Siddharh Tripathy, Nisarg Behera and Akshat Dutt, students of Delhi Public School, Rourkela, created the project for the design contest. Picture by Uttam Kumar Pal

Bhubaneswar, April 25: A project by three students from the state has bagged the first prize in 11-12th grade submissions at the NASA Ames Space Settlement Design Contest 2011 organised by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Titled ‘Shangri-La’, the space settlement design by Siddharh Tripathy, Nisarg Behera and Akshat Dutt, students of Class XII at the Delhi Public School, Rourkela, made under the guidance of their teacher Bijoy Bahadur Mathur, has been selected from among 355 submissions by 1,078 contestants from 15 countries across the world.

The team has designed a heavenly abode for settlers to revel in extraordinary luxury away from Earth and aims to provide enjoyable living amenities for 20,000 permanent space residents. The configuration is also envisioned as a major scientific research laboratory as well as business hub in space.

Highlights of the project include artificial gravity for comfortable human living, a highly cost effective active electromagnetic shielding system to protect against the hazardous effects of space radiation, charged particles in solar wind and high-energy galactic cosmic rays.

“Our space settlement plans to deploy an integrated electrical power system harvesting the abundant solar energy in space,” said Nisarg Behera. The space settlement also has facilities such as medical, educational, religious centres, amusement parks, shopping complexes and banks located in two residential sectors.

“Apart from aesthetically appealing parks with ornamental trees and bushes, monuments and water bodies, a central utility centre, which has scope for scientific medical research and houses a huge sports complex, an amusement park, science city, museum, swimming pool and an orbital hotel for space tourists provide fun, thrill and unparalleled adventure,” Behera said.

Breathtaking views of outer space, space observations, panoramic view of Earth, stars and astronomical discoveries and breakthroughs can also be possible through a cosmological observatory located towards one end. Shangri-La has an artificial day and night system, display panels to simulate rain, thunder and dark clouds to provide a natural environment. Purification of air will be done by photo catalytic oxidation and artificial snow in winter.

“For entertainment and relaxation, Shangri-La provides facilities such as an academy of motion pictures called The Shangwood, new dance and music forms such as the ‘Shangri-Yo’, ‘Nirvana’ and ‘Moksha’. For proper governance and maintenance of the space colony, an extremely efficient government system with legislature, judiciary, executive and law enforcement agencies is planned,” said Akshat Dutt.

“With good planning, the total duration of this project is 35 years which requires $US265 billion,” said Siddharh Tripathy.

The students, along with their teacher, have been invited by organisers to attend a four-day conference in Alabama, USA from May 18 to May 22. However, the students say that the fate of the trip still hangs in balance due to non-availability of funds.

“We have tried writing to some of the institutes citing grants, but have received a negative reply. We have also written to chief minister Naveen Patnaik, but have received no positive reply so far,” said Behera.