I know PSCI-Commers like a good pun . . . I thought you might like an update after 'teddies in
space' earlier this year! http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2009072902
--
Cambridge University's student Spaceflight Society has come to the help of the West Country
Cheesemakers who lost contact with a chunk of cheese they launched into space.
The Cheesemakers wanted to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the moon landings in a unique
fashion. They decided to project a truckle of Cheddar 30km into space at 4am on Tuesday. This is as
an ironic twist as the moon is widely depicted as being made from cheese.
Since the launch communication with the cheese chunk has been lost, as its GPS system and
transmitter are no longer functioning. This makes it impossible to track the movement of the wedge
in space or where it will have landed back on earth.
Having noticed the plight of the Cheesemakers, the University's Spaceflight Society offered its
assistance. The team used software that they had already developed for balloon flights to aid the
Cheesemakers.
Using the flight data obtained from the Cheesemakers they were able to use the software to predict
where the Cheddar is likely to land.
Ed Moore of the Spaceflight Society said:
"We ran our prediction software and got a landing location that puts it down about 2 miles south of
Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire.As the lost cheese has no functioning transmitter it will ultimately be
up to local walkers to find its exact whereabouts."
Ed Moore added: "Intrepid scavengers looking for an excuse to open that bottle of space-port may
want to think twice, the freezing temperatures of the upper atmosphere may have caused the cheese to
shatter and split. On the other hand, if the wedge has survived its rind trip, the ants have
probably already helped themselves."
The Spaceflight Society has also previously helped school children launch their favourite teddy
bears in to space.
--
Nicky
Nicola Buckley
Festivals and Outreach Co-ordinator
Cambridge Science Festival and Cambridge Festival of Ideas
Office of External Affairs and Communications
University of Cambridge
The Pitt Building
Trumpington Street
Cambridge CB2 1RP
Tel: +44 (0)1223 (7)64069
Mobile: +44 (0)7774 017688
Email: [log in to unmask]
See photos and reports from this year's Cambridge Science Festival at www.cambridgescience.org
Find out more about fascinating events for all ages when the University of Cambridge presents the
Festival of Ideas in arts, humanities and social sciences from 21 October to 1 November 2009
www.cambridgefestivalofideas.org
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