Students

spACS

ACS Athens Academy students are involved in two S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) experiments, spACS 1 and spACS 2, to be conducted at 100 km altitude under microgravity conditions inside Blue Origin’s “New Shepard” reusable rocket. Jeff Bezzos’ Blue Origin is a world-class aerospace company that is pioneering rocket reusability and space flight and paves the way for space colonization. The New Shepard vertical takeoff and vertical landing vehicle is capable of carrying hundreds of pounds of payloads per flight and will ultimately carry up to six astronauts to altitudes beyond 100 kilometers, also known as the Karman Line, the internationally-recognized boundary of space. ACS Athens is among the first few non-US schools that have participated in Blue Origin’s flights.

ACS Athens students are designing, prototyping, and fine-tuning each scientific apparatus. Students are conducting scientific research and experiments, managing the program, and meeting tight deadlines and constraints. The scientific apparatus has to fit inside a 10cm x 10cm x 20cm container with a total maximum mass of 500g; the experiment has to be pre-programmed to run autonomously and the apparatus has to meet strict safety criteria. The above are evaluated by the Nanoracks space industry company. 

The spACS 1 experiment, with the goal to investigate the viscosity of honey under microgravity conditions, has already been conducted into space on May 2, 2019.

The spACS 2 experiment, with the goal to investigate the behavior of petimezi foam and ouzo emulsification under microgravity conditions, was conducted on December 11 2019.

Both groups of students follow the same work breakdown structure consisting of the following teams:

  • Research Team (literature research, experimental apparatus design, experiment conduction and  data collection, data analysis and evaluation)
  • Development Team (microcontrollers’ assembly, coding, mechanical and electrical engineering, 3D design), and
  • Administration Team (articles, outreach initiatives).

Students meet regularly at the ACS Athens Incubator and make use of the Incubator and Academy Chemistry lab’s facilities and resources. Academy faculty and external collaborators/experts are engaged with both experiments.

spACS 1 and spACS 2 students’ work has been featured in the news (online magazines and TV), the press,  and has been demonstrated in conferences, and the Athens Science festival.

Students

spACS microgravity experiments

This container, designed, prototyped, and built by ACS Athens student Jason Katsaros, will be carried by the groundbreaking Blue Origin’s New Shepard reusable rocket at 100 km altitude! 

ACS Athens Academy students are conducting a complex STEAM experiment and send Greek honey to space to investigate its viscosity under microgravity conditions.

Get ready for the rocket launch this April!

For more information about the 2 spACS microgravity experiments of the team click here.

ACS Athens' spACS experiment apparatus is back from space!

The box containing the apparatus of the spACS team's scientific experiment that was conducted under microgravity conditions early May has been safely returned to ACS Athens. The apparatus was intact and the SD card containing the experiment data has been retrieved. The spACS team will evaluate the quality of the data obtained and decide on the next steps regarding the data analysis required.

spACS 1

Goal

spACS 1 is a Physics experiment on fluidity, aiming in investigating the viscosity of Greek pure honey under microgravity conditions.

Milestones and current status

The rocket was successfully launched on Thursday, May 2nd, 2019, from Blue Origin's West Texas Facility and the launch was broadcasted live. The box containing the scientific apparatus was safely returned to ACS Athens. The apparatus was intact and the SD card containing the experiment data was retrieved. The team is currently working on data processing and analysis toward publishing their results.

The team

The spACS 1 team was formed in late 2017. It is an international team consisting of

  • Academy students,
  • ACS Athens faculty and staff
    • Dr. Karampelas, Physicist/Astrophysicist, Principal Investigator
    • Dr. Tsigaridi, Mathematician/Astrophysicist, Co-Investigator
    • Dr. Kerkines, Chemist
    • Dr. Prodromidi, Biologist
    • Ms. Poulou, Physicist
    • Mr. Arsenikos, Chemist, and
  • external collaborators (Dr. Efthimiopoulos, Mr. Mazarakis, Mr. Botsios)

spACS 2

Goal

The spACS 2 experiment combines Physics and Chemistry to investigate the behavior of foams and emulsions under microgravity conditions focusing on Greek traditional products (ouzo liquor and petimezi syrup). 

Milestones and current status

The spACS 2 team won first place in the Hellenic Physical Society’s 1st aerospace contest (November 2018), ensuring the participation of ACS Athens to yet another Blue Origin space mission. The rocket was successfully launched on Wednesday, December 11th, 2019. Students have already started working toward publishing their scientific findings.

The team

The spACS 2 team was formed in 2018. It is an international team consisting of

  • Academy students,
  • ACS Athens faculty and staff
    • o Dr. Karampelas, Physicist/Astrophysicist, Principal Investigator
    • o Dr. Kerkines, Chemist, Co-Investigator
    • o Ms. Poulou, Physicist
    • o Mr. Arsenikos, Chemist, and
    • o Dr. Tsigaridi, Mathematician/Astrophysicist, and
  • external collaborators (Mr. Mazarakis, Mr. Botsios).