--- title: "Rocket Launch Threatened by Sliced Cheese Stuck on Leg" description: "During an important rocket test, some students decided to strap some cheese onto one of the craft's landing legs." date: "2024-10-26" modified: "2024-10-26" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/rocket-launch-sliced-cheese-leg" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "cheese" - "european space agency" - "rockets" - "the digest" --- # Rocket Launch Threatened by Sliced Cheese Stuck on Leg ![During an important rocket test, some students decided to strap some cheese onto one of the craft's landing legs.]() *\Image: GSP Gruyère Space Program via YouTube\* ## Crisis Averted During an important rocket test, some students decided to strap some cheese onto one of the craft's landing legs — and got a crucial lesson in physics. As [*Interesting Engineering* reports](), the student-built Gruyère Space Program in Lausanne, Switzerland beat out the European Space Agency when achieving the region's first-ever "rocket hop" test earlier in October. During the test, the group's CALIBRI rocket prototype climbed vertically before dropping back down to terra firma. During the test, the team decided to strap a slice of gruyère — yes, just like their name — onto the rocket's leg. But what was intended as a joke about one of their country's premier cheeses became no laughing matter when the slice nearly caused a rocket failure. "Yes, it was indeed gruyère, and it almost caused a disaster!" GSP president and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology student Jérémy Marciacq told *IE*. "The cheese created an aero effect that led to the rocket over-spinning." As [video of the historic incident]() shows, CALIBRI does indeed start to spin upon its descent, which took place after the rocket reached its peak altitude of 32 yards. Luckily, the rocket landed safely with its dairy stowaway intact. https://youtu.be/iiMGznUd428 Though they didn't get into details about why the spin-out occurred, it does seem that the additional weight of the cheese on one of the rocket's three legs undermined the craft's stability. ## Say Cheese Fascinatingly, the student researchers told *IE* that the Swiss cheese in question wasn't even fully melted by the rocket's ultra-hot thrusters. "In the end, it all worked out, and we actually ate it after the flight," Marciacq said. "It was slightly warm, but still quite tasty!" Cheese aside, what started as a joke between college kids became a teachable moment for the GSP. "In the end, it allowed us to discover some limits to our design — notably for roll control," the group's president told the website. Between beating out the ESA and getting a tasty snack, it's clear that these Swiss students are on the right track. More on rockets: [*There’s a Big Problem With Using Nuclear Rockets to Get to Mars*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()