Tirupati: ‘Akash Infinite Possibilities’ seminar inspires young minds

Tirupati: The Department of Physics, IIT Tirupati, organised a one-day seminar series titled ‘Akash-Infinite Possibilities’ on Saturday. The seminar series is aimed to showcase the recent advances in India’s space and exploration programmes and to inspire young minds to pursue careers in this field.

The seminar series featured four eminent speakers from ISRO and other related organisations, who shared their insights and experiences on various aspects of India’s space missions.

Addressing the gathering, Mission Director of Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 M Srikanth gave an overview of the objectives, design and challenges of Chandrayaan-3.

Deputy Project Director of Chandrayaan-3 G V P Bharat Kumar delved into the details of the engineering and operations of Chandrayaan-3, which consisted of a lander and a rover. He explained the Chandrayaan-3’s mission to land near the south pole of the Moon, where water, ice and other resources are believed to exist.

He also discussed how Chandrayaan-3 will conduct various experiments and tests on the lunar surface using its instruments and cameras. Scientist from ISTRAC Sreenath Rathnakumar has presented an overview of the ground systems and the role played in the success of lunar and planetary missions. He has highlighted the importance of accessing the science data from science data centre and asked students to use the data from Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan and upcoming Adithya Mission using ISSDC website. He explained the crucial role of ISTRAC in the space programme of the country.

Principal Scientist of Aditya L1 Dr K Sankara Subramanian focused on the scientific objectives and outcomes of Aditya L1, which will help in understanding the solar phenomena and their potential impact on earth’s climate and environment. He also mentioned how Aditya L1 will contribute to international efforts in solar research and cooperation.

The seminar series was attended by more than 250 students, faculty members and researchers from IIT Tirupati, IISER Tirupati, S V University, KREA University and Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam. The students from nearby schools (KV Venkatagiri, Edify, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Veritas Sainik School) also attended and interacted with experts.

It was organised as a part of IIT Tirupati outreach activities and the ‘Knowledge Festival’ initiative of the Ministry of Education to pave the way forward for the GOI’s vision of ‘Vikshit Bharat@2047’. The HoD, Physics, Dr Reetesh K Gangwar, Dr Aravinda and several others took part.