Students from 8 ACT schools will be sharing space-themed projects and what they've learned about the space industry as part of the Kids in Space program, sponsored by Australian Space Agency and Andy Thomas Space Foundation.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 [ Background noise ]
00:11 >> So the Kids in Space program is a national program
00:13 for mainly primary school kids and it's eight schools
00:17 in every state and territory and it involves a lot
00:19 of professional development for teachers
00:21 and then a big celebration on the showcase day
00:24 where the kids have been working on their space theme projects
00:26 for two terms, come together and show off what they've made.
00:30 We have some fantastic industry judges in today
00:32 from the space agency, from KBR and from Airbus
00:36 and they're judging the kids' work
00:38 and the winning team wins a trip to Adelaide
00:41 to the Australian Space Discovery Centre
00:42 to showcase the [inaudible] with kids from all over Australia.
00:45 And as part of the program we give each school
00:48 and each teacher a 3D printer and they get taught how
00:50 to use it so they can actually see their creations come
00:53 to life in, you know, in a tangible way.
00:55 >> This is the DCR, aka the Debris Collecting Robot.
01:00 This was our prototype, so our first ever one.
01:04 We found some flaws in it when we were printing it,
01:07 when we were printing a larger one so we had to change it
01:10 around like we had to change the vacuums
01:12 from this shape to this shape.
01:14 We also added a programming plate because it made
01:17 more sense.
01:17 We changed the vacuums from this shape to this shape.
01:20 We also added a programming plate because it made more sense.
01:23 >> Where the astronauts can enter a code like where to go
01:29 to collect space junk, where some is,
01:31 and the robot will go there and collect it all and bring it back
01:35 to the astronauts so it can be reused at the end of the day
01:38 and then decide to turn it into a new satellite
01:41 or even fuel for the robot.
01:42 >> So our idea is preventing bone loss.
01:46 Astronauts in space, they have to exercise six days a week
01:51 for about two and a half hours.
01:54 That's a lot.
01:54 And they have to use all this heavy equipment
01:58 and like harnesses and stuff.
02:00 So we wanted to make it easier for them to exercise.
02:04 Our idea is a little boot or shoe
02:09 that has magnets inside of it.
02:11 And when they go on a treadmill or like an exercise bike,
02:18 it will be hopefully magnetic and they can walk around on it.
02:23 >> It was a little bit hard at first to make the model itself.
02:27 But once we got the hang of it, it became a lot easier.
02:31 >> Yeah, we really hope to be able to build on it
02:33 and involve these schools and a lot more next year
02:35 and expand the program.
02:37 >> Our goal is to make space junk reusable.
02:41 [ Background noise ]