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Last week, Jenn Wadsworth was voted the winner in the Orbit Zone, the third round of I’m an Astronaut. Jenn goes on to join Tim Peake, and the winners from the Training, Launch, and Touchdown Zones, in this summer’s final live chat. Here’s what Jenn had to say to the students in the Orbit Zone after they voted her the winner: A massive hello and thank you from the UK Centre for Astrobiology here at Uni Edinburgh! I think my keyboard may have started smoking at one point from all the super fast typing during the chats! I had so much fun talking to all you guys and answering some pretty awesome questions! I thought I knew what to expect, but was proven wrong time and time again and was very refreshed to see just how enthusiastic young people are about all things space and to also get their perspective on things – I actually feel like I … Continue reading →

Astronaut Tim Peake has been orbiting the Earth on the ISS for nearly half of his 6 month mission. Likewise, the Orbit Zone, the second round of I’m an Astronaut, is half-way through! Already, a lot has been happening: 305 school students have logged in, the Astro Support Team have answered 238 questions in ASK , and everyone has enjoyed the 9 fast-paced and insightful live chats so far (Highlight: “Is T.Peake really nice as he seems on video or does space just make u really happy?”) Before we we get into evictions week,  read on to find out what’s been going on in the Zone. Thanks to the questions from students to the Astro Support Team, we’ve learned… Why air-conditioning is important in space No, breathing is the same as we use a muscle to change the shape of our lungs and pull air inside. However, without gravity the air does not mix, so the carbon dioxide we breath out forms a bubble … Continue reading →

The Orbit Zone, the third round of I’m an Astronaut, Get me out of here, begins on the 7th of March, with students from 25 schools located all over the country connecting with the Astro Support Team! From 7th–18th March, schools students will challenge the Astro Support Team through fast-paced live chats and probing questions, before voting for their favourite Team member. For the latest news and announcements about I’m an Astronaut follow @iaagmooh on Twitter and look out for the hashtag #Principia. Let’s meet the schools and the Astro Support Team who’ll be interacting in the Orbit Zone… The Astro Support Team Richard Moss | Astronaut Training Manager, Airbus Defence & Space, Germany During the last 8 years I worked at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne. Specifically to Tim, I was his instructor for Generic Robotic Training which is an intensive hands-on course learning to operate the various robotic arm systems on the ISS.  Jenn Wadsworth | PhD … Continue reading →

Click to read the full zone report The CHRISTMAS LECTURES Zone of I’m an Astronaut was funded by the Royal Institution so that schools and the general public could continue the conversation about the lectures’ theme ‘How to survive in space’ with the presenter Kevin Fong and other experts in the field of human space missions and space technology. The 14 experts involved ranged from ESA astronauts, to doctors researching the effects of extreme conditions on the human body in Antarctica, to satellite engineers working on protecting spacecraft during launch, to astrobiologists looking at how life survives in space. This was the busiest CHRISTMAS LECTURES zone yet across many measures of activity. In particular, there were 37 live chats between students and experts over the four weeks (compared to 20 last year) and more than five times the number of questions submitted in ASK.

Read the full report here The Launch Zone was the second round of I’m an Astronaut funded by the UK Space Agency’s Principia grant scheme. Astronaut Tim Peake’s launch took place halfway through the two weeks and the students in the zone interacted with the Astro Support Team: people whose jobs related to human space missions like Principia. The Team consisted of an ESA flight director, an engineer based in Antarctica, and three scientists: one planning an experiment for the International Space Station (ISS), one developing a suit for astronauts to wear in space and another working on a rehabilitation technology for astronauts. The zone was busy, especially in the 22 live chats that took place. Discussions in the zone covered a wide range of topics related to space, with a specific focus on human space travel and the work of the Astro Support Team members.

Just before the Christmas holiday, Julia Attias was crowned the winner of the Launch Zone. Julia will go on to take part in the final live chat with Tim Peake, and the winners from the Training, Orbit, and Touchdown Zones, in the summer. Here’s what Julia had to say to the students in the Launch Zone after they voted her the winner: Wow – I am chuffed that I won your vote! Can I firstly say what an amazing opportunity it was to be involved in I’m An Astronaut Get Me Out of Here. What an incredible way to help get all you guys learning more about space and how you can get involved one day! I’d especially like to thank all of the team who make the program possible, if it wasn’t for you, it would never have run so smoothly. I had so much fun talking to you all of you! I’d also like to say … Continue reading →

We asked the Launch Zone Astro Support Team to select a student, and the school whose live chat stood out for them; the school and student they thought asked the best questions, or engaged most. In each round of the competition, students from the winning school, and the individual student winner will go on to take part in the final live chat with Tim Peake and the Astro Support Team winners in the summer. So, for fantastic engagement, for posting brilliant questions and comments, the winners are… School winner: Fowey River Academy Student winner: Octopus Prime, Matravers School Well done to everyone who took part. There were so many interesting questions, comments, and live chats but there could only be one student winner, and one winning school.

Tim Peake launches for the International Space Station tomorrow morning! Equally exciting, the Launch Zone, the second round of I’m an Astronaut, is half-way through! Already, a lot has been happening: 420 school students have logged in, the Astro Support Team have answered 234 questions in ASK , and everyone has enjoyed the 13 fast-paced and insightful live chats so far. Before we ‘launch’ into evictions week, and Tim Peake launches himself towards the ISS, read on below to check out what’s going on in the Zone. If you’re a teacher and want your class to talk to people like ESA Flight director Simon, ISS experimenter Delma, British Antarctic Survey engineer Alex, space suit scientist Julia, post-space physio Andrew and others who make human space missions possible, you can register your interest in the next two zones at imanastronaut.uk/teachers. Want to be a part of the Astro Support Team in the upcoming zones? Just email antony@gallomanor.com with a two line summary of how your work relates to the ESA Principia mission or other space … Continue reading →

Launch Zone, the second round of I’m an Astronaut, Get me out of here begins on the 7th of December, with students from 25 schools located all over the country connecting with the Astro Support Team! From 7th–18th December, schools students will challenge the scientists, medic, engineer and flight controller who make up the Astro Support Team through fast-paced live chats and probing questions, before voting for their favourite Team member. For the latest news and announcements about I’m an Astronaut, along with the occasional highly relevant GIF, follow @iaagmooh on Twitter and look out for the hashtag #Principia. Let’s meet the schools and the Astro Support Team who’ll be interacting in the Launch Zone… The Astro Support Team Simon Challis | Flight Director  I’m part of Mission Control in Munich, looking after the Columbus Module and the ISS crew! I will be ‘on-console’ during Tim’s Mission. Julia Attias | PhD Student at King’s College … Continue reading →

The Training Zone was the first round of  I’m an Astronaut. The students in the Training Zone interacted with the Astro Support Team: people whose jobs related to human space missions like Principia. The Team consisted of an ESA astronaut instructor, an ESA research doctor based in Antarctica, a scientist planning an experiment for the International Space Station (ISS), an engineer who designed cameras for the ISS and three ESA flight directors who are responsible for the Columbus module of the ISS. The Zone was busy, with students taking part in 21 live chats and asking over 1100 questions. Discussions were focused on the theme of human spaceflight, and students asked about the work of the Astro Support Team members, the Principia mission and wider topics related to space science. Read the Training Zone Report here