2 Kamma Students Among 6 Members Selected For NASA’s Rover Challenge

Every year, the NASA HERC presents an engineering design competition for students all over the world. The HERC draws inspiration from the Apollo and Artemis space missions, where the emphasis is on designing, constructing technologies, testing them, and showcasing the ability of their innovations to traverse different environmental terrains.

In October 2022, NASA announced Young Tinker Educational Foundation as one of the 61 teams selected to compete in the 2023 Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) on April 20-22 at the U. S. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. 

“For the 2023 season, HERC returns to live, on-site competition for the first time since 2019. Participating teams will represent 45 colleges and universities, and 16 high schools from 30 countries around the world,” notes the foundation.

The rover vehicle that this six-member team is building has the capability of traversing the surface of Mars and the Moon, claim the students. The challenge is designed to align with NASA’s Artemis Mission.

Representing India in this year’s competition are Sai Akshara Vemuri (17-year-old from Vijayawada), Akarsh Chittineni (14-year-old from Vijayawada).

Before getting selected by the American space agency, these students sent a proposal to the NASA HERC team. They were selected and invited on 6 October 2022. 

Among the key players in building this rover is Akarsh Chittineni, a Class 10 student from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, whose parents are white-collar professionals. He is also a national-level badminton player. “I am the tech lead of the Young Tinker team representing India at NASA HERC 2023. My role is to research the rover materials and procure them,” he says.

Meanwhile, Sai Akshara Vemuri, a class 12 student from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, has taken the role of safety officer. “The rover manufacturing process involves drilling, cutting, grinding, and welding. As a safety officer, my job is to take care of a robust, practical seating system, safety belt system, and adequate braking system,” she says.