What is there in deep space ?

What is there in deep space? Wondered Akilesh Chandrasekaran when he was in his fifth standard? Now, a Class XII student, Akilesh Chandrasekaran of Sivakasi Nadar Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Madurai, has proved through a Martian regolith analogue that cultured bacteria can generate electricity on Mars.

This project of his was selected for the prestigious Cubes in Space™ 2026 programme, an international student research programme conducted by iEDU inc. and supported by, NASA Wallops Flight Facility/Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility and leading organisations in the United States.

On August 21, his module packed in a 4 cm cube will fly to Mars and bring back relevant data that is set to revolutionise and sustain the dream of living on Mars. Akilesh, his mother Thangamani recounts, had been a curious toddler with a scientific temper. His parents kept this interest alive by buying him science fiction books. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he was in class VI and attended webinars on satellites that piqued his interest.

Having the late President of India Abdul Kalam as his role model, Akilesh began dabbling with rocket making technology at a very young age.

“It was because of Kalam that the world came to know that there are water molecules in the moon’s surface. Chandrayaan-3 mission was the first spacecraft to successfully soft-land near the lunar south pole and the world came to know about the presence of water there,” he points out.

Armed with self-confidence, this science prodigy has participated in various competitions, competing with research scholars and bagging numerous awards. He has won a Gold Medal and two Special Awards at the International Warsaw Invention Show (IWIS) 2021 in Poland. He has also participated in advanced aerospace programmes, including femto-satellite development, the internationally recognised RHUMI Hybrid Rocket Mission, and specialised training with Space Zone India.

The cream of all awards is his selection for NASA’s Cubes in Space programme.

“Martian dust storms have always threatened solar-powered missions, so there is a strong need to generate electricity. I thought of utilising the waste generated by the astronauts. An astronaut in a day generates 4.5 liters of waste water. If this is treated by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, a gram-negative exoelectrogen it will help clear waste and also generate electricity, thus serving a dual-purpose system for deep space sustainability”.

Not just Akilesh but also the NASA team is waiting eagerly for the cube to return to earth after its Mars mission. The data that it will bring will be shared with research scientists at NASA and ISRO. This will help prepare future crewed trips to the Red Planet. 

Senthil Kumar, secretary Sivakasi Nadar Matriculation Higher Secondary School, says that Akilesh’s achievement is a proud moment for the country. “We have been with him and have supported him in this journey. His success has also inspired us to motivate other students to reach greater heights in their chosen fields.”