Reflection - Hugh

I can vividly remember the day Chris asked me to join the CanSat team. I was asked to join as PRO and I was assured that I wouldn't need to understand coding. One meeting in and I knew that Chris had lied and that I’d have to learn about the technical side of things! Even though for the first few meetings I sat in the corner and was extremely confused, there was something about the project that drew me in. It was all very exciting – a satellite in a can!

Two weeks after I joined we had to give a preliminary presentation in Cork and I was put in charge of making the PowerPoint presentation. A big task in, my opinion. Once we got this presentation done, the project really grew on me. I’d already “launched” the project at school assembly so there was no going back!

The regional competition in Cork was really fun. Data streamed into the laptop and the CanSat safely descended. I finally got to explain and demonstrate all our outreach work. Looking back, I honestly would have been devastated if we lost. We had put in a lot of work and I knew there was so much more to learn.

At the national final, we were delighted to be representing Munster and weren't expecting to win. I thought that we had an awful lot of work done, our CanSat was technically sound and that we fulfilled all the outreach and testing requirements. However, there was something that made me doubt that we were going to win. After the presentation, I felt we’d actually done a great job. I felt we dealt with the judges’ questions exceptionally well. Whilst the judges were deliberating, the team went for a walk around the giant telescope in Birr Castle. I told the team we had won, I could feel it. Ten minutes later, Stephanie O’Neill announced that Crescent College Comprehensive had won the 2014 National CanSat Competition. One of the biggest moments in my life.

And then the real work started. Suddenly I was writing letters for sponsorship, crane drops, testing areas and even helicopters! CanSat went on tour! We were in Cork, Galway, Limerick, Birr – all over the place! The school really got behind us. Suddenly I was learning about PCBs, coding, calibration and mechanics. It was all really fascinating. I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed learning about these various areas.

And then we shipped off to the Arctic Circle! I never thought I would be in the Arctic Circle. We had an amazing time. There were a lot of late nights, early starts and there was always work to be done.

It was strange to come back. What do I do now? I've learned that anything is possible through hard work. At the beginning of fifth year, I never would have thought that I would have been on the National CanSat team! I've learned about team work, organisation, project planning and communication. I've also learned an awful lot about space science, physics, engineering and electronics.

6 months ago, when I joined the team, I would have instantly ruled out a career in physics or maths but now, after CanSat, I've a lot of thinking to do!

By Hugh