14 Teenage Girls Build First Ever Private African Satellite - They Just Set The Bar Quite High For The Average Teenager

Africa volition exist launching its showtime e'er private satellite into space in May next twelvemonth. This satellite is peculiarly designed to monitor and written report the shifting weather weather condition of the continent. The interesting thing about this satellite is that unlike other private satellites, this one was designed by 14 South African teenage girls as part of a High School Stalk (scientific discipline, Technology, engineering and math) boot camp. Kids are setting the bar really high for each other these days correct?

Payload blueprint

These young girls managed to design the payload for the satellite which volition exist able to successfully orbit the Earth's poles and will scan the surface of the African continent. Once the scanning is done, the payload volition send back thorough thermal imaging data twice a day. This data is supposedly going to help in disaster management and improve the food security situation in the continent. Brittany Balderdash, student at Pelican Park High School in S Africa who also worked on this project told the CNN, "We can try to decide and predict the problems Africa will be facing in the future. Where our food is growing, where we can establish more trees and vegetation and likewise how we can monitor remote areas ... Nosotros have a lot of wood fires and floods but we don't e'er get out at that place in time." The satellite was bought past the Due south African organisation MEDO (Meta Economical Development Organization) and the students were existence trained by satellite engineers from Cape Peninsula University of Technology to make the satellites' payload.

Why does Africa need this satellite?

Initially the girls simply programmed and launched small CricketSat satellites with the aid of high altitude weather balloons. Subsequently that they moved on to designing satellite payloads which will collect thermal imaging data and point out where draught and floods are to be expected. This may seem very pointless to some of us but for Africa this is extremely of import. Earlier this year in April, an El Niño induced drought led to South Africa producing millions of tons less corn than the usual amount produced and equally a result to brand up for the shortfall the maize will take to exist imported. Those of us who take studied economics and even those who oasis't tin can understand what a lot of imports can do to a country. One team fellow member from Philippi High School Sesam Mngqengqiswa told CNN, "In Southward Africa nosotros have experienced some of the worst floods and droughts and it has really affected the farmers very badly. We expect to receive a adept indicate, which will let us to receive reliable data ... It's a new field for usa [in Africa] but I remember with information technology we would be able to make positive changes to our economy."

MEDO

Go girls!

If everything goes according to program then in May 2022, the starting time satellite designed by an African private visitor will exist launched. Things don't end here. The team wants to involve more girls from Namibia, Malawi, Republic of kenya, and Rwanda to the project as a way of inspiring and encouraging immature African talent to come forrad. The girls currently on the project are very ambitious and take much bigger plans for the futurity. Some of them want to make it into space even. Mngqengqiswa told CNN, "Discovering space and seeing Earth'southward atmosphere, it'southward not something many black Africans have been able to do, or practice not get the opportunity to expect at. I want to be able to experience these things." "I desire to show to fellow girls that we don't need to sit down around or limit ourselves," added Balderdash. "Any career is possible - even aerospace."

Well all we tin can say to these young girls and their hopes and dreams is "You go girls!".