On 19 April, 110 students in the first year of ESO of the IES Francisco Giner de los Rios school came to ESAC to be scientist for a day with the CESAR Team. The research topic that the students selected was "A Topographic Study". They arrived to ESAC in two turn, a group of 55 students at 9:45 A.M and a second group at 11:45 A.M.

This is one of the steps of the Space-Science Experience that is offered by the CESAR Team to students from Spain in the range of ages from 8 to 18 years-old. The initial phases of this experience  were executed by the students in the classroom with the support from their teachers. For this the CESAR Team provides a set of videos that are recommended to be watched in the school before coming to ESAC. After this there is organized a Skype session between the CESAR Team and the students that will come to ESAC to be scientist for a day.

Back to the 19th April, the CESAR Team gave a warm welcome to the students which came with plenty of interesting questions related to Space such as, "Is there any ESA mission focused on deviating the trayectory of an asteroid?", "What would be required to build a neighbourhood in Mars?", "What is the most difficult problem that ESA had faced?", "What are the most interesting missions in which the Agency is working in the present moment?", "how many people is currenty working at ESAC and in which projects are them involved?".

The students explained us that most of these questions triggered after watching the set of videos provided by the CESAR Team and the Universe was not such a further and unknown place to them.

Once the question session finished, the group of 55 students was divided into two. One of the groups went to discover amazing stories about some of the most relevant mission of the Agency at the time that they were making a tour around the ESAC scale models and the other group started a hands-on session unrevealing the secrets behind the topographic maps.

The group that worked as scientists hand-to-hand with the CESAR Team scientist presented their results to their colleages and to the CESAR Team which were acting as the Scientific Community.

After their presentations, the students were shown how the data to build the 3D topographic maps are collected, processed and built, by the space missions such as Sentinel, Copérnico and SMOS.

Once each of the groups ended up the activities they swapped their roles. This strategy was also followed for the group of students that arrived in the second bus at 11:45 A.M.

And as you already know your Space-Science Experience has not finished yet. Your abstract explaining what has been the most relevant thing for you and your team in this experience and what this has motivated on you will be evaluated by a Committee of WisenMan/Women. Those that this Committee considers will receive a Prize. Good luck!