If all goes to plan, Class 12 students J Parthiban and G Gopinath and their science teacher, M Kavitha, will be spending a week in Russia next month, touring, among other sites, the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, Moscow region.
The trio will be representing Government Higher Secondary School in Ayyampalayam, Musiri district, as part of a 75-member team of students, teachers and officials of Tamil Nadu’s School Education department.
Around 500 students from 56 government schools were selected across the State to undergo training by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists and scholars under the Rocket Science programme launched in January 2022.
“After the students were selected, A. Sivathanu Pillai, CEO of BrahMos Aerospace, took online classes every weekend for around two hours per session. Attendance was compulsory, with enough time set aside for students to clear their doubts. The focus was on government schools, in keeping with the vision of former President and aerospace scientist, APJ Abdul Kalam, to give them a platform to showcase their talent,” says Kavitha.
Testing times
The students were tested rigorously through online quizzes and study modules. Gopinath and Parthiban secured the fourth and fifth place respectively in a State-level model design exhibition.
“In the third round, our team was asked to work on the topic of sustainable energy options for space missions, and I selected solar energy. After some online research, I used a PVC pipe to form the main body of the rocket, and fixed a motherboard and small solar panel on the side. The model cost around ₹500 to make,” says Parthiban.
Gopinath’s team was given the task of establishing a colony on the Moon. “I worked on a model using lunar laser communication demonstration (LLCD) that would collect data for satellites with ground stations on Earth,” he says.
It was literally a world away for the two teenagers, who had not travelled beyond Ayyampalayam until they enrolled in the Rocket Science programme. Parthiban’s parents are farmers in Nachampatty village, while Gopinath’s father is a daily wage earner in Veeramanipatti, Musiri. Like most of their classmates, they are first-generation learners in their family. “Our parents were worried about our safety and the expense involved in going abroad, but once our teachers explained everything, they were convinced,” says Parthiban.
The future beckons
Kavitha has been helping the children navigate the various rounds of the competition. “Rural students usually do not have the exposure of those studying in city schools, but things fell into place after the initial hiccups. To give everyone an equal opportunity, the 130 students of the final round were split into teams with members picked from different districts. So eight students from our school were in eight separate teams.”
Only six teams were selected from 13 finalists, says Kavitha. “They had to work on four different themes. The entire process was conducted online from January 2022, and we were able to meet each other in person only at the final project exhibition in Coimbatore.” The team that Kavitha guided was placed third in the finals. The trio is yet to raise the funds required for the journey, expected to cost ₹2 lakh per person. “It is a great achievement for our school to be able to participate in this project. The children will be able to experience how space research works in the real world, and perhaps consider making it their career too.”
