A group of 230 secondary school students recently learnt about the many everyday benefits resulting from things learnt in space and brought about by satellites orbiting the earth during an event entitled ‘Space for All: Observing Earth from Space’ held at Esplora National Interactive Science Centre, Kalkara.

The students took part in fun, hands-on workshops involving satellite imagery of Malta and viewed a film at Esplora’s planetarium regarding the International Space Station (ISS)’s role in developing commodities used in everyday life. They also met Maltese researchers working in the sector, and experts from the European Space Agency (ESA). Visitors to Esplora may also take part in the workshops and view the film.

The event was held to launch the Malta Council for Science and Technology’s Space Education Programme, and also featured messages by Education Minister Evarist Bartolo and astronaut Tim Peake. MCST chairman Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando said that through the programme, space-related extra-curricular activities developed by the ESA would be accessible to all local schools.

Among the activities are the CanSat Malta Competition and the AstroPi challenge. Such devices can be built by students and launched in a rocket to an altitude of a few hundred metres and be programmed to transmit data on their mission as they descend by parachute.

The Space Education Programme is funded by the MCST’s National Space Fund and supported by the ESA and the Education Ministry. For more information on the programme, visit the website below.

http://mcst.gov.mt/space-directorate/sep

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