It is 50 years since the moon landing, a momentous time in history, symbolising human exploration and success.

Now, for the first time, Australian company Actura has collaborated with NASA’s Space Center Houston, implementing Actura’s FlipRobot Solution at Space Center University (Space U). Australian Space School students were the first to engage in this program. 

Established in Australia in 2014, Actura provides leading STEAM learning solutions, comprising both in-class and out-of-class solutions. Actura works on a global scale, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Shanghai, Singapore and Taipei and with further international expansion on the horizon.

Actura’s FlipRobot Solution module was designed specifically for NASA’s Space U Program - a five-day program designed to engage students in immersive STEAM-related activities that promote teamwork, problem-solving and engineering solutions to space exploration.

The bespoke design included the chance for Australian students from the CASE Space School International Study Program to engage in robotic education learning activities. In total, thirty-seven lucky CASE Space School students from Year 10 to 12 were involved in the program. 

Students designed, implemented and built a rover in a FlipRobot rover challenge designed to simulate building a rover module to collect samples from a Mars landscape in the shortest amount of time. They also learnt how to apply different sensor technologies to help the rover traverse through simulated Martian terrain intelligently. In addition, they used blockly and script programming to code the rover to complete different tasks.

CASE Space School is the leading international study program in Australia. 

Mirroring Australia and NASA’s partnership, and also as a timely reminder of our involvement, it is also 50 years since Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins first made their historic successful landing on the moon in 1969. This symbolises a momentous occasion in history for manned space exploration and the spirit of entrepreneurialism that the landing on the moon embodies.

“We are delighted to be collaborating with Space Center Houston on robotic learning applications,” says Actura’s David Sunton, Vice President for Marketing and Product Management. “We share a commitment to provide interactive, engaging and exciting STEAM programs underpinned by the foundations of the Seven Survival Skills by Dr Tony Wagner. This helps develop students’ interest in the areas of STEAM, leading students to utilize STEAM skills after high school. A new and renewed interest in these subjects will prepare young people for leading occupations of the future.”

Daniel Newmyer, Space Center Houston Vice President of Education, adds: “We look forward to collaborating with CASE on delivering hands-on robotic opportunities for CASE Space School students as part of their Space University program”.

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