The Semi-final of the Odysseus II Contest for Pioneers and Explorers from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the United Kingdom took place at Science Talents, Sorø, Denmark from Sunday 10th April to Wednesday 13th April 2016.  The contestants took part in a four-day Space Camp at the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Science Centre on the grounds of the famous Danish school, Sorø Academy. The camp  included 3 nights in the Talent Hotel and  entertained and challenged the national Odysseus winners with science activities, lectures and competitions.

In the Pioneers category with four team competing the winners were Team MissionRed2030 from United Kingdom consisting of students Rebecca Hayward (15) and Eleanor Ivey (16) who both attend Hockerill Anglo-European College. “We are really surprised and happy. All the groups were good so we were lucky to win”, said a smiling Eleanor Ivey.  The judges especially acknowledged that Rebecca and Eleanor made a very nice presentation and had a impressing concept for traveling to Mars and eventually living there. “Team MissionRed2030 had the most artistic submission and most innovative solution”, the jurors stated.’

In the Explorers category Daniel Nilsson (23) from Sweden won with his project Safer firefighting by using Galileo data. “I’m happy to win, but also just to participate”, said Daniel Nilsson who studies at Luleå University of Technology. The jurors again acknowledged the concept as being very innovative and stated that Daniels project was the “Most professional presentation and most applicable project in the near future”.

“You are the future and this contest shows that we have a lot of space science talent in Europe, I’m really impressed by your projects and presentations at the semifinals here in Denmark”, said Kristian Pedersen director of DTU Space who handed over the prizes.  Although not all could win everybody were having a really good time with the four day program at the science camp. “I wish I could just stay here forever, it’s so exiting”, said Harry Woodhouse from The Royal Wootton Bassett Academy in the United Kingdom.

The accompanying teachers also felt that they could go back with new knowledge of space science and technology. “It’s been a really impressing program and the young people have meet each other and participated regardless of differences in age and countries. We should be doing much more international exchanges like this”, said teacher Guy Dinwiddy from Hockerill Anglo-European College.

Apart from the competition there were drone flying, rocket-calculations and launch, a visit to a nearby observatory and a number of speeches. Even the Danish sky provided inputs; The ISS flew by on a clear late evening sky over the lake at Soroe where the event took place. And teacher and astrophysicist at the camp Steen Jorgensen took out his telescope a focused in so all could see Jupiter and a number of it’s impressing moons sharp and clear.

Altogether there were 13 Participants in the regional semifinals at Soroe in Denmark coming from the United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. Four were distributed in three groups in the Explorers category and nine were constituting four groups in the Pioneers category.

In July the winners will go to Brussels for the finals and receive their prize – a computerized telescope.

All groups were honoured for their projects:

Pioneers category:

Winners: MissionRed2030. For most artistic submission and most innovative solution

• Rebecca Hayward – United Kingdom, Hockerill Anglo-European College, Team MissionRed2030.
• Eleanor Ivey – United Kingdom, Hockerill Anglo-European College, Team MissionRed2030.

Honoured: Team: evidence for Big Bang. For most ambitious project – you have a future in astrophysics

• Tom Knighton – United Kingdom, St. Jonhs School, Team: evidence for Big Bang.
• Tom Ellis – United Kingdom, St. Jonhs School, Team: evidence for Big Bang.

Honoured: Team: Managing Resources on Mars. For Best usage of space knowledge basics

• Mike Edwards – United Kingdom, Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, Team: Managing Resources on Mars.
• Jos Jeapes – United Kingdom, Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, Team: Managing Resources on Mars.
• Harry Woodhouse – United Kingdom, Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, Team: Managing Resources on Mars.

Honoured: Team Hime/Enceladus. For most original and challenging problem

• Emil Enevoldsen – Denmark, Store Magleby Skole, Team Hime.
• Carl Vistisen – Denmark, Holbergskolen, Team Hime.

Explorers category

Winner. Project: Safer firefighting by Galileo data. For Most professional presentation and most applicable project in the near future

• Daniel Nilsson – Sweden, Luleå University of Technology, Safer Firefighting.

Honoured. Project: Lunar Base. For best usage of space knowledge basics

• Topias Zein, Finland, Aalto University, project: Lunar settlement.

Honoured. Project: ARTEMIS. For most comprehensive overview of current and future space technology

• Federico Giusto – United Kingdom, Loughborough University, team: Martian Transfer Vehicles.
• James Cooper – United Kingdom, Loughborough University, team: Martian Transfer Vehicles.

