The Scotish CanSat competition

In some countries, going to the ESA CanSat competition is not a simple task, you have to get through a national selection first. This is an example of what happens in Scotland.

This year has been the first competition of these characteristics in this determinated country. Up to fourteen schools have participated in it. However, only seven teams managed to get to the final. There, all the teams, organisation and sponsors (Fistral Training & Consultancy Ltd).

It seems like they had a lot of fun the last month of march in Scotland while launching their CanSats. Out in open field, with a little aeroplane dropped their projects down to the ground. Anyone had any serial difficulties with recovering it.

So the teams that took part on the final where, in alphabetical order:

1. Bearsden Academy - Team Alpha
2. Greenfaulds High School - MacCanX
3. Hutcheson's Grammar School - Solatomic
4. King's Park Secondary School - Team Dynamo
5. Largs Academy - Orbitech
6. Lomond School - Zvezda
7. Vale of Leven Academy - Leven Orbit

Over 70 people (including Hugo Marée Head of the European Space Agency's Education and Knowledge Management Office) gathered to watch each team present (in 8 mins) their CanSat journey and make their attempt to win the Scottish Competition.

Finally, a winner was chosen. Not only it won the Fistral CanSat Trophy, but the possibility of beeing the ones who would represent their country in the ESA final held in Norway the final week of April 2012. The winner was Team Alpha (Congratulations!). Hugo Marèe sayed about them: "I had a wonderful time at the observatory... I definitively enjoyed the presentations made by the students and I'm looking forward to accompanying them to Norway. They all did a great job; the winning team from Bearsden Academy is competitive and I'm convinced that the Scottish colours will fly high into the Norwegian skies!"

For more information about the competition you may visit their page on Facebook, or the Fistral Training & Consultancy Ltd webpage.

Of course, I must congratulate the school from Glasgow!