After the cancellation of NASA in Aberdeen due to COVID-19, Apollo launched their ‘Apollo young astronaut competition’ which achieved great interest from parents, teachers and local media with some incredibly high-flying rocket launches.
The first competition was to build and launch your own rocket using every day household items. After building and launching the rocket into space the fleet have successfully landed on Mars. Apollo is now asking entrants to build a Mars Rover from household items to explore the Mars Surface. The competition is aimed at all ages and can be from the simple to complex. A large part of engineering is creativity and coming up with solutions to problems, so Apollo is looking forward to seeing all the different types and designs of Mars Rovers.
Paul Sykes, Engineer at Apollo said “With the current pandemic having a massive impact on schools and learning, these STEM focused challenges provide children a platform to use, develop and showcase their creativity and problem-solving skills. The first mission of the Apollo young astronaut competition was a great success due to the amount of entries, the variety in rocket designs, and most importantly the feedback we received from the parents made it clear that their children enjoyed the challenge. This second mission – building a Mars Rover – should be even better and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s creations.”
When younger, many of Apollo’s engineers were inspired by STEM events such as NASA in Aberdeen and competitions like the Young Astronaut competition. It is what first taught them about engineering and ignited their passion for engineering. Apollo did not want to lose the opportunity for the next generation and thought during lockdown might be the perfect time to learn more about STEM subjects by launching these competitions.
Roisean Farquhar, Business Development Executive said, “Apollo is genuinely passionate about engineering and it has been great to see that passion in some future engineers.”
Ryan Menzies, Managing Director said “we are really proud of the team at Apollo running these competitions. They have had an amazing response. It has all been driven by the initiative and enthusiasm of our young engineers. We all know it has been a tough few months but the team have worked incredibly hard to deliver professionally and we have tried hard to still do our bit for the wider community and to inspire the next generation of engineers.”
Information and entry details can be found at https://apollo-oe.com/apollo-young-astronaut-competition-part-2/ and the competition runs until the 3rd of July.
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