Documentary about first Estonian satellite premieres
Although Estonia's first satellite ESTCube-1 was sent into space for retirement in May, its star quality on Earth has not vanished yet.
“How to build a spaceship?”, a new documentary about ESTCube will premiere in Tallinn on October 1. The film will give a glimpse into the assembling phase of the tiny 10x10x11.35 centimeter cube, weighing just over a kilogram, as well as the sending off process and the excitement of involved scientists and students after the successful launch.
ESTCube was sent into orbit on May 7, 2013, with the main aim to test solar sail technology.
Estonia's first satellite was mainly built by University of Tartu students, altogether involving almost 150 of them. The project leader Mart Noorma said that ESTCube is a prime example of what students can achieve, if lack of experience is compensated with great enthusiasm.
Noorma added that the study conducted among the students behind the project showed that almost 75 percent of them had been influenced by science fiction movies in their childhood. “I hope that this documentary will also inspire future leaders and specialists, who will help to make Estonia and the world a better place,” Noorma said.
ESTCube project yielded 29 bachelor's and 19 master's dissertations, 5 doctoral theses, 4 start-ups, and became the basis for almost 20 research articles, as well as 53 presentations.
Editor: S. Tambur