Big leap in India's efforts for manned space flight
New Delhi, Jan 10, 2014, DHNS:
Scientists at the Indian Space Research Institute (Isro) have also made significant progress in developing a spacesuit and a support system for human crew in geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) Mk-III.
Research is also under way on the re-entry issue, in which the module has to face enormous amounts of heat, and on how to land the module at a precise predetermined location. A manned space flight to a low-earth orbit (upwards of 160 km to a few hundred km) is on Isro's radar. Except the US' Apollo missions to the moon, all other human space flights took place in these zones. The international space station rotates the earth at an altitude between 330 km and 435 km.
GSLV Mk-III is three-stage vehicle with 200 tonnes strap-on solid-propellant boosters and a second-stage engine with liquid propellants, besides the indigenous cryogenic engine.
The experimental flight, however, will not carry a functional cryogenic engine. The heavy-duty rocket will fly up to an altitude of 120 km, after which it will take a parabolic path and dive in the Bay of Bengal
Isro inches closer to manned mission - The Times of India
KOCHI: In a major boost to Indian Space Research Organization's (Isro) ambition to launch a manned space mission, the experiments related to its crew module designed for orbital voyage would be conducted in April.
The crew module, indigenously developed and capable of ferrying three space travelers, will be flown on the first experimental flight of GSLV Mark - III. Buoyed by the success of the cryogenic engine, Isro is now giving more thrust to the development of the GSLV series.
The GSLV-MK-III is being developed as a heavy-lift vehicle capable of placing satellites weighing up to 5,000 kg in geosynchronous orbit. The plan is to test its first stage and strap-on motors in April.
"The crew module for the proposed manned mission will be flown on the Mk-III vehicle. This will be a sub-orbital flight to test the first stage and to ensure that the rocket gains five km/second velocity,'' said Dr Radhakrishnan, Isro chairman.
The crew module will be injected into the lower orbit and then made to re-enter the earth's atmosphere. It will be guided to land in a specified spot, most likely in the Bay of Bengal.
This is a crucial experiment, said Radhakrishnan. ``We will be checking the crew capsule for all parameters. The most important will be to understand how it withstands the friction of entering earth's atmosphere,'' he said.
Isro had tested thermal shields that withstand re-entry heat and friction during its space capsule recovery experiment (SRE) in 2007. ``But in this case the capsule has to be human rated or we have to ensure that our space travellers will be safe during the entire length of the journey,'' Radhakrishnan said.
Isro, as an additional feature, has also built in a separate escape module within the crew capsule. Sources said this module will in itself be a miniature space vehicle that can safely bring home its passengers.
New Delhi, Jan 10, 2014, DHNS:
Scientists at the Indian Space Research Institute (Isro) have also made significant progress in developing a spacesuit and a support system for human crew in geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) Mk-III.
Research is also under way on the re-entry issue, in which the module has to face enormous amounts of heat, and on how to land the module at a precise predetermined location. A manned space flight to a low-earth orbit (upwards of 160 km to a few hundred km) is on Isro's radar. Except the US' Apollo missions to the moon, all other human space flights took place in these zones. The international space station rotates the earth at an altitude between 330 km and 435 km.
GSLV Mk-III is three-stage vehicle with 200 tonnes strap-on solid-propellant boosters and a second-stage engine with liquid propellants, besides the indigenous cryogenic engine.
The experimental flight, however, will not carry a functional cryogenic engine. The heavy-duty rocket will fly up to an altitude of 120 km, after which it will take a parabolic path and dive in the Bay of Bengal
Isro inches closer to manned mission - The Times of India
KOCHI: In a major boost to Indian Space Research Organization's (Isro) ambition to launch a manned space mission, the experiments related to its crew module designed for orbital voyage would be conducted in April.
The crew module, indigenously developed and capable of ferrying three space travelers, will be flown on the first experimental flight of GSLV Mark - III. Buoyed by the success of the cryogenic engine, Isro is now giving more thrust to the development of the GSLV series.
The GSLV-MK-III is being developed as a heavy-lift vehicle capable of placing satellites weighing up to 5,000 kg in geosynchronous orbit. The plan is to test its first stage and strap-on motors in April.
"The crew module for the proposed manned mission will be flown on the Mk-III vehicle. This will be a sub-orbital flight to test the first stage and to ensure that the rocket gains five km/second velocity,'' said Dr Radhakrishnan, Isro chairman.
The crew module will be injected into the lower orbit and then made to re-enter the earth's atmosphere. It will be guided to land in a specified spot, most likely in the Bay of Bengal.
This is a crucial experiment, said Radhakrishnan. ``We will be checking the crew capsule for all parameters. The most important will be to understand how it withstands the friction of entering earth's atmosphere,'' he said.
Isro had tested thermal shields that withstand re-entry heat and friction during its space capsule recovery experiment (SRE) in 2007. ``But in this case the capsule has to be human rated or we have to ensure that our space travellers will be safe during the entire length of the journey,'' Radhakrishnan said.
Isro, as an additional feature, has also built in a separate escape module within the crew capsule. Sources said this module will in itself be a miniature space vehicle that can safely bring home its passengers.