Rebecca Hayward (left) and Eleanor Ivey. Winners in the pioneer category

Daniel Nilsson (right). Winner in the Explorers category receives his prize from DTU Space director Kristian Pedersen

Rocket launch after calculations and production own individual rocket

The programme of events included:

• Lectures by Science Talents’ own science ambassadors and by space researchers from the Danish National Space Institute (DTU Space):
• Carol Anne Oxborrow: ‘The Great Gatsby and the Sea of the Past’
• Martin Bødker Enghoff: ‘Cosmic radiation, cosmic weather’
• Presentation and judging of the Odysseus national winners’ projects
• Prize-giving for the Nordic Odysseus Winners
• Rocket fuel
• Rockets and air-rockets
• Model rockets
• Solar cells
• Space-elevator contest
• Lego Mindstorms
• Team-building
• Evening get-together in the Talent Hotel
• Various small competitions
• Segway rides
• GPS orientering on the Akademi grounds

Watch the Science Talents introductory video

The semi final of Odysseus II for Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece in the Pioneers’ category took place on 2 – 4 April 2016, at NOESIS Science Centre, in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Seven teams, which had qualified from the first round of the contest, competed in the regional final and presented their projects in front of a jury.

The judging committee comprised of Emeritus Professro J. Seiradakis, Astrophysicist, from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Dr. Ivanka Stateva, Associate Professor at the Institute of Astronomy and NAO, BAS, Bulgaria and Professor V. Charmandaris, Astrophysicist, director of IAASARS (Institute for astronomy, astrophysics, space, applications and remote seeing), National Observatory of Athens.

During the first day the contestants were given a grand tour of NOESIS Science Centre and Museum, attended a show in the planetarium auditorium and prepared their presentations for the next day.  In the evening they visited the observatory in the campus of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where Prof. Seiradakis gave a short lecture on gravitational waves and a fruitful discussion followed.

The winning team of the regional final was the team «Astronomy Addicted» from the Hellenic-American Educational Foundation, Athens, with the project entitled «Living with the solar wind».

Special citations were given to the following teams:

• Diploma for the best scientific project to the AQUANAUTS team (Astronomical Observatory and Planetarium Nicolaus Copernicus, Varna, Bulgaria).
• Diploma for the most artistic presentation to the ETI_ALI team (Astronomical Observatory and Planetarium Nicolaus Copernicus, Varna, Bulgaria).
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• Diploma for the best practical value project to the EXTRA TERRESTRIAL ASTRONOMERS team (Vocational High School of Velestino, Greece)
• Diploma for the most socially relevant project to the EXO-ANIMALS team (Experimental High School of the University of Patras, Greece).
• Diploma for sustainability and environmental awareness to the METEOTEAM team (The G C School of Careers, Nicosia, Cyprus)
• Diploma for girls in science to the CASSIOPEIA team (Theklio High School, Lemesos, Cyprus)

In total 19 pupils participated in the regional final, 13 out which were girls!

The Jury Panel

Presenting the project in front of the jury

In the observatory of the university

Teams having fun in the 3D simulator

The winning team receiving their medals

The semi-final for the national finalists from France and Belgium was organized on March 30-31^st and April 1^st  in Cité de l’espace, in Toulouse, France.

For this occasion, the Pioneers contestants met with the former ESA astronaut Reinhold Ewald, who came to the event especially to share his experience on Mir space station and exchange with the contestants.

In Pioneers category, Emma Robin, Solène Dumas-Grollier and Martial Santorelli from JupitLP2I team with the project “Surf on Jupiter” qualified to the international final which will take place in Belgium from 5^th to 8^th of July.

In the Explorers category, Clément Chantebel and Léopold Comby with the project “Martian airship drone conception” toped the regional final and will also compete in the international final.

Surf on Jupiter project presentation.

JupitLP2I Pioneers team.

ESA astronaut Reinhold Ewald presentation.

Martian airship drone conception project presentation.

Explorers finalists (from left to right : Pierre Bories, Léopold Combi, Clément Chantebel, Chris de Claverie and Jordan Culeux).

Filtering water experiment, part of the MALE project- Martian survival kits.

ESA astronaut Reinhold Ewald with Pioneers teams and jury members.

Explorers jury members (from left to right : Jean-Paul Castro, Ines Prieto, Michel Rouzé, Claire Edery-Guirado, Christophe Chaffardon. Jacqueline Fabre and Christine Correcher, missing from the photo, were part of Pioneers jury).

ADONIS project presentation