Bob Kaway (left) and Thinus Lamek Yewi (right) – facebook
Jayapura, Jubi – On 23 March at 11:05 Indonesia time, Atlas V rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the United States. It would be at a low orbit or at the an altitude of about 400 km from the earth.
It took a micro-lab, which contains scientific experiments of high school students. The astronauts would transfer it to the Nanoracks, a research facility located in the US National Lab in space.
The micro-lab, which equipped with digital camera, censor and micro-controller, contains two experiments of ‘how to grow paddy in space’ and ‘how to grow yeast in space’. Thus, the growing of paddy and yeast during the experiment could be monitored from the earth by internet connection to download the pictures of the micro-lab that broadcasting to the earth.
At the time, the students who made the micro-lab could observe and write the result of their experiment.
Unexpectedly, the high school students who involved in the research are coming from Jayapura Regency. They are Bob Kaway, Thinus Lamek Yewi, Anatsya Womsiwor and Stefince Irene Cenderawasih. Bob and Thinus are students of SMA Advent Doyo Baru while Anatsya and Stefince are studying at SMA I Sentani. Their research was pronounced to pass the flight test of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in last January, thus their research are worth taken to the space. They joined other 16 high school students from Medan, Jakarta and Bandung who divided into two team, paddy research team and yeast research team.
Bob Kaway and Thinus Lamek Yewi are now at 12th grade but not classmate. They are so glad to know they are qualified and joined into the research team with NASA.
To IDNTimes, Bob admitted earlier he wanted become a priest. “Actually I want to be a priest, but after I passed this selection it comes to my mind that I want to be a scientist,” said Bob. Meanwhile Thinus said he never thought his research would pass the selection.
“Previously I never thought that I can make it, but God arrange all of it to be happened,” said Thinus.
The success of four students was blossomed in the early October last year when participating into first selection by Jayapura Regional Education Office in collaboration with NASA.
And now they have invitation to present their research at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research at Washington DC in November 2016. (Victor Mambor/rom)
