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

Crisis averted

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

As Interesting engineering reportsThe student-built Gruyère space program in Lausanne, Switzerland, beat the European Space Agency by performing the region’s first-ever “rocket jump” test earlier in October. During the test, the group’s prototype CALIBRI rocket climbed vertically before descending back to dry land.

During the test, the team decided to attach a slice of Swiss cheese – yes, like their name – to the rocket’s leg. But what was supposed to be a joke about one of their country’s best cheeses became nothing to laugh about when the slice nearly caused a rocket failure.

“Yes, it was gruyere, and it almost caused a disaster!” Jérémy Marciacq, president of the GSP and student at the EPF, declared IE. “The cheese created an aerodynamic effect that caused the rocket to spin excessively.”

As video of the historic incident shows that CALIBRI actually begins to rotate during its descent, which took place after the rocket reached its maximum altitude of 32 meters. Fortunately, the rocket landed safely with its dairy stowaway intact.

Although they did not explain in detail why this skid occurred, it appears that the added weight of the cheese on one of the rocket’s three legs undermined the craft’s stability.

Say cheese

Fascinatingly, the student researchers said IE that the Swiss cheese in question wasn’t even completely melted by the rocket’s ultra-hot thrusters.

“In the end, everything went well and we ate it after the flight,” Marciacq said. “It was slightly lukewarm, but still quite tasty!”

Cheese aside, what started as a joke between middle schoolers became a teachable moment for GSP.

“Ultimately, this allowed us to discover certain limitations of our design, particularly in terms of roll control,” the group’s president said on the website.

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

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