One Giant Leap Australia Foundation, the Australian Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have announced the selection of an Australian student experiment to be conducted on the International Space Station (ISS).
Shingo Nishimoto, a student studying Aerospace Engineering at The Australian National University, will have his experiment conducted on the ISS after entering the Asian Try Zero-G competition.
Asian Try Zero-G is an ‘out of this world’ competition where students propose an experiment or exercise that could be selected to be conducted by JAXA astronauts in the Kibo module of the ISS.
Asian Try Zero-G has been created by JAXA to promote crewed space experiment activities aboard Kibo. The competition is delivered in Australia by One Giant Leap Australian Foundation with sponsorship from the Australian Space Agency. It is free and open to youth and young scientists and engineers.
Students are asked to design and submit proposals for simple microgravity experiments or exercises that can be easily performed onboard the ISS. Submitted proposals are reviewed by a distinguished panel of space professionals. Once chosen, the students will be guided in preparing their activity for launch.
“Words can’t describe how excited I am! I am looking forward to observing the rotating motion of chopsticks for a long duration under the zero gravity environment.” Shingo exclaims. “That experiment will help us to understand whether the theoretical expectation is correct, and I believe that the theory can apply to the space robots that manage the angular momentum vector to the robots’ body frame using shape deformation. Thank you so much for selecting this experiment!”
“What an incredible honour for Shingo and another example of the exceptional space talent we are cultivating right here in Australia,” Deputy Head of the Australian Space Agency Dara Williams said. “Developing the next generation space workforce is a key part of the Australian Space Agency’s mission, and opportunities like this help to keep young Australians here at home where they can have a fulfilling space career.“
“Keeping our talent in Australia is not just important for the space sector, but in growing a range of important industries, from advanced manufacturing to critical technologies like AI and robotics.” One Giant Leap Australia Foundation was created to provide life changing programs in space STEM education. “This is an incredible opportunity for a student to have their own experiment carried out in space.” Jenna McCarthy, Education Outreach Manager explained. “Imagine the impact this will have on Shingo’s future career and how it will inspire others to reach for the stars.”
The experiments and exercises selected by the panel will be performed by JAXA astronauts in the Kibo module on the ISS. The demonstration of the space activities will be broadcast live and transmitted to JAXA’s ground station at Tsukuba Space Center, Japan.
