Team from Odisha selected for NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge 2021

The Navonmesh Prasar Student Astronomy Team (NaPSAT), comprising 10 college college students, has been chosen to take part within the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge 2021 scheduled in April. NaPSAT, an initiative of Bhubaneswar-based Navonmesh Prasar Foundation, is an interdisciplinary group of house lovers who’re engaged in tasks starting from the design of house techniques, rovers, rockets, satellites and astronomy to take part in varied worldwide occasions.

Anil Pradhan, founder, Navonmesh Prasar Foundation stated that it’s occurring for the primary time {that a} college group from India has been chosen for this problem.

“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,” Pradhan informed ANI.

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“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 stated.

Tanvi Mallick, Class 9 pupil, who’s a part of the group stated: “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.”

Speaking concerning the technicalities, one other group member Ankan Mondal stated that their rover can deal with the load of two folks whereas transferring on terrains of Mars and moon.

“We will be making human-powered rover for Mars and moon. We have to ensure that rover can handle the weight of two people. 100 teams are participating in the event,” he stated.