2 weeks Ago By Richard Speed
The next round of the European Space Agency's Astro Pi challenge is open, inviting participants to use the diminutive computers aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to calculate the orbiting outpost's speed. The challenge , which runs in collaboration with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, has two threads. The first, Mission Zero, displays pixel art on the LCD screens of the ISS Astro Pis.
Unsurprisingly, showing anything controversial on the displays is a definite no-no, and programs must not run for more than 30 seconds, but otherwise, teams of young people (no one over the age of 19) can submit Python code to show images "to remind the astronauts of home." The second challenge, Mission Space Lab, is altogether more complicated. The teams must write a Python program to gather data from the sensors of the Astro Pi computers to calculate the speed of the ISS.
Using the Astro Pi's LED matrix is forbidden this time, and the program can run for up to ten minutes. The program must not rely on interaction with an astronaut. It must also use at least one Sense HAT sensor or the camera and cannot use networking.
The deadline for submissions is February 24, 2025, and the programs deemed suitable by ESA's boffins – namely, ones that work, do not break the rules, and won't cause system issues on the ISS – will be deployed between April and May 2025, depending on operational constraints. The Raspberry Pi computers inside the Astro Pi cases are not the latest and greatest. The Astro Pi Mk II is a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, equipped with a Sense HAT, HQ camera, and Coral USB accelerator for machine learning inferencing.
The ambassador for the project is ESA astronaut Sławosz Uznański, who is set to be launched to the ISS in spring 2025 as part of Axiom Mission 4. The mission will last 14 days and use a SpaceX Crew Dragon. While enthusiasts over 19 cannot officially take part, there is nothing stopping anyone from having a go at solving the problem using simulators.
Indeed, the Raspberry Pi team has dropped a few hints via a page titled " Calculate the speed of the ISS using photos ." In space, no one can see you cheat learn stuff. ®.
