In Mission Zero, a project launched by ESA Education, young people will write a simple computer program to run on an Astro Pi computer on board the International Space Station (ISS). 

 

Following step-by-step instructions, they will write code to take a reading from an Astro Pi sensor and display a colourful image for the ISS astronauts to see as they go about their daily tasks. 

Participation is free and open for young people up to age 19 in ESA Member States, with York CoderDojo (now part of the Gwiddle Club) running a session where young people can get involved at Acomb Explore Library on the 4th March 2024 17:00-19:00. Spaces are limited so people are urged to reserve their space on the York CoderDojo website. Dependent on popularity, additional sessions may run across the region. 

 

Participants will receive a piece of space science history that they can keep: a personalised certificate which shows their Mission Zero program's exact start and end time, and the position of the ISS when their program ran. Keeping Digital Foundation will send physical certificates to participants in June 2024 when the certificates are received. 

 

In 2021, new Astro Pi computers were sent to the ISS, meaning brand-new colour and luminosity sensors are now available to programmers, with coders challenged to create a colourful image to show on the Astro Pi's LED display, and to use the data from the colour sensor to determine the image's background colour! 

 

A spokesperson from the Keeping Digital Foundation, North Yorkshire’s leading digital inclusivity charitable organisation, provided this comment about the Mission Zero opportunity: 

 

“This is an amazing yearly opportunity for young people, and is great for beginners to programming with step-by-step instructions and our amazing volunteer mentors on hand to help! Mission Zero is a super fun way for young people to engage with STEM, and is also an incredibly rewarding project when they get their certificate to say their code was run on the International Space Station! 

 

”Mission Zero is also an incredible way to round off a year of amazing digital making activities organised by Keeping Digital Foundation, with new services running across the region (including Northallerton and Harrogate), with more young people engaging with technology and developing incredible skills, such as creativity and problem solving. We also hope projects like this can encourage more girls into coding, a key mission across the industry as we try to open opportunities to every young person. 

 

"We are also encouraging schools to get involved in this opportunity, whether that be at an after-school club or in their IT lessons, as a way to engage as many young people as possible. Keeping Digital Foundation are happy to support schools with a lesson plan and also by sending physical certificates to the classrooms so that every young person has a chance at this incredible opportunity. Schools across North Yorkshire can get in touch with us by emailing hello@keepingdigital.org.uk." 

 

People can find out more about Mission Zero at https://gwiddle.club/missionzero, or can get in touch with the York CoderDojo team by emailing york@gwiddle.club.