Tech Shout!

Refiff.com India and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have announced the seven winners of the ‘Design a Mooncraft’ contest. In this initiative, all Rediff.com readers were invited to send acroos their innovative designs for the first Indian mooncraft – Chandrayaan-1.

The Indian Space Research Organization intends sending a spacecraft - the Chandrayaan-1 - to the moon in 2008. This would be India’s pioneering unmanned scientific mission to the moon. Participants in the Rediff contest offered their design take on a mooncraft for this mission.

And the lucky winners of the ‘Design a Mooncraft’ contest are:

The first four winners were ecstatic with the honor of being invited to receive their prizes from Dr G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation at the ISRO headquarters in Bangalore. The prize ceremony was followed by a tour of ISRO and high tea with the man himself.

Each of the seven winners was awarded Rs 10,000 in Rediff shopping vouchers.

Presenting the awards to the students, Shri G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO, complimented Rediff.com for their initiative to evoke the interest of the youngsters about India’s first mission to the moon Chandrayaan-1. He said, “Chandrayaan-1, which is planned to be undertaken during 2008, will be an important programme that will provide immense opportunities to the younger generation to undertake challenging pursuits in space science and exploration.”

This unique competition organized by Rediff.com has given students the impetus to display their talents and imagination in developing spacecraft for space exploration. Hundreds of entries were sent in, and the best were sent across to Bangalore to be judged by Dr Nair. He selected the seven top entries after special deliberations.