Space labs in govt schools take rocket science to village kids in U.P.

The world of rockets, satellites, telescopes, aeroplanes, drones and robotics is opening new vistas of knowledge and imagination for village children in select government schools of Uttar Pradesh.

All this is because rural space laboratories have emerged as beacons of science in these dusty villages in Uttar Pradesh with the help of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), inspiring many others to follow.

The first such Space Lab was opened in a government school in the far-off Hasudi Ausanpur gram panchayat in U.P’s Siddharthnagar district. The work on it began in 2021.

Soon, the idea caught imagination of educationists across state. Now, there are several such schools that have well equipped space labs.

A similar project -- Sir CV Raman Vigyanika Space Lab -- was established at BRC Sukhpal Nagar in Pratapgarh district on June 21, becoming the latest to foster the study of science in the hinterland.

It has been developed with the help of ISRO’s empanelled space tutor agency.

“The establishment of Space Lab is the golden history of Pratapgarh district,” said Sadar MLA Rajendra Kumar Maurya.

“With the help of Space Lab, children will be inspired to become scientists,” said Pratapgarh district magistrate Sanjeev Ranjan.

“Space Lab was established in BRC Sukhpal Nagar Sadar from the area panchayat fund, which is the first lab in the division and the fourth lab in Uttar Pradesh. This lab has been established on the basis of six scientific points, which include space science in which children will be taught about rockets, satellites, telescopes, how aeroplanes fly, how drones can be made and their applications, robotics and automation, where there are different types of robots and 3D printers where children will learn and satisfy their curiosity,” said Pratapgarh chief development officer Navneet Sehara.

Live sessions will be conducted in this lab by ISRO scientists.

With the help of this lab, teachers and children will be trained and from here, a selected child will be sent to ISRO in two months.

The district magistrate said the children of Pratapgarh will dream to become scientists with the help of this space lab and scientific thinking will develop among them.

The CDO said that in this lab, children can see astronomy events through telescope. These schools have also come up in Ayodhya, Unnao, Mainpuri, Gonda and Mau.

WHERE THE IDEA GERMINATED

The composite school of Hasudi Ausanpur Gram Panchayat of Siddharthnagar houses India’s first rural space laboratory, where the students aspire to build a weather station to predict flood, using drones.

The brainchild of pradhan Dilip Kumar Tripathi work on the lab began in 2021. He happens to an alumni of the school

“The aim was to promote the scientific temper among students,” said Tripathi who was encouraged by the space missions of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).

“Considering the curiosity for our space programmes, we reached out to the ISRO website where some companies who help in setting up ISRO type labs were listed,” he recalled.

“Usually, they only establish such labs in private schools that have money and basic infrastructure. We accumulated the required funds in two years after which they established a lab in a room that now has a telescope, replica of spacecraft and other models that generate a lot of interest among students,” he added.

The appeal of the new gadgets helped the teachers at the school to kindle interest in science among the children.

“We have seen almost all planets of our solar system. Jupiter looks humongous as compared to Mars and the ring around Saturn looks magical with the telescope,” said Avantika Gupta, a class 8 student of this school.

“The children have raised the problem of floods and want to do something about it. There are several ideas which they have proposed including use of drone to get a better forecast of rains and movement of flood water,” explained Ram Kripal Paswan, state awardee assistant teacher.

“In tune with changing times, ISRO and other research agencies need to play a vibrant role in ensuring the disseminating the enriched knowledge in their respective domain,” the pradhan said.

Their efforts have also started giving returns.

Hasudi Ausanpur panchayat secured third position for the excellent work done for a child friendly gram panchayat.

It is on the way to becoming a carbon neutral Gram Panchayat, according to a social media post of the Union ministry of Panchyati Raj last month.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath invited Dilip Tripathi to Lok Bhavan and congratulated him on being awarded the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Panchayat Sustainable Development Award this year by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj for good performance in UP Panchayat. An exhibition was organised from November to December 2022 at the Space Lab established in the Upper Primary School of Gram Panchayat of Siddharth Nagar district.

In 2022, the space lab established on the lines of ISRO laboratory at Hasudi Ausanpur gram panchayat became a special center of attraction. Around 400-500 children from all over the district come daily to see the space exhibition organised here. In December, seven students of the school are going to Space Application Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad, according to ministry of panchyati raj, government of India.