Winners of Direction: Space competition embark on a European journey to collaborate with ESA and CERN experts, shaping future space endeavors.
Venturing into the cosmic realm, the triumphant teams of the Direction: Space competition embark on a journey across Europe’s premier space facilities. Their week-long expedition involves showcasing and consulting their projects with experts from the European Space Agency (ESA) and CERN.
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The Genesis of Direction: Space
Conceived by Sławosz Uznański, a project astronaut at ESA, the competition aimed to encourage young minds to design experiments for potential execution aboard the International Space Station (ISS). It aimed to highlight the diverse skill sets essential for addressing cosmic challenges and leveraging space achievements for terrestrial problem-solving.
Fostering Innovation
Dr. Milena Ratajczak from the New Space Foundation, a co-organizer, emphasized the significance of engaging students who lack access to ISS-related projects. The tour offers laureates an opportunity to validate their concepts with ESA and CERN experts, fostering scientific and engineering maturity.
Innovative Projects Take Flight
One winning team, led by Emilia Malik from the Silesian Medical University, explores hematopoietic stem cells’ behavior in microgravity, aiming to enhance bone marrow transplant efficacy and mitigate post-mission astronaut anemia.
Meanwhile, another team from AGH Space Systems focuses on bone cell engineering, striving to create an autonomous in vitro model for studying bone dynamics and drug impacts, with potential applications for osteoporosis treatment.