Vila Franca de Xira's Newsletter

(Written in Portuguese)

Project's description

" A CanSat competition offers the opportunity to high-school and university students to
have a first experience of a real space mission.
A CanSat is a simulation of a real satellite, integrated within the volume and shape of a regular soft drink can. The challenge for the students is to fit all the major subsystems found in a satellite such as power and communications into a soda can of 350ml. After release from a rocket or a captive balloon the CanSat has to perform a certain mission and land safety on the ground."


From: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Education/SEMYYTBV34G_0.html

Portugal, our country!

To learn more about our country, we are presenting a short video about it. At the beginning of the video you can see Reynaldosat.pt team working on this project and our school that is being rebuilt. You can also see some of our most important monuments and landscapes of all over the country including landscapes of our two Islands in the Atlantic ocean.

We were informed about the selection of our team to be in Norway by this e-mail:

"Dear Isabel Plantier and Marilia Santos,

It is my pleasure to inform you that Reynaldosat is one of the 12 CanSats selected to fly in the first European CanSat Competition, which is scheduled for 15-19 August 2010.

The offer comprises:

• Sponsorship by the ESA Education Office, for the travel and accomodation expenses of one teacher to attend an introdutory workshop with experts from ESA and NAROM on 12-13 February 2010 at ESTEC.


• A Pratt Hobbies CanSat kit and instruction on how to build it.


• A flight for your CanSat on a rocket launched from Andoya Rocket Range (ARR) during the first European CanSat Competition.


• Technical support by ESA and NAROM experts, during all phases of the project and at the launch campaign.


• Sponsorship by the ESA Education Office, for the accomodation expenses of one teacher and up to four pupils at ARR from 15-19 August 2010.

Further expenses related to the project, such as development costs for the secondary mission and travel costs to ARR for the competition, should be funded by your school or by sponsors.

Your team should observe the overall project schedule published in the competition guidelines. You should also comply with any requests made of you by ESA or NAROM in relation to the execution of the project, in particular with respect to technical or safety demands.

Please indicate your acceptance of this offer to the project coordinators Helen Page and Zahira Servera cansat@esa.int.

Many congratulations on your selection!

Roger Walker
Head of the ESA Education Projects Unit"

Our team's Patch

"Xiro", our city's mascot, holding the Cansat

Vila Franca de Xira is a place of bullfighting so the mascot that represents the city is "Xiro", which is a little bull as you can see on the picture.

Vila Franca de Xira

Presenting our team

Reynaldosat.pt is one of the 12 teams selected to fly in the 1st European Cansat Competition, which is scheduled for 15-19 August 2010. Our team will construct a Cansat.

The team is divided in many groups, according to each one's skills.

Mechanical engineering responsible - Ricardo and André

Electrical engineering responsible - Tomás and José

Software and calculation projects responsible - Cláudia, Susana and Ana

Science responsible - Rita, Daryna and Cristina

Communication and financial responsible - Inês, Tamára and Jessica