The Department of Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering of Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science has organised an International Workshop “SPACE ODYSSEY -IV” from 2/11/2023 to 4/11/2023. On the first day the International Workshop on human Spaceflight Challenges was conducted with participants from HITS KCG Tech and HIS. Dr. Ravi Margasahayam, NASA Global Space Ambassador, was the Chef Guest. Dr. Pandyan, Former Director SHAR, ISRO was the Guest of Honour. Dr. Shyam Mohan, Former Programme Director, ISRO, Gp. Cap Mohapatra, Dean Aerospace Medicine, IAF and Mrs. Barathi, Technical Manager, CIPET were the special guests. Along with the workshop a Panel discussion on “Space Technology – A Multidisciplinary Perspective” was also done with the experts from the various fields of Aerospace Technology. On the second day lectures in Space Agriculture and Avionics flight systems were delivered by Davi Souza, Greenhouse Specialist and Researcher AgTech, Brazil and Mr. Sumit Verghese, Systems Engineer, Blue Origin, USA. Third day went with an extensive discussion by the faculty with Dr. Ravi Margasahayam, NASA Global Ambassador on the advancements of AI in space technology. On arrival the Chief Guest, Guest of Honour and the Special Guests were welcomed by the Vice Chancellor, HITS. More than 700 students and faculty members have participated in the event and had an in-depth interaction with the Scientist advance technological developments I the field of Space Technology.

Day1: International Workshop on Human Spaceflight Capability:
Venue: Andromeda Lecture Theatre
Time: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

The International workshop was held on 2/11/2023 at Andromeda Lecture Theatre from 10:00am to 5:00p. Dr. R Asokan, Dean (Aviation) welcomed the gathering, Vice Chancellor Dr. S N Sridhara delivered the Presidential Address. The Chief Guest address was given by Dr. Ravi Margasahayam, NASA Space Good Will Ambassador, USA. He addressed the students about the various missions of NASA for taking humans into space. He also addressed the students on NASA’s Successful Failures which motivated the students to learn from their failures. The Guest of Honour Dr. Pandian, Former Director, SHAR, ISRO gave a detailed insight to the students on the various future missions of ISRO. Dr. Shyam Mohan, Former Programme Director, RLV, ISRO enlightened the students with his vast experience in the field of design and development of ISRO’s Reusable Launch Vehicle. Gp. Cap Dr. S S Mohapatra, Dean, School of Aerospace Medicine, Indian Airforce gave his lecture to the students on the various advancements in the field of Space Medicine. Answering a query by the students he explained why AI cannot be a complete replacement for a doctor in space. Ms. Bharathi, Technical Manager, CIPET, Mysore explained about the technological advancements in the plastic industry and how it can be of use to the space research in India.

Panel Discussion
Topic : Space Technology – A Multidisciplinary Perspective

Panellists:
1. Dr. Ravi Margasahayam, NASA Space Good Will Ambassador
2. Dr. S. Pandyan, Former Director SHAR, ISRO
3. Gp. Cap Mohapatra, Dean Aerospace Medicine, IAF
4. Mrs. Barathi, Technical Manager, CIPET

Moderator: Dr. R Asokan, Dean (Aviation), HITS

The memento for the Chief Guest, Guest of Honour and the Special Guests were presented by Dr. R Asokan, Dean (Aviation), HITS. Dr. P Vasanthakumar, HoD Aerospace, HITS delivered the vote of thanks.

Day-2: International Workshop on Advancements in Aerospace Technology

After an informative session on the first day, the participants had a very information packed second day. The special invited speaker Mr. Sumit Varghese, Systems Engineer, Blue Origin delivered a vibrant lecture on the various avionics systems used in the human spaceflight missions. He also throwed light on the various design, testing and validation of avionics subsystem. The Chief Guest Dr. Ravi Margasahayam, NASA Good Will Ambassador delivered lecture on Women in Space depicting about the role of women in NASA’s human spaceflight missions. This talk proved to be a eye opener for our students. This was followed by a lecture on Space Agriculture by Davis Souza, Greenhouse Specialist, AgTech, Brazil. He explained the methods and ways of growing crops in a controlled environment which can be adapted for use in space applications.

Satellite Centre Visit:

After the completion of the programme and interaction with the students, the Chief Guest Dr. Ravi Margasahaya visited the State-of-the-Art facilities of HITS. He first visited the Centre of Excellence in Satellite Technology (CEST) and interacted with the students working on various projects like CubeSats, Space Debris Management, Drones, UAV’s, Electric Propulsion. He also seen and appreciated the photos of the Chandrayaan 3 landing spot taken by our students with the telescope. He highly appreciated the efforts of Management and Departments for having such a highly motivated student fraternity with advanced research-oriented capability. After the visit has seen the ALSIM flight simulator and had a hands-on experience in flying an aircraft.

Day 3: Faculty Development Programme on “Application of AI in Space”

The third day was the Faculty Development Programme for the faculty members of the Department of Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering. The topic of the FDP was “Application of AI in Space”. Dr. Ravi Margasahayam, NASA Good Will ambassador addressed the faculties and gave a detailed view on how Artificial Intelligence is applied in the various fields of Space Technology.

FDP for Faculty Members
APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Lecture and Space Expo
Date: 31 October 2023 to 2 November 2023

In connection to the International Workshop Space Odyssey – IV, the Department of Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering of Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Chennai has organised the APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Lecture on Satellite Mission Analysis and also a Space Exhibition where the student from the departments of Aeronautical and Aerospace have exhibited their innovative design ideas for application in space sector. The Lecture was delivered by Dr. H N Bhagvan, Former Mission Director, ISRO on the topic Mission Planning and Operation of Nano Satellites. He gave a detailed views on how students can take up the Mission Design and Analysis of a Nano Satellite. After careful reviewing by the judging panel three top innovative ideas were selected and the exams were given awards on the Space Odyssey – IV by Dr. Ravi Margasahayam.