Machines and robots discover treasures
Another day of Treasure Week is behind us. On Thursday, visitors to the Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation of the Silesian University of Technology could visit the only Mining Machines Laboratory in Poland, where they could see how mining machines work. In the second part of the day there was a meteorite show.
Treasure Week is underway - an event organized by the Silesian University of Technology as part of the European City of Science Katowice 2024. On the fourth day of the event, participants could take part in demonstrations of the operation of mining machines and robots.
– We divided the presentation into two parts. In the first one, in a specially prepared room, we showed the youth what mineral extraction will look like in the future... in space. Here we presented mining on the Moon. Participants could play the role of space miners, extracting treasures of the Moon using remotely controlled robots - said dr hab. Eng. Piotr Cheluszka, prof. of Silesian University of Technology.
– Mineral mining in space is becoming more and more realistic. Many government institutions, especially the American space agency NASA, as well as commercial companies conduct intensive research in this area. Therefore, obtaining mineral resources from space is slowly becoming a reality - adds the professor.
In the second part of the show, in the Mining Machines Laboratory, participants could see mining machines currently used in mines and play the role of their operator. – This is the only laboratory in Poland where we can see how mining machines work on the surface. We presented a road header for drilling tunnels and tunnels, as well as a mechanized longwall system, i.e. something used to extract raw materials in longwall systems, said dr hab. Eng. Piotr Cheluszka, prof. of Silesian University of Technology
In the afternoon, a meteorite recognition workshop was held at the Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation of the Silesian University of Technology. The participants found out how much can one gram of a meteorite cost, how old are the oldest specimens?
Kazimierz Mazurek, one of the founders of the Polish Meteorite Society, talked about all this in his lecture on meteorites "Unearthly Treasures".
- I have been collecting meteorites for almost thirty years - says Kazimierz Mazurek, who owns one of the largest collections of meteorites in Poland. The heaviest of them weighs over 70 kilograms. - I have always been interested in tourism, for nine years I even ran the PTTK branch at the Silesian University of Technology. And from this passion, my interest in geology, and later in meteorites, was born. These are real treasures. In 1998, I had my first exhibition at this University.
Lecture participants could take a closer look at meteorites and hold them in their hands. One of the presented "otherworldly treasures" comes from the times of the formation of the Solar System, another - Allende - from over four billion years ago. Meteorites from Mars and the Moon also appeared.
- We are fascinated by this lecture; it definitely met our expectations - says Dariusz Goik. - This is a great thing for my son Bartosz, who is very interested in it and collects various types of stones. Additionally, we are looking for other interesting events - like this lecture.
Kazimierz Mazurek will also appear with his exhibition this Saturday and Sunday at the Minerals, Rocks and Fossils Exchange, which will be held at the Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation of the Silesian University of Technology.
