Out of this World Science

On Friday 11th May 2018, the Penrice Academy Science Department and Years 7, 8 and 9 welcomed a very exciting guest –  Mike Grocott from the National Space Centre. Mike’s team have been sponsored by PPG to present some chemistry masterclasses in schools.

Year 7s Freya and Evie report

“We had an experience that was truly out of this world! We had an amazing lesson that inspired many of us for future jobs in science industries.

Mike came from the National Space Centre and talked to us about what he does in the world of science. It was a very interesting and enjoyable experience, as we found out many things we did not know.

Mike taught us about the reflection of the sun on rockets. We did an experiment on why rockets are painted white and not black; because of the heat of the sun. We also did the ‘squeaky pop test’ which sadly did not fully work but we could still feel the heat produced!

PPG makes sealants, windows and paints. They taught us the importance of painting rockets white and told us the example of a rocket that was not painted white at the top and deteriorated on the way back to earth – 7 lives where lost. This shows the importance of what PPG do.

Overall it was an amazing experience that we all really enjoyed. We also found out a really cool fact – are you in Years 6 to 12 right now? Then you could be one of the first people to visit Mars! Also in Cornwall there is starting to be more opportunities for jobs related to space science.

This lesson really inspired us to think about our future. Thank you very much to Mike for coming.”

Freya and Evie (Year 7)