Hampshire girl wins Blue Peter Competition to design satellite logo for first UK launch
A 12-year-old from Hampshire has been named the winner of Blue Peter鈥檚 Awesome Orbit competition to design an emblem that will go on one of the first satellites to launch from the UK this summer.
Bethany's design as it will be engraved on the satellite, alongside her name and those of the runners up.
Bethany Turner, from Alresford, appeared live on Friday鈥檚 (20th May) episode of Blue Peter, joining the presenters in the studio as her 鈥楨arth Sitter鈥� emblem was named the winner.聽Bethany聽wants satellites to help in measuring the melting of the polar ice caps and monitoring deforestation, to discover when trees have been felled and where new seedlings need to be planted to prevent global warming.
皇冠体育app programme also featured 2nd place runner up Adam, aged 13 from Lancashire, who designed 鈥溁使谔逵齛pp Ace of Space鈥� that could be used to help repair broken satellites, and 3rd place runner up, Ava, aged 7 from Pembrokeshire, whose ecologically focused design 鈥淲here Bees Belong鈥� could help search for land that needs more flowers for bees. Adam and Ava will have their names engraved on the satellite, along with 27 runners up.
British ESA astronaut聽Tim Peake launched the competition, which was supported by the UK Space Agency, in October 2021 to give young people across the UK the opportunity to design an emblem and come up with ideas for how satellites could be used to help people in the future.
Bethany with her design and Blue Peter presenter Mwaksy Mudenda
Bethany said:
It felt amazing when I found out I had won, I was so shocked I couldn鈥檛 believe it. For my design I thought if we could scan the Earth with satellites it could tell people when there鈥檚 illegal deforestation and they could go and plant trees. It could also scan the polar icecaps聽so people can see when they鈥檙e melting and try to prevent it.
I鈥檝e been interested in space for quite a long time and I really enjoy it. I get most of my information from books from the library or books I鈥檝e bought and I definitely want to learn more. I鈥檇 definitely be interested in working in the space sector in the future.
As part of Bethany鈥檚 prize, she spent a day with Steve Neaves, Creative Director at Hampshire-based branding and design studio Crux. Steve and his team had worked on Bethany鈥檚 original drawing to help create the final emblem that will blast into space. 皇冠体育appy explained how her design had been redrawn and digitised to enable it to be engraved onto the plaque that will be fixed to the satellite.
Ian Annett, Deputy CEO at the UK Space Agency, said:
We all use space every day, from聽watching satellite broadcasts, using a聽mobile phone,聽to聽finding our way around. Data from satellites in space is聽even聽used for聽monitoring the environment and understanding climate change聽and it鈥檚聽a big part of聽new聽technologies like supporting driverless cars through better connectivity.
From missions to Mars, to understanding climate change or launching satellites, all this great work relies on more young people joining the space sector in roles such as engineering, law, science and philosophy and the UK Space Agency is working to inspire future generations to consider a career in the space sector. It鈥檚 fantastic to see so many people take part in this wonderful competition and our huge congratulations go to Bethany, Adam, Ava and all the runners up.
ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer congratulated Bethany with a message from the International Space Station, saying:
I heard the brilliant news about you winning the Blue Peter space competition and I thought 鈥榳here could be the best place to congratulate you from, but here in space鈥�. I am currently on my own mission, and I have brought along the Blue Peter badge for the ride!
Bethany鈥檚 emblem will be engraved onto a satellite that will be sent into orbit on the first launch from UK soil from Spaceport Cornwall this summer.聽 As part of her winner鈥檚 experience,聽Bethany聽will also win a Blue Peter Orange Competition winners鈥� badge, take control of a Mars Rover at Airbus in Stevenage, experience a trip in a driverless car supported by satellites and get to see behind the scenes at satellite testing facilities at Harwell Space Cluster, in Oxfordshire.
皇冠体育app satellite is a collaboration between the UK鈥檚 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, and Airbus Defence and Space, and designed and built by In-Space Missions in Alton, Hampshire.