The OEWF and the university of Innsbruck inspire with Unicamp 2011 and “young university on tour”

Water rockets at Rapoldipark: "Kindergarden kids and people out for a walk are building water rockets."

Julia Heuritsch, who studies astronomy in Vienna and currently does an internship at the Space Forum, shows sunspots and protuberances.

Two projects follow the succesful SoMoSt initiative of the forum: In cooperation with the University of Innsbruck, Space Forum volunteers motivates hundreds of children from Innsbruck and the surrounding villages to get engaged in space science. Highlights are the traditional water rockets, dignity rover and the children’s space suits. “In very close collaboration with Silvia Prock, the summer holiday projects Wipptal and Innsbruck, but also with a self standing project under the name of “Street Science” are we going to where people are” explains Gernot Groemer, head of the Space Forum, “This week we could showed to both kindergarden children from the Kindergarten Rapoldipark as well as some people who chanced walking by at the right time the fascination of observing the sun. Other space activities were explained as well.”

Like true space engineers - Youngsters at the Unicamp 2011 plan a space mission to Saturnnmoon Enceladus.

One highlight was certainly the university camp in July. 14 young students spent a week together with scientists of the university of Innsbruck and the Space Forum.

They learnt about Astrophysics and Informatics. The students could visit lectures, build solid state rockets and simulate their flights, excursions to the Planetarium in Schwaz and the observatory in Hoetting were also part of the programme. A project allowed the students to design their own mission to Saturn moon Enceladus, with specific interest in astrobiology. Enceladus, which most likely harbours a water ocean, is – next to Mars – one of the best candidates to find extraterrestrial live in our solar system. The students produced a mission statement, perfomred some basic flight calculations, checked the costs and choose the best scientific experiments. Finally, they presented their project. Named after the italian diving pioneer “Tesei” even CAD drawings of a probe which would melt its way through the ice were part of this project.

“The great thing about this collaboration with the University of Innsbruck is the fact that this is not just a one off excersice, but has been going on for more than five years now.” so Gernot Groemer, “Over the years, we were able to combine a wide spectrum of material, test new ideas and always have a reliable partner at our side.”

And who says that science isn’t fun?

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