New Delhi: For Prateek Tripathi, a research scholar at IIT-Roorkee, it was a proud moment when his internship research at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) required him to access Chandrayaan-1’s lunar data.
The 28-year-old, who is a fifth year doctoral student in the Geomatics Engineering Group in the Department of Civil Engineering, was selected for NASA’s 10-week summer internship and had the opportunity to work on Artemis’ first crewed Moon landing mission. Program and the first crewed flight of the Starship Human Landing System (HLS) Artemis 3.
an internshipFrom 31 May to 5 August, it is funded by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and accepts five students.
“It was a proud moment… We used data on the mineralogy of the Moon collected by an instrument on Chandrayaan-1, called the ‘Moon Mineralogy Mapper’. Analyzing the data and using it will help the Artemis 3 astronauts decide where to land on the Moon,” Tripathi said of his research at NASA.
Chandrayaan-1 was the first Indian lunar probe under the Chandrayaan programme. Launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in October 2008, it was operated till August 2009. The mission consisted of a lunar orbiter and an impactor.
Tripathi’s work included research on Shackleton, a crater at the Moon’s south pole where the Artemis 3 astronauts are scheduled to land. with him Specialization in Remote Sensing and the geology of the Moon, Tripathi’s task involved finding the exact location where the crew could land.
With his research, Tripathi was able to discover that an astronaut could travel from the landing site to an accessible permanently shaded area (PSR) within two hours.
Their work evaluates parameters such as slope, temperature, illumination and running time for potential traverse plans from landing sites to PSRs. The PSR contains a fossil record of hydrogen, water ice and other volatiles dating from the early Solar System. Their investigation is of particular interest to scientists, and forms the main objective of NASA’s Artemis 3 mission.
have an internship Hosted by Lunar and Planetary Institute Integrating scientific input with exploration activities in a way that mission architects and spacecraft engineers can use.
The internship will help Tripathi to pursue PhD research on the specialty of the mineralogy of Earth, Moon and Mars.
Praising the infrastructure at IIT Roorkee, he said: “I am glad to know that I was able to use all the equipment at NASA as I was already using it at IIT-Roorkee.”
Tripathi’s research guide at IIT-Roorkee, Professor Rahul Dev Garg, said the recognition was well deserved. “Pratik is dedicated to his work and deserves this opportunity in a big way. I am sure that he will apply his learning from NASA in India so that the country can benefit.
‘Students need to do their own research’
Remote sensing, a specific field of study in which Tripathi holds a master’s degree, was one of the achievements that made him stand out in his application. “The internship is highly selective and out of over 300 applicants only five students were selected,” he said.
IIT researcher claimed that three candidates Before him was selected from India for internship.
While Tripathi said that being a part of the internship was an enriching and inspiring experience, his participation in research seminars gave him an edge among his competitors.
“It is important that students do their own research and regularly present their papers in seminars. Also, using social media to find such opportunities is a great way to stay updated. ISRO and NASA have such opportunities. There are many interesting programmes,” Tripathi said while encouraging other students to apply for similar fellowships.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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