Initially I joined the CanSat team as a
“blood sub”. Niall had cut himself working on the CanSat and I was called in to
help him with the mechanical side of things. I went to the launch in Birr and
really enjoyed it.
After Candroid won the Nationals, Ms O’Dea
asked me would I join the team as the workload would be significantly greater
for the European Competition in Norway. I had enjoyed the day in Birr so much
and the work I had done leading up to it that I jumped at the chance.
The CanSat experience taught me a lot.
Other than the obvious mechanical and electronic engineering skills, it taught
me a lot about project management, the importance of deadlines and how vital it
is you communicate with the other team members about what you need to know and
what they to know.
My favourite moment was watching our CanSat
descending gracefully from the rocket in Norway! I was so afraid one of the
important bolts was going to fall out, so the relief and joy I felt when I saw
it still attached to the parachute was immense.
I really enjoyed Norway. It was such a
great experience. When would you ever get the chance to visit Norway, let alone
a rocket range in the Arctic Circle?! That was a once in a lifetime experience,
seeing the Midnight Sun at two o’clock in the morning is something I’ll never
forget.
CanSat has taught me a lot, and I’ll try to
apply everything I learned from it when I get to the real world of work.
By Evan
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