2013 campaign schedule
The application and selection process will include various steps:
A. Project definition and writing of the experiment proposal.
During this phase, the applicants will identify the members of their team, find an endorsing professor/academic supervisor and start to think about their project.
After defining their project, the students must consider in detail how they will realise their proposed experiment. At the end of this process, they will be expected to have an accurate plan of the intended method and set-up of their experiment, as well as a sound understanding of the scientific theory underlying it – both in a qualitative and quantitative way.
The teams should think carefully about which drop tower mode to choose. Although the catapult mode may appear more attractive, the implementation of the experiment is more complicated and may not even be feasible. Reading of the ZARM Drop Tower User Manual document is strongly recommended .
The experiment proposal should focus on the scientific and/or technology-related objectives of the project and on the technical details for the implementation of the experiment. In other words, participants are invited to explain what they intend to investigate and how they are going to implement their experiment. Students should show that they have a very good knowledge of their project topic, using references to bibliography and scientific literature in the field and giving the details of the results expected.
Documents expected: Experiment proposal
Deadline: 11 February 2013
B. Review of the experiment proposal and selection of the winning team.
The proposals will be evaluated by a review board composed of experts from ELGRA, ZARM, ESA’s Human Spaceflight and Operations Directorate and ESA’s Education Office.
Selection of the winning team is expected in April 2013. The selected team will then be offered the support from a mentor from the European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA).
C. Experiment preparation
Based on its proposal, the selected team must then start to build its experiment, assisted by qualified professionals and its ELGRA mentor. The cost of building the experiment will be partially supported by ESA's Education Office. The students should prepare the experiment with reference to the “ZARM Drop Tower User Manual” and in close consultation with ZARM engineers.
During the preparation phase, the students have to fill in some parts of the Experiment report document. This document serves both as a reference document through the preparation and the execution of the experiment as well as the final report once the programme ends.
The experiment is expected to be fully equipped with all necessary subsystems. In certain circumstances it may be possible for the team to use special equipment (e.g. CCD cameras, heating/cooling devices) that are available from the drop tower operator. This must be assessed on a case-by-case basis and may carry associated costs for the team.
ZARM and the University of Bremen have technical laboratories and other facilities available for hire upon request. For more information on this please contact the drop tower operators.
Documents expected: Experiment report
Deadline: Several versions will be delivered to ZARM engineers before the campaign
D. Education drop tower campaign
The selected team will carry out its experiment in autumn 2013. The three-week-long campaign will take place in Bremen, Germany. The first two weeks will be dedicated to integration and ground testing of the experiment in an attempt to reduce the probability of experiment failure. In the third week, the selected team will be allocated 5 launch opportunities for its experiment. Either the drop mode (giving 4.74 s of microgravity) or the catapult mode (9.3 s) can be used, depending on the requirements and the feasibility of accelerating the experiment.
The teams are required to submit a feedback report on the experiment opportunity as offered by ESA's Education Office.
Documents expected: Feedback report
Deadline: Autumn 2013
E. Analysis of results
The selected team must analyse the results obtained during the campaign and provide ESA's Education Office with the final version of their experiment report within 4 months of performing their experiment. Eventually, the students will write a scientific paper, co-authored by the ELGRA mentor (if applicable). Some of the students could also be sponsored to attend international conferences (such as the ELGRA Biennial Symposium) in order to present their results to the scientific community.
Documents expected: Final version of the Experiment report
Deadline: Winter 2014
Please note that the dates and deadlines detailed above are subject to change without prior notice.
Rate this
Views
Share
- Currently 0 out of 5 Stars.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Rating: 0/5 (0 votes cast)Thank you for rating!
You have already rated this page, you can only rate it once!
Your rating has been changed, thanks for rating!