PANAJI: Gaganyaan, India's manned mission, launch has been postponed to 2023 due to Covid-19 but the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working hard to keep the buzz about the mission and motivate young minds by sponsoring 550 students to create Guinness World Record (GWR) for assembling Gaganyaan's functional rocket model at one place.
All these rockets assembled by 550 students following a 2-hour exercise at the India International Science Festival (IISF), 2021 under the guidance of N Sudheer Kumar, Director, Capacity Building Programme Office, ISRO, will be launched at the Panaji gymkhana ground using ISRO launchpads.
The entire activity will be under the supervision of experts from the country's premier space agency. The IISF was inaugurated in Panaji, Goa Saturday.
The man behind training the students is Diyanshu Poddar's start-up, Rocketeers.
"We are not just attempting rocket assembly records but functional 500 gaganyaan model rockets and these will be launched at Panaji gymkhana. Students from class 11 have been trained by 60 volunteers to assemble the rockets," said Poddar, who has launched over 1.5 lakh rockets.
He graduated from the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram (IIST) in 2012 and worked with the Chandrayaan-2 team, as part of their Spacecraft Mechanism Group, ISRO, in 2014 has provided models to students.
The idea was to practically train students in understanding rocket science and generate interest by building and launching their models. These rockets being small don't go very high but provide skills to students to understand technology.
The rocket kit provides not just assemble various components but can test out different designs and properties of components. Also, one can attach a payload and insert different sensors and cameras. There are several models and pricing starts from Rs 1600. The models are safe and have been made keeping in mind students.
Dr Mayuri Dutt, National Coordinator, GWR, said that 14 in total records have been registered in IISF.
"This is the first rocket assembly arts and crafts activity. It was felt this time to involve the country's Research and Development laboratories. Gaganyaan has been generating a lot of interest and we reached out to the ISRO to conduct this activity," she said.
These rocket models are available commercially and students can use them.
"It will take 2 hours for students to assemble these rockets and then we shift to ground where launch pads are set up. We are eyeing the launch of over 350 successful launches. Entire activity will be video graphed and sent to GWR office in London for validation," she added.