Bhubaneswar (SunstarTV Bureau): The Navonmesh Prasar Student Astronomy Team (NaPSAT), encompassing 10 school students from Odisha, has been selected to participate in the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge 2021 scheduled in April for the first time ever.
NaPSAT, an initiative of Bhubaneswar based Navonmesh Prasar Foundation, is a team of space enthusiasts who are indulged in projects related to space. The projects include designing of space systems, rovers, rockets, satellites and astronomy and participation in various international events.
Odisha: Navonmesh Prasar Student Astronomy Team (NaPSAT), comprising of 10 school students, has been selected to participate in the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge 2021 scheduled in April. NaPSAT is an initiative of Bhubaneswar-based Navonmesh Prasar Foundation. pic.twitter.com/bnWi492qRk
— ANI (@ANI) November 11, 2020
“It is happening for the first time that a school team from India has been selected to participate in the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge. We created a team during COVID time and identified 10 students from Odisha. We provided them training and later applied for NASA Rover Challenge. The interdisciplinary team has school students as well as ITI students. They are making a rover which can move on the surface of Mars and it would a human-powered rover,” told Anil Pradhan, Founder of Navonmesh Prasar Foundation to ANI.
“We got the invitation from NASA and the event will take place in April 2021. We are preparing a rover and will send it to NASA. We will go there and compete with other teams. We are also raising funds,” he said.
Tanvi Mallick, Class 9 student and a member of the team said, “I knew about NaPSAT. I decided to try out for this and was selected as well. We have been selected for the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge 2021. We are the first team from Odisha to get selected and the first high school student team from India. We are going to Alabama in April 2021 and will represent India in this competition.”
Another team member Ankan Mondal speaking about the technicalities said that their rover can handle the weight of two people while moving on terrains of Mars and moon.
(Source ANI)
