Rocket launch threatened by sliced ​​cheese stuck to leg

“Yes, it was indeed Gruyere, and it almost caused a disaster!”

Crisis averted

During a major rocket test, some students decided to tie some cheese to one of the craft’s landing legs — and got a crucial lesson in physics.

If Interesting technology reportsThe student-built Gruyère space program in Lausanne, Switzerland, defeated the European Space Agency when it achieved the region’s first-ever “rocket hop” test earlier in October. During the test, the group’s CALIBRI rocket prototype climbed vertically before falling back to solid ground.

During the test, the team decided to tie a slice of Gruyère – yes, just like their name – to the leg of the rocket. But what was intended as a joke about one of their country’s best cheeses turned out to be no laughing matter when the piece almost caused a missile jam.

“Yes, it was indeed Gruyere, and it almost caused a disaster!” GSP president and student Jérémy Marciacq from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology said this I.E. “The cheese created an aero effect that caused the rocket to skip.”

If video of the historic incident shows that CALIBRI does indeed begin to spin during its descent, which occurred after the rocket reached its peak altitude of 100 feet (32 meters). Fortunately, the rocket landed safely with the milk stowaway intact.

While they didn’t go into details about why the spinout occurred, it appears that the extra weight of the cheese on one of the rocket’s three legs undermined the spacecraft’s stability.

Say cheese

Fascinating, the student researchers said I.E that the Swiss cheese in question was not even completely melted by the rocket’s ultra-hot thrusters.

“In the end it all worked out and we ate it after the flight,” said Marciacq. “It was a little warm, but still quite tasty!”

Cheese aside, what started as a joke between students became a learning opportunity for the GSP.

“Ultimately, it allowed us to discover some limitations of our design, particularly regarding roll control,” the group’s president told the website.

Between beating the ESA and getting a tasty snack, it’s clear that these Swiss students are on the right track.

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