ニュース＆イベント
物理学学部生のプロジェクトがロケット搭載で宇宙へ
2013年3月1日
ダラム大学物理学1年生による、宇宙空間におけるレーザー溶接を研究するプロジェクトが、欧州宇宙機構 the
European Space Agency (ESA)により採用されました、
これにより、Ioana
Ciucaさんとルーマニアのthe
Polytechnic University of Bucharestの学生らによるこのプロジェクトが、the REXUS (Rocket-borne
Experiments for University Students)ロケットに来年搭載されることになります。
The project, to study the laser
welding of metals in micro gravity, was chosen by a panel of experts at the
ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands.
Ioana, aged 19, who came to Durham because her passion for
cosmology led her to seek out the best teaching in the discipline available at
a European university, has just attended a week’s training course for the
mission at the DLR German Aerospace Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen.
Paul Clark, from the Centre
for Advanced Instrumentation –
part of the Department of Physics – said Ioana and her fellow
undergraduate colleagues beat off competition from physics students with far
more experience.
“This is an outstanding achievement since most REXUS projects are
submitted by postgraduate and post-doctoral students. Ioana is the only first
year student among the successful project teams.
“At the project selection event, the ESA praised the team for
their professionalism and enthusiasm – especially since they are at such an
early point in their careers.
“I have been making instrumentation for international
observatories for 15 years – Ioana’s team is taking on the same level of
project in their first years at University. It is remarkable,” added Mr Clark.
As mankind establishes a foothold in space with the construction
of the International Space Station, it is essential to establish how the
properties of materials can change in micro gravity. Ioana’s team are
particularly interested in how the welding of strong, lightweight materials
such as titanium alloys changes if they are welded in free-fall rather than
under Earth’s gravity.
Ioana, who comes from near Bucharest in Romania, said: “It is
fantastic to be able to study physics in beautiful Durham. The University has
an excellent international reputation and it is wonderful to be here.
“I am grateful that the staff have been very supportive of our
REXUS project too.”
The REXUS programme allows students from universities and higher
education colleges across Europe to carry out scientific and technological
experiments on research rockets.
These rockets, sometimes known as sounding rockets, are
instrument-carrying rockets designed to take measurements and perform
scientific experiments during their sub-orbital flights.
The experiments are launched on an unguided, spin-stabilised
rocket powered by an improved Orion Motor with 290 kg of solid propellant. It
is capable of taking 40kg of student experiment modules to an altitude of
approximately 90km. The rockets have a length of approximately 5.6m and a
diameter of 35cm.
Each year, the REXUS
programme launches two rockets
carrying up to a dozen experiments designed and built by student teams. The
idea is to give them a taste of experimentation in aerospace technology,
project teamwork and management.
The launches take place from SSC’s Esrange Space Centre in
northern Sweden. A parallel programme, BEXUS, is a stratospheric research
balloon programme.