Concordia satellite goes to Mars
Engineers often work obsessively on projects, spending little time in direct sunlight. As engineering students, we became accustomed to this over the past two years, as dozens of us in Space Concordia were developing ConSat-1 — Quebec’s first university satellite — for Geocentrix’s Canadian Satellite Design Challenge.
Last week, four of us had the opportunity to venture out and meet the engineers and scientists who develop the space technologies that inspire our efforts, as well as the journalists who write about their work.
We were invited to the Mars@MaRS seminar, both a celebration of Canada’s involvement in the the Curiosity Rover’s geological exploration of Mars and an annual meeting of the Science and Media Centre of Canada, a group of science journalists from across the country.
Canada’s contribution to the Curiosity Rover is a futuristic instrument called the APXS. It analyzes the chemical composition of rock samples without having to send the rocks back to Earth. It would be quite difficult for the Curiosity Rover to send samples on a return voyage!
Canada’s science journalists have been proudly reporting this story and we saw the crucible in which stories like this are forged — where engineers, scientists and journalists interact. We were surprised by the natural manner in which these highly technical stories evolve; the participants chat over drinks and speak nonchalantly about groundbreaking instruments that provide insight into the potential habitability of Mars.
Four of us attended the Mars@MaRS seminar: Alex Potapov, Mechanical Lead; Gregory Gibson, Payload Lead; Shawn Stoute, Command and Data Handling Lead and me, Team Lead. After putting our satellite on display, we started chatting with the journalists and researchers in attendance, including the panel moderator, Jay Ingram.
Everything you’ve seen and heard about Jay Ingram is true: he’s an exceedingly likeable man with a deep passion for science. His day-to-day life is just bursting with science. One day he’s moderating a panel covering Martian geology and space robotics onboard the International Space Station, the next, he’s participating in human echolocation experiments and helping a group of students discover whether humans can orient themselves the same way bats do.
Jay’s love of science is characteristic of that among the seminar’s attendees. Marianne Mader, an International Space University alumna, excitedly met us with, “Ooh, young people! Do you guys know the hashtag for tonight?” Fellow presenter Mathieu Caron showed us how he commands the International Space Station’s robotic manipulators — Canadarm and Dextre — from the Canadian Space Agency facility just off the island of Montreal.
As the high-profile researchers described their hard work and long hours in the lab, we felt a strong rapport with them. We underwent similar struggles, inspirations and achievements during the lifetime of our project. The researchers made us feel included in the scientific community; there is no better prize for budding engineers and scientists. We were treated as equals, and that means the world to us.
Shawn Stoute summarized the experience during the overnight bus ride back to Montreal: “I felt more comfortable, more accepted by the scientific and engineering community. I love that we’re helping pave the road for new people to get involved in the space industry.”
It was not only an edifying experience to speak with Jay Ingram and our fellow presenters, but it was also overwhelmingly gratifying when they commended our team’s achievements. Members of the media excitedly approached us with 100 questions about our thoughts on education, our struggles in building the satellite, and our hopes for the future.
Related links:
• Space Concordia
• Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science