EXTENDED REACH: (L) An Atlas rocket from a past CaNoRock launch. (R) Callie Lissinna from the CaNoRock-14 team.
(EDMONTON) The Faculty of Engineering's CaNoRock team deploys to Norway today.
In its 14th year, CaNoRock has boosted the applied knowledge and capacity of U of A students, effectively introducing them to engineering rocket science. Mechanical engineering students Callie Lissinna, Kinza Malik and Suey Fong, as well as engineering physics student Taryn Haluza-DeLay, comprised the university's first all-female team.
CaNoRock is a partnership between the universities of Alberta, Oslo, Calgary and Saskatchewan, and Royal Military College. It's undertaken with the financial support of the Canadian Space Agency, which covers almost all costs of the program, including travel, food, accommodation and range fees. Usually about 25 undergraduate students spend two weeks on Norway's North Sea coast learning about and launching a rocket. Yes, it's as cool as it sounds.
Veteran of the AlbertaSat student club team, Callie Lissinna explains that CaNoRock is not a club. "It's an exchange program that takes place at least once per year," she says. "It's facilitated by the U of A's Institute for Space Science, Exploration, and Technology." ISSET is a joint institution between the faculties of Science and Engineering, and interested undergrads must apply for a position on the exchange.
Like other applicants, Lissinna had to send a resumé, a transcript, and a one-page essay on why she should be considered for the CaNoRock program. ISSET then selected students on the basis of: GPA, career ambitions in space, related projects and experience, demonstrated leadership and teamwork, ability to represent the university, and compliance with application requirements an interview.
"I am in my third year out of five, but I know you can apply to CaNoRock at any point throughout your undergraduate degree," Lissinna says. Most participants come from the Faculty of Engineering or the Department of Physics and are united in their passion for space.
"I have been interested in space science and engineering for quite some time," Lissinna says, "and I first heard of CaNoRock from AlbertaSat members who had participated in previous years."
The team leaves today (October 12) for Andøya Space Center and returns on October 21. In the week that they are at the space centre, they will build and launch a sounding rocket that will collect science data about the atmosphere.
There are variables, such as weather and locations of fishing vessels near the launch zone, but Lissinna expects that they'll be able to launch and fly the rocket during their stay. After the launch, the team will analyze the data collected during flight.
"The program exists to give students experience in rocketry and space science," Lissinna says. At the end, they will submit a report about their experiences at CaNoRock and fulfill some outreach requirements including speaking to other students about the program. "But educating the participants is the primary goal. Success will be measured by how much we have learned when we leave Andøya."