All systems go

Our debut Degrees podcast is a conversation with Celestial Laboratories Anwit Adhikari BSc'20, about the prospects of living on Mars and a lot more.

In 2019, Celestial Laboratories won a national competition put on by UBC Mars Colony at the University of British Columbia. The competition, called Project Airlock Challenge, sought to identify outstanding technological approaches and design of an airlock suitable for the surface of Mars.

Out of that competition came two patent applications -- one for Celestial Laboratories' collapsible airlock structure, the other for its integrated ventilation system. The firm has received a patent for its novel type of annular shaped compressor. It is designed to have other air treatment components, such as a heater, filter, CO2 scrubber, etc. integrated seamlessly to create an integrated ventilation system.

We sat down with Anwit Adhikari to talk about growing up in his native Nepal, his early fascination with technology, the art of technical design, and what the future holds for him and Celestial Laboratories. Click on the link below to listen to the podcast.