Astro Pi is the name of a small computer developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, in collaboration with the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA). There are two very special Astro Pi’s. Their names are Ed and Izzy, and they have been qualified for spaceflight. They are now onboard the International Space Station (ISS) for students like you to use. With this first set of activities you are going to assemble your Raspberry Pi for the first time and learn the essential coding language that you need to program your Astro Pi. By doing so, you will get the chance to have your own code and scientific experiment run on the ISS.
This course consists of four parts:
- Getting started with the Astro Pi (T05.1):
In this set of activities, students will set up and program a Raspberry Pi computer. The objective is to learn basic programming skills.
[table id=1 /] - Meet the SENSE Hat (T05.2):
The students will learn how tri-colour LEDs combine to form coloured and white light of a range of intensities. They will control the colour of the LEDs together and individually, using different data structures in Python. These include lists and integer variables. Finally, students will use a range of methods from the Sense HAT library to manipulate text and images on the LED screen.
[table id=2 /] - How to collect data from Astro Pi (T05.3):
The students will program Astro Pi to collect temperature and humidity data from the environment. Students will simulate the humidity control system on the ISS and will also collect data from their own environment. Students will take acceleration measurements to detect orientation and to identify the direction of gravity. The objective is to record, analyse, and display data using the Sense HAT sensors and basic code instructions.
[table id=3 /] - Meet the Astro Pi Cameras (T05.4):
This resource provides an introduction to using the cameras provided in the Astro Pi kit. It includes instructions on how to set up and use the camera to take stills and videos, as well as suggestions for possible applications for the camera. The aim is to provide inspiration and help students explore the possibilities themselves.
[table id=4 /]
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Getting started with Astro Pi (T05.1)
Astro Pi is the name of a small computer developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, in collaboration with the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA). There are two very special Astro Pi’s. Their names are Ed and Izzy, and they have been qualified for spaceflight. They are now onboard the International Space Station (ISS) for students like you to use. With this first set of activities you are going to assemble your Raspberry Pi for the first time and learn the essential coding language that you need to program your Astro Pi. By doing so, you will get the chance to have your own code and scientific experiment run on the ISS.
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Meet the SENSE Hat (T05.2)
Raspberry Pi is a computer, much like the computers with which you’re already familiar, except for its size and package. You can use Raspberry Pi to surf the internet or send an email, or you can turn it into an MP3 music player and help the astronauts on the ISS have some fun during their free time. But you can also do much more! You can carry out scientific experiments using this computer tool and analyse the collected data - just like space scientists do! In this activity you are going to set up your Raspberry Pi and explore what you can do with it.
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How to collect data from Astro Pi (T05.3)
For you to communicate with the astronauts on the ISS using Raspberry Pi, you have to give it the necessary instructions. Like any other computer, it will only do what you teach it or what you program it to do. For that you need to learn a programming language (the same way that you’ve had to learn your own language to communicate with the world around you!). With this activity you will learn the basic vocabulary of the Python language and write your first program.
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Meet the Astro Pi Cameras (T05.4)
So far you have given simple instructions to the computer. Now you will make the computer ask you questions and react to your answers.