Students enjoy World Space Week with Jodrell Bank

Year 8 pupils from St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School enjoyed a day with the Jodrell Bank workshop to celebrate World Space Week.

To help celebrate the week the school invited Jodrell Bank into school to share their work with them.

Year 8 students used mirrors and lenses to focus infra-red onto detectors. This is similar to how large telescopes work in space.

Students also took part in demonstrations to show how infra-red is emitted from their bodies using an infra-red camera. This included students climbing into black bin bags and viewing their legs inside using the infra-red camera.

Students also investigated the best material to make a heatshield. They were given materials, infra-red lamps and thermometers, they were also given the use of equipment not normally available to secondary schools which they engaged with straight away.

Alexi (from Jodrell Bank) talked about current work to launch The James Webb telescope in 2021 to see more detail than ever before.

Students were encouraged to talk about communication and teamwork being the key to important project work and for employment.