Project receives record number of student-designed experiments that could one day be destined for Mars
MARSBalloon, run by Thales Alenia Space, aims to spark students’ curiosity to learn more about the world around them and beyond. Celebrating its tenth launch, 2023 MARSBalloon flew over 200 student-designed experiments from 81 schools across the UK – the highest number ever received.
Earlier in the year, school-aged children from primary schools, secondary schools, and youth groups, were invited to send their experiments, fitted inside a small egg shaped capsule, to Thales Alenia Space to test technologies that future Martian explorers might one day need on the Red Planet.
At the end of June, Thales Alenia Space engineers took these experiments to the Mendip Hills, ready for flight on MARSBalloon, a high altitude balloon that travelled to 30km, more than twice the height of commercial airliners. Along the way, the experiments experienced conditions similar to the surface of Mars with temperatures of -50°C and pressures 1/100 to that on Earth – inspiring students to think about what tools and technologies might be needed for life off Earth on a future Martian base.
The flight, which lasted over two hours before the balloon burst and returned to Earth, was carefully tracked the Thales Alenia Space’ MarsBalloon team who safely recovered the experiments on landing to return to the students for analysis.
MARSBalloon Project Manager, Drashti Shah, said of the launch
“The launch went perfectly – launching on time with a record number of experiments, and the balloon landed safely with all the experiments surviving their trip to the stratosphere.”
“Space engineering is a thriving sector in the UK, and we’re always on the lookout for new talented engineers to join our growing company. Yet, nationally, we are facing a shortage of engineers to employ.”
“Thales Alenia Space is committed to encouraging young people to continue studying STEM subjects. Programmes like MARSBalloon are so important in that endeavour, as it helps bring real world science into the classroom.”
Some of the experiments flown included LEDs (light emitting diode) attached to batteries to test how they responded to Martian conditions, and bubble-wrap, to see if it would be effective at protecting instruments in the different pressures.
The project is open to any school or youth group in the UK. There is no cost to take part in the project other than that of the experiment materials and postage.
Drashti Shah added, “We certainly took advantage of the wealth of talent within Thales Alenia Space to find a small window to launch MARSBalloon, dealing with particularly challenging weather conditions for this time of year.”
The experiments have been sent back to schools to complete their analysis. Thales Alenia Space will also be picking some standout experiments across various categories – including engineer’s choice awards and best decorated. Winners will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information about MARSBalloon and how to get involved in next year’s project, visit MARSBalloon.