Description

Below, we present the main idea and equipment instructions of a hands-on activity called Cosmic SOS, that is currently under development at CERN Science Gateway.

This workshop is designed in the form of an adventure game with a focus on electromagnetic and particle radiation. During this immersive open exploration experience, participants embark on an adventure as members of a spaceship crew. By using different types of detectors in order to solve various puzzles, they learn about the electromagnetic spectrum and cosmic background radiation.

For this activity, a range of detectors are employed, including the Minipix pixel detector, a radiation detector based on the MiniPIX silicon pixel technology, developed at CERN and specifically adapted for educational purposes. By allowing the participants to interact with these detectors first-hand and by highlighting their utilisation not only at experiments taking place at CERN, but also on the International Space Station (ISS) or on trips to the moon, they will gain insight into the broader applications of detectors, which extend beyond the terrestrial laboratories to the frontiers of space exploration.

CERN plays a crucial role in aerospace, thanks to its remarkable technologies, facilities and know-how. You can learn more about CERN and aerospace here.

Material list

The adventure game consists of 6 challenges. Below, we present the equipment needed for each activity. Some activities require simple material, while some others use specialised equipment. We have added links to the specific equipment that we use, however it is possible to use alternatives. 

In our adventure game, the maximum number of participants is 24, split into 6 groups of 4. We find that 4 participants per group is ideal, so that all members can actively participate. 

General material: 

• Introduction slides
• UV-safe goggles (if you plan to use a UV torch)
• Box with lockets (one per group)  to open the final message 

Material per group:

• Worksheet + pen
• Organisation boxes to place the materials of challenges 4-6, with serial code to identify the group
• Equipment instructions

Challenge 1: 

• Circuit composed of 3 resistors (one of which is not connected to the circuit), an LED, a switch (optional), cables and a flat battery
• RGB torch
• UV torch
• IR camera 

Challenge 2:

• Prism
• RGB torch
• Fluorescent highlighters of various colours (e.g., yellow, orange, green, blue) 
• Optional: UV marker , hide a message on the worksheet

Challenge 3:

• Electromagnetic spectrum cards

Challenge 4:

• Geiger counter
• Everyday slightly radioactive objects (e.g., UV beads, rock)

Challenge 5: 

• LEGO to make a MiniPIX EDU detector
• LEGO booklet with building instructions

Challenge 6:

• MiniPIX TPX detector
• Laptop with Pixet Pro software
• Everyday slightly radioactive objects (e.g., UV beads, rock, balloon with dust)
• Pixel cards