Airbus and ESA hope space will encourage young engineers

Airbus has teamed up with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Autodesk in an educational initiative which taps into the excitement of space exploration.

The Airbus Foundation, ESA and Autodesk have launched an educational online competition called Moon Camp, aimed at fostering interest amongst school students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The “Moon camp” competition will ask school children to design their own Moon Camp using one of Autodesk’s 3D design tools.

Participants will have to factor in different parameters such as local resources, energy, recycling systems, and protection from meteorites and radiation.

Winners of the competition will attend a webinar with an ESA astronaut and a mentoring session with an Airbus Space Engineer.

Tom Enders, Airbus CEO and chairman of the Airbus Foundation, writes:

“As a global company, we want to support youngsters who are not only fascinated by space exploration but also keen to try their hand on space technology. With the ever-rising importance of technology, it is up to companies like us to inspire the next generation so they will be able to solve some of society’s most pressing challenges.”

The “Moon Camp” competition, which was launched at the International Astronautical Congress in Bremen, Germany, will be running from 4 October 2018 to 16 March 2019. All related resources are available for free on the Airbus Foundation website.