The girls and boys from the Air Force's Military High School have won first place for their work on sustainable exploration of Mars.
Friday, 17 October, on the occasion of 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held in Milan and organised by’International Astronautical Federation, final-year students of the science high school Military Aeronautics School “G. Douhet” they were awarded for the Best work on the theme “A Responsible Space for Sustainability”.
The competition, hosted by the event and promoted by the’Italian Space Agency (ASI), from the’Italian Aerospace Association e Astronautics (AIDAA) and Leonardo, it was aimed at Italian and foreign upper secondary schools and provided for the submission of a Paper who illustrated their study project.
The work proposed by the students of the Air Force Military High School consists of a method capable of investigating the soil and subsoil of Mars through a sustainable transport system inspired by the dissemination of dandelion seeds carried by the wind.
Specifically, the project by the young students theorises the collection of information from the Red Planet by means of a dispersion mechanism of simple, lightweight probes with low environmental impact, intended for random dispersal and constructed in such a way as to exploit the physical principles of dandelion seed flight.
The result obtained by the students of the Douhet bears witness to the particular attention that the School dedicates to the implementation of activities that allow its students to develop curiosity for STEM disciplines and, specifically, for the culture and technologies falling within the aeronautical, space, and aerospace sectors.
The Military Aeronautics School “G. Douhet”, inaugurated in Florence in 2006 and dependent on the Institute of Aeronautical Military Sciences (ISMA), it is a secondary school that offers three-year courses in the Classical and Scientific Lyceum streams.
The institute aims to foster balanced growth in its young pupils who, during their three years at the School, alternate between study, sport, and numerous extra-curricular activities, some of which are aeronautically focused. This is a path of cultural, moral, and physical development, so that they can face future challenges as adults, whatever life choices they decide to make after obtaining their A-levels.
