Chandigarh, July 20, 2004
A 14-member group of young aspiring scientists from
Punjab were over the moon Tuesday after they won a prestigious space
settlement competition in Florida, beating seven American teams.
That Tuesday is also the eve of the 35th anniversary
of man's landing on the moon was not lost on the jubilant young scientists
from the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET) and the
Buddha Dal Public School of Patiala city.
"I just don't believe this. The team has done India
proud. You can't imagine what we are feeling right now," team leader
and TIET assistant professor Maneek Kumar told IANS over the phone from
Titusville, Florida.
The competition was organised by the US space agency
NASA and top aircraft manufacturer Boeing. The Indian team was the only
one short-listed from outside the US for the final round after a worldwide
selection process.
The eight teams finally selected, seven of them being
American, were called by NASA for a final presentation at their space
research facility. At the presentation, two teams were clubbed together
to form four groups.