An Indian student was on Thursday honoured with the first prize in a prestigious international space science competition for his project on industrial extraction of oxygen from the lunar soil to commercialise space travel.
Kamal Tripuraneni's project 'A Greater Viability of Space Travel by the Lunar Generation of Oxygen via the FFC-Cambridge Process' has been adjudged as the best by an international jury of experts and awarded first prize of 'Robert A Heinlein Flight into the Future Contest,' a spokesman for the US-based trust that conducts it said after presentation of awards in Moscow.
"The project of Indian student Kamal Tripuraneni, currently studying in Cambridge, would help in industrial extraction of oxygen and metals from the lunar soil to commercialise space travel," Dmitry Peison, secretary of the contest, said.
Along with US$ 3,500 cash prize and diploma, Tripuraneni would also benefit from the international recognition of his work.
The contest is conducted by the US Heinlein Prize Trust and assisted by the Russian Aviation and Space Scientific Innovation Educational Complex.
The competition aims at encouraging young international students and researchers in the field of space exploration.
