A group of seven Argentine professionals members of institutions from various regions of the country created a new application that allows you to monitor the Moon in record time, which allowed them to win nothing less than the first prize in the Hackathon NASA International SpaceApps Challenge that was recently held in Washington DC, United States.
The APP was named Aónikenkin reference to a indigenous community of the Argentine Patagonia regionand, among many other virtues, facilitates both the observation and understanding of seismic activity on the Moon in a way unprecedented in the entire world.
As explained by the specialists through a press release, Aónikenk is a versatile initiative that merges scientific information, intuitive design and cutting-edge technology, while its platform shows a complete interactive map of the Moonwhich allows users to both research and power Follow in real time the location, magnitude and frequency of lunar tremors. Besidesas well as very specific details about each seismic event, including its depth, type of wave and the possible causes that generated them.
“The initial proposal for the App was from NASA itself, which launched a series of Challenges available with themes such as climate change, asteroid exploration, spacial tourism and exploration of the moon, among many others. We, who had been working on the development of a lunar robot since 2020, we chose to make an app about the Moon“, he pointed Lautaro Mendieta, professional in the field of telecommunications from Entre Ríos
The prize they received consists of a invitation for the entire team and their companions to visit NASA’s headquarters and the Goddard Space Center in Washington, where they will participate in a series of talks given by NASA’s highest authorities as well as astronauts and engineers.
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“We will have the opportunity to present the project for which we won. But we also want to take advantage of showing our rover lunar Rover-Tito, the robot that we have been developing with the team for some time. Without a doubt, the possibility of contacting such influential people in the aerospace industry will be a unique opportunity to learn, continue advancing and be able to generate initiatives in Argentina from these connections”, concluded Mendieta.
The other six members of the group are: Tomás Liendro, expert in mechanical engineering from Córdoba; Fabián Burgos, specialist in electronic engineering from Santa Fe; Juan Losarcos, geologist from La Pampa; Santiago Núñez, expert in electronic engineering and programming from Chubut; Dolores Avalis, industrial designer from San Luis; and Sol Maldonado Betanzo, electronic engineer from Chubut and main person responsible for the work.
