16 February 2016 12:24 am
When most of the developed countries are making a frantic effort to conquer the space with the use of Rockets, unmanned and with spacecraft carrying Astronauts, a youth from Sri Lanka living in Welikumbura Mawathagama is attempting to build a Rocket that could be sent to space.
He is Thiwanka Neranjan Dissanayake, presently a student at the Moratuwa Sri Lankan German Technical Institute.
His innovation with pictures and his profile had been released over the internet and his facebook carries details of his achievements. His innovation named as “SKY Touch 01 Rocket Hathor Aerospace carries the Lion Flag prominently painted over its body. According to his facebook profile he had ventured on this innovation with the experimental launch of Air Touch 01 Rocket on 18/04/2014, the second Air Touch 02 Rocket on 04/05/2015 Air Touch 03 Rocket on 05/07/2015.
The latest Rocket turned out by Thiwanka weighs 100 Kilogrammes. Its length 15 feet and its diameter one foot.
Thiwanka is hopeful that this rocket powered by an engine could be launched to travel 18 to 20 Kilometres, with a speed of 800 kilometres per hour. This rocket would be launched vertically with the aid of a remote controller. Thiwanka is a fourth (Final) year Power Electrical student at the German Tec. He had his education and passed out at A/Levels at the Kurunegala Wayamba Royal College. At a time when many youth adorn their Facebook pages with photos and fun loving images, his Facebook page contains photos and data that had helped him to fulfil his dream of inventions.
He stated that facilities to study about rockets are not available in any university in Sri Lanka, and he had to learn on his own the ABCs of inventing rockets. While at the German Tec he had experience with rocket building and his experiments had been successful in the years 2014 and 2015. He had to build these rockets with scrap obtained from the neighbourhood. He had to strive hard as there were no tutors or institutions locally which could help him..
“The money I received from home during my days at the German Tec, was helpful in financing my objective.
My parents were the only sources of financing I received for my projects. Browsing through several websites of institutions worldwide known for assembly of rockets and the technicalities involved I was able to master in devising rockets.”
He also said that a rocket to enter the space has to travel at least 200 to 300 kilometres into the sky and he is still on the experimental stage. His first attempt failed, the second went to about a height of six feet, and the last one travelled about one kilometre. He expects his latest would reach a height of 18 to 20 kilometres. He is using an engine that is powered by solid fuel to launch his rocket into space. He says that he is still on the experimental stage and it was very vital for him to study the rocket moving upwards and its fall. Basing on this action he could arrive at certain conclusions. The sound of his earlier rockets when fired had been heard by people stationed several kilometres away and he expects the new rocket to have its smoke ring when fired to circulate at least 30 feet. Presently he is seeking government approval for this launch into the space.
He is hoping to create the first rocket for the country and seeks assistance for this effort, failing which he says, he would go abroad and achieve this ambition in life.