Today began with a 7:30 wake up, which led to breakfast, and then led to a train ride to the Inholland college in Delft. We toured some spots inside the school, as well as got numerous presentations from various faculty members. The school is an aeronautical engineering school of applied sciences, so naturally, we learned lots about aerospace engineering and such. First, we learned about Bernoulli’s principle, that describes the elasticity of air. This is applied to planes because the air flows over the wings such that there is a low-pressure zone above the wing. The air then travels from the bottom of the wing up and over to the low-pressure zone, causing lift.

After lunch, we traveled to various locations and labs. We visited a satellite construction area where the professor there explained they are producing a satellite to read and report data relating to density of greenhouse gasses. I learned that you can send your own satellite up through SpaceX, as well as a small satellite like this one would cost two million dollars. We also explored their warehouse.

In this warehouse, we constructed a small plane for a competition. We used box cutters, scissors, glue, and tape, although my group and I adhered to the instructions religiously, our plane flew a subpar distance the first, second, third, and fourth pity try. We reflected on our work and concluded that the group should have rearranged the weights, we had washers below the wing and paper clips on the nose, whereas more weight on the nose is more desirable.

We then were graciously treated to a delicious milkshake and a fascinating canal tour throughout Delft. I particularly enjoyed the spot where the guide showed us where Vermeer painted his famous View of Delft. The day wrapped up with a trip to Subway for a sandwich, and now sitting talking with some of the guys.