Annual CanSat Competition

The Spaceref Calendar informs us of a Student CanSat Competition to be held Jun 8-10, 2007 in Texas. The CanSat Competition is sponsored by a number of organizations including the American Astronautical Society, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Universities Space Research Association, and the National Space Grant Consortia. The competition is for high school and university students in North America, and allows them to get experience with the full process of concept design to operation. The Competition rules specify certain requirements for CanSat weight, size, position during and after flight, telemetry, and other factors. Bonus points are given for operation of a camera and for landing at a specified location. The teams go through a series of steps similar to professional aerospace engineering phases like PDRs and CDRs. Prizes include $2500 for the winning team, $1500 for 2nd place, then $1000, $750, and $500 for the next 3 spots.

Check here and here for some CanSat launch photos and a video from past years.

Let's hope the CanSat competition winners will also soon be able to get some really high launches on Masten CanSats.