Daily Archives: December 11, 2014

UK Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake will take two Raspberry Picomputerson his next space mission, in the hope that UK pupils will create their own app or experiment that can be deployed on the International Space Station.

Peake will fly two Astro Pi maker-boards, which have been kitted with sensors, to the space station when he begins his six-month mission.

Primary and secondary school children will compete to develop an idea for an application, which if successful, will be developed with the help of the Astro Pi, CGI and Raspberry Pi Foundation, who will code their idea.

Peake will then load up the winning code whilst in orbit, set them running, collect the data generated and then download this to Earth where it will be distributed to the winning teams.

Business Secretary Vince Cable highlighted the importance of inspiring pupils to get involved with data science. He said: So much technology relies on big data but not enough people are being trained in this field. This challenge helps the next generation to have fun whilst learning the skills that industry need.

Peake added: "I'm really excited about this project, born out of the cooperation among UK industries and institutions. There is huge scope for fun science and useful data gathering using the Astro Pi sensors on board the International Space Station.

ESERO-UK and Raspberry Pi are developing teaching resources to link to the curriculum and assist teachers of STEM subjects in engaging their students in the competition.

As well as explaining how to use and write code for the Astro Pi and its sensors, the resources will provide a context for the Astro Pi in the curriculum and link to teaching subjects and areas.

Excerpt from:
UK schools to make space apps with interstellar Raspberry Pi computers

It's one giant leap for snowman-kind: Olaf, the goofy snowman from Disney's hit film "Frozen," is floating aboard the International Space Station, and we have the photos to prove it.

Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov brought the small, stuffedOlaf toy into spaceas his mission's "zero-g indicator" at the request of his 8-year-old daughter when he launched on a mission to the International Space Station. Shkaplerov and two crewmates blasted off aboard their Soyuz capsule on Nov. 24 and arrived at the orbiting outpost six hours later. On Tuesday (Dec. 9), Shkaplerov posted a photo on Twitter of Olaf floating serenely in the many-windowed observation deck of the station.

Every Soyuz flight includes a "zero-g" indicator, which is often a toy of some kind selected by the Soyuz commander and crew. The indicator is hung by a string in a place where the crew can see it during launch. (Notice the string tied around Olaf in the images, suggestingShkaplerov doesn't truly want to "let it go".) When the object becomes weightless and begins to float, it confirms that the crew is in orbit.

Olaf joins a long line of toys in spacethat have been launched into orbit over the years. Those intrepid toy explorers include Hello Kitty, Legos, Smokey the Bear, a stuffed hippopotamus and a red Angry Bird (which NASA astronaut Don Pettit used to make his own version of Angry Birds in space).

"Frozen" is the highest-grossing animated movie of all time and can truly be said to have reached new heights: 250 miles (402 kilometers) above the Earth, to be exact. The second-highest-grossing animated film of all time, "Toy Story 3," also had a character aboard the station: an action figure of Buzz Lightyear took a ride on NASA's space shuttle Discovery in 2008.

Shkaplerov arrived at the orbiting laboratory on Nov. 24, alongsideNASA astronaut Terry Virts and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. They join NASA's Barry Wilmore and cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova as part of the Expedition 42 crew. Rotating crews of astronauts have continuously lived aboard the $100 billion International Space Station since 2000.

Follow Calla Cofield@callacofield. Follow us@Spacedotcom,FacebookandGoogle+. Original article onSpace.com.

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'Frozen' in Space! Olaf the Snowman Floats in Zero-G (Photos)

December 11, 2014 - Longueuil, Quebec - Canadian Space Agency

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will participate in a press conference with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) and International Space Station partners on December18 to discuss the upcoming one-year expedition on the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly will launch to the space station in March 2015 to begin a yearlong stay aboard the orbiting laboratory the longest single space mission ever undertaken by an American. He will be joined by Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) on this one-year mission.

The press conference will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, and will include participants from International Space Station partner agencies and UNESCO.

10a.m. (EST)

Press conference participants will include:

Canadian media may follow the event live on NASATV or attend in person at UNESCO Headquarters. For those attending in person, the deadline for reporters to request credentials is December16, 18:00CET. For more information about media accreditation, contact Nicola Firth (Nicola.Firth@esa.int).

The public also may ask questions via social media by using the hashtag #askNASA.

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Media Relations Canadian Space Agency Telephone: 450-926-4370 E-mail: media@asc-csa.gc.ca

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Space Station Partners News Conference to Discuss Yearlong Mission