And why are we called BeanSat?
Well, I can’t give you a justified reason for the latter, other than BeanSat just … fits. However I can aim to give an answer to the former question in more depth.
We are a team of 6 enthusiastic people who are interested in science and technology, and are passionate about space (and biology!). We have a range of skills, and seek to build a satellite that has potential for scientific research, as well as sharing information about what we learn along the way through this blog and the Instagram page, where we will post regular updates on the project - including both successes and failures, so that everyone can learn from our venture.
Meet the Team:
Project Manager: Pratyush J - someone who has been fascinated by the intersection between science, space and technology, ever since reading a book about rockets as a child. He’s responsible for making sure that the project runs smoothly and meets deadlines and helping out with the software and electronics.
Mechanical Design Lead: Kaivalya P - an expert in CAD and making things with his expertise in materials and 3D printing. He’s responsible for making sure that our can doesn’t get destroyed mid-air or in the event of a crash landing and putting all the pieces of the CanSat together in a robust way.
Software Lead / Biology Lead: Shyam A - programming whiz, who codes in Python as naturally as speaking English! He’s also extremely knowledgeable about Biology, which makes him our Biology Lead.
Electrical Lead: Jashn A - electronics geek, who spends his free time learning about sensors and batteries and all sorts of electronic components. He’s responsible for soldering, testing and troubleshooting the electrical side of our project.
Parachute Lead: Philip N - physics enthusiast, who can always be seen engrossed in a Physics book. Despite his main responsibility being the creation and testing of the parachute to ensure that it doesn’t break on impact, he is our resident physicist, and his extensive knowledge of the subject makes him able to answer any question from aerodynamics, to electricity, to questions about optics and light.
Outreach Lead: Oscar W - amazing artist, with brilliant graphic design skills. He’s responsible for communicating information about our project, and also for maintaining the website. However don’t be fooled by his title and formal role: he’s our group’s wildcard - extremely good at CAD (helping Kaivy with the CAD) and also has a very high aptitude for Biology and the sciences.
So, that’s us! :) Next week, we will bring more information about space bases, and fungi. Stay tuned for the next posts!