Space Faculty is thrilled to announce Singapore’s winning team for the Asian Try Zero-G (ATZG) competition: Team Floating Marshmallows from Catholic High School!

Their innovative and insightful experiment proposal, focusing on the Intermediate Axis Theorem in microgravity, impressed everyone involved in the selection process (including JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa!) and demonstrated a remarkable understanding of complex physics concepts.

A Glimpse into Their Microgravity Experiment
“A crossbar with detachable weights at each end would be used as our rotating object, with the detachable weights allowing us to set up to four different centres of inertia.”

Team Floating Marshmallows’ proposal delves into the fascinating world of rigid body dynamics, specifically exploring the Intermediate Axis Theorem, also known as the Tennis Racket Theorem. This theorem describes the stability of rotation around an object’s principal axes of inertia.

Their experiment aims to study how changing the weight distribution of a spinning object affects its rotation in space. A special device (as displayed above) will be used on the ISS to see how different weight placements impact the object’s stability.

Why This Matters
This experiment holds significant potential for advancing our understanding of rotational dynamics in space. The ability to precisely control and predict the behaviour of rotating objects is crucial for the deployment and operation of satellites and other spacecraft. The experiment could lay the foundation for improved satellite stability and maneuverability, ultimately benefiting future space missions.

Space Faculty is incredibly proud of Team Floating Marshmallows’ achievement. Their passion, creativity, and scientific rigor were evident in the quality of their proposal. We congratulate them on their well-deserved victory and wish them the best as their experiment moves forward in preparation to be conducted on the ISS in the months ahead.

Stay tuned for updates on Team Floating Marshmallows’ journey to the ISS!