BHUBANESWAR: The 30 winners of the 19th edition of the Young Astronomer Talent Search (YATS), a flagship initiative of Tata Steel in collaboration with Pathani Samanta Planetarium (PSP) under the state Science and Technology department, on Tuesday embarked on an exposure visit to the ISRO Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
Flagging off the educational tour, Science and Technology minister Krushna Chandra Patra said the exposure visit will enlighten them on space science, astronomy and astrophysics. The young astronomers will bring laurel for the state and the nation in future, he added.
Additional chief secretary Chithra Arumugam urged the students to work hard to be among the space explorers.
This year’s YATS witnessed participation of more than 76,700 students from across Odisha.
The top 30 were selected through a rigorous multi-stage evaluation process designed to test scientific aptitude, curiosity and understanding of astronomy and space science.
During the visit, the students, accompanied by teachers and officials from Tata Steel and Pathani Samanta Planetarium will explore various facilities at SDSC-SHAR and gain insights into India’s space missions, launch vehicle systems, satellite technologies and tracking operations.