Best of Key Stage 2 (Individual)
The Dragonfly Rescue Operation by Amy
The Dragonfly impressed us in a number of ways. Not only did the space station and rescue ship both include a variety of sensible features appropriate to a rescue operation, but thought was also paid to how these vehicles would need to be habitable in space, such as by including a greenhouse to recycle Carbon Dioxide. Both were styled after a dragonfly, which really added a touch of character to this entry. A mixture of methods was used to convey information here; a diary entry from the Captain logging the rescue mission, vibrant and detailed diagrams, and even a comic book strip providing a step-by-step walkthrough of the rescue. Not only did the author really engage with the scenario of this mission, they clearly had a lot of fun with it too!
Best of Key Stage 2 (Group)
SRT (Space Rescue Team) by Humphrey, Dylan & Ryan
Space Rescue Team told us about their rescue in the form of a story, and what really set this entry apart was the number of things that went wrong! Realistically, saving people trapped on an asteroid is very complicated; the authors correctly anticipated that a rescue attempt would be plagued by error, and they demonstrated how they'd respond to this with numerous backup plans. This entry also offered clear diagrams of the space station and rescue vehicle, accompanied by a detailed breakdown of the features and systems, and wrapped up with an entertaining comic strip of the rescue. Great job, team!
Best of Key Stage 3 (Individual)
Space Rescue Organisation (SRO) by Tejaswi
This entry from Space Rescue Organisation immediately catches the eye with a detailed and well-labelled 3D model of the space station, including a number of vital features such as a gravitational ring and green hub. This was followed by an equally strong design for the rescue vehicle, which incorporated a number of innovative elements such as origami-inspired folding mechanisms and a solar sail, showing how much effort had been put into researching future space technology. Finally, the rescue mission was documented from start to finish via a cartoon story board, including fine details such as speed and distance travelled. It was especially delightful to see the drawings we made for the competition brief incorporated into a student's entry! Overall, Space Rescue Organisation combines careful consideration of science and technology with excellent visual depiction that really helps us understand the author's ideas.
Best of Key Stage 3 (Group)
British Agency of Space Exploration (BASE) by Yathra & Shayna
This team thrilled us with their cardboard and foil models of the space station and rescue vehicle - no doubt the team had lots of fun making them too! Accompanying these models are some excellently drawn and finely detailed diagrams, showing off the team's careful consideration of what features and facilities these vehicles would need. This entry concluded with a thorough timeline of the rescue, involving sensible steps such as making use of a robot to perform dangerous work on the comet in place of human operatives - we've already got five people stuck on there, it makes sense not to risk any more!
The Science Award
City Space Institution by Aryana, Meadow, Aarya & Amaris-Jane
We were really blown away by how much technical detail the team packed into this entry. The design of their space station was really well thought out, incorporating a variety of advanced features such as a gravitational ring for habitation, photovoltaic solar panels, and even an external radiator for thermal management - which is really important but often overlooked! It was great to even see explanations of how certain features worked, such as the electromagnetic docking port. The rescue vehicle achieved an equally high standard, incorporating clever considerations such as the amount of data a spacecraft of this type would need to process, and emergency contingencies. On the whole, a fantastic effort, and well deserving of the Science award!
The Creativity Award
Zeus by Sanjiv
With a mighty name like Zeus, this entry promised nothing it couldn't deliver. We set this scenario 40 years into the future to give students room to research and extrapolate beyond the latest technology, and this entry really exemplifies what we were looking for, offering a plethora of unique ideas and design features that really showed us how carefully the author thought about what a space station would need beyond the basics, and what can be achieved with the latest technology. Highlights included provisioning the station with futuristic defensive aids to protect against space debris and piracy (both plausible threats in 2061 when space will be more busy), and use of Synthetic Aperture Radar to expediate search efforts.
The Presentation Award
Metis Space Rescue Organisation by Arpan & Kaustubh
Among the many strong candidates for this award, Metis really impressed us with its holistic approach to presentation. The visually impressive and detailed 3D models of the space vehicles are outstanding in their own right, but what really sets this entry apart is how the labels on these diagrams are woven into the text, offering a thorough, joined up flow of information. The presentation is very well structured, dedicating a page to each part of the exam question, and no single piece of information feels disconnected from the rest. An overall sheen of professionalism really gives this entry a big boost, as if it had been sent to us from the desk of a real-world space company!
