Students in different age groups are being invited by ESA to participate in three educational programmes that will take place during 2013. Each programme is an exciting opportunity to design an experiment and conduct scientific research.

ESA is now inviting proposals for the Spin Your Thesis! campaign. This programme enables university students to carry out experiments in hypergravity, using the Large Diameter Centrifuge at the Agency’s ESTEC space research and technology centre in the Netherlands.

It is open to undergraduate students and those following a Masters or PhD course. Up to four teams will be selected. The deadline for proposal submissions is 10 December.

Another call is for the European CanSat competition. The CanSats, similar in volume and shape to a soft-drink can, will be launched on a small rocket from the Netherlands.

The primary task of each CanSat will be to measure atmospheric temperature and pressure during the flight.

It will also carry a secondary mission of the students’ choice, which may include attitude control, return to a target point on the ground, differential GPS measurements or some other innovative experiment.

The competition is open to teams of high-school students and their teachers. Up to 12 teams will be selected. The deadline for submitting proposals is 30 October.

ESA recently asked for proposals for the next campaign of the REXUS/BEXUS – Rocket and Balloon Experiments for University Students – flights in collaboration with the DLR German Aerospace Center and the Swedish National Space Board.

The programme calls for each team of students to design a scientific experiment or technology demonstration to be flown from Sweden on a sounding rocket or a stratospheric balloon.

REXUS/BEXUS is open to undergraduate students and those following a Masters or PhD course.

The deadline for the submission of proposals is 22 October. Up to 15 teams will be shortlisted and invited to a workshop, where the final selection will take place.

Students and teachers interested in these opportunities should go to the ESA Education Office website for more information.

Additional announcements of educational opportunities will be made throughout the month of September, so watch this space!