POLSA: Schools can apply for the "Key to Space" kit

The Polish Space Agency is offering a total of 100,000 free "Key to Space" kits to primary and secondary schools. The kit's main components are simple, satellite-shaped electronic systems for self-assembly.

Each "Key to Space" kit consists of five printed circuit boards (PCBs) and assembly components, which are the basis of most electronic devices. The lesson, using the board – shaped like the International Space Station – is an opportunity to introduce children and young people to the basics of electronics, learn soldering, learn Morse code, and promote knowledge about amateur radio.

Dr. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski carried the same "Key to Space" with him on the International Space Station. The astronaut demonstrated the board's operation during one of his live connections with the ISS.

"The aim of the project is to support the process of developing engineering skills among Polish school youth, using the potential of a historic moment – ​​the implementation of the first Polish mission to the International Space Station," POLSA representatives wrote in a statement sent to PAP.

The recruitment is open to secondary and primary schools, as well as other educational institutions that can conduct soldering classes with young people.

Each institution can receive between 1 and 5 kits. The kits will be distributed first to state schools, then to private schools with public status, and finally to educational institutions.

Applications for the kits will close when all kits are sold out. Applications from schools are currently being accepted.

"We are committed to developing engineering competencies among Polish students. One of the activities undertaken by the Polish Space Agency in this regard is the implementation of the 'Key to Space' project. We are convinced that this will spark an interest in engineering among some students and lead them on a path that will hopefully lead them to future positions in the Polish space sector," emphasizes Anna Bukiewicz-Szul, an expert at the Polish Space Agency, quoted in a press release from her institution.

For the project, additional suggestions for expanding the kit and exercises for students were also prepared. The final device also includes an overlay, which should be printed on a 3D printer using the prepared files.

Applications can be submitted via the electronic form available on the IGNIS mission website.

The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Development, Poland, and the European Space Agency as part of the National Educational Program for the IGNIS Mission. (PAP)

Science in Poland

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