{"id":958713,"date":"2021-12-10T04:35:13","date_gmt":"2021-12-10T09:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=958713"},"modified":"2021-12-10T04:35:13","modified_gmt":"2021-12-10T09:35:13","slug":"tim-peake-joins-us-as-we-get-ready-to-launch-special-raspberry-pi-computers-to-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=958713","title":{"rendered":"Tim Peake joins us as we get ready to launch special Raspberry Pi computers to space"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re feeling nostalgic because six years ago, two special Raspberry Pi computers named Ed and Izzy were travelling to the International Space Station (ISS) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA. These two Astro Pi units joined British ESA astronaut Tim Peake as part of his six-month Principia space mission. Tim and Astro Pis Ed and Izzy helped hundreds of young people run their own computer programs in space as part of the first Astro Pi Challenge<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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We are also feeling excited<\/strong>, because Tim and our Head of Youth Partnerships, Olympia Brown, are talking to British TV and radio shows today about all things space and Astro Pi, including the exciting new developments and how families can get involved! You might catch Tim on your favourite channel.<\/p>\n

Tim Peake being interviewed about the Astro Pi Challenge and how parents getting their children involved will benefit the whole family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tim Peake has been our Astro Pi champion from the start<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tim says: \u201cI had the privilege to take the first Astro Pi computers to the International Space Station in 2015. Since then, more than 50,000 children have run experiments and sent messages into orbit. The Astro Pi Challenge is a great activity for children and their parents to discover more about coding and to use digital tools to be creative.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his space mission, Tim Peake deployed Astro Pi units Ed and Izzy in a number of different locations on board the ISS. He was responsible for loading the Astro Pi participants\u2019 programs onto Ed and Izzy, collecting the data they generated, and making sure it was downlinked back to Earth for the participants.<\/p>\n

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Tim Peake with one of the first two Astro Pis unit during his Principia mission on the ISS <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Fast forward six years, and we\u2019re retiring Astro Pis Ed and Izzy and sending two upgraded Astro Pi units<\/a> to space \u2013 in just over a week\u2019s time, to be precise. This year, Italian ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will be taking the helm for the Challenge on board the ISS, while Tim continues to champion the Astro Pi Challenge down here on Earth.<\/p>\n

Thank you Tim, for inspiring so many families to get involved with STEM and coding.<\/p>\n

Your family\u2019s very own space mission with Astro Pi<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To get involved in the Astro Pi Challenge, you and your young people don\u2019t even have to wait until the new Raspberry Pi computers arrive on the ISS. You can do Astro Pi Mission Zero<\/a> \u2014 the beginners\u2019 coding activity of the European Astro Pi Challenge \u2014 today!<\/p>\n

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Mission Zero participant Liz with her 2020-2021 certificate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In Mission Zero, young people, by themselves or in a team of up to four, follow our step-by-step instructions to write the code for a simple program, which we will send up to ISS to run on the new Astro Pi units. With their program, young people take a humidity reading on board the ISS and show it to the astronauts stationed there, together with a personal message or colourful design. This beginner-friendly coding activity takes about an hour and can be done on any computer in a web browser. It\u2019s completely free too.<\/p>\n

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As a parent (or educator), you support young people on Mission Zero by:<\/p>\n