Indian Space Capabilities
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IND151
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1ndy
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A failed manned flight will put a permanent end on our space exploration program, that is why ISRO is going very slowly and carefully on this front.
IND151
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Vinod2070
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I think ISRO needs to master several key technologies (some of them have already been tested) before we have Indian manned space flights. It it still at least 4-5 years away.
The priorities of ISRO seem to have changed quite a bit under he new leadership.
Are you suggesting India will be able to send its first astronaut into space by 2018?
1ndy
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If everything goes well as planned then yes otherwise there is no hurry. Robotic missions are effective than manned and cheap as well.
Vinod2070
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As far as I think, the answer is no. It will likely take more time than that.
If everything going well as the schedual,India will take their manned space mission firstly at about 2020 to 2023,the most likely 2022
kurup
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2 days old news ....
It's 50 years today since India launched its first rocket from Thumba
India today entered the golden jubilee of the launch of its first rocket from the sylvan settings of the coastal hamlet of Thumba near here, marking the decisive step of the country's space odyssey which has witnessed landmarks like Chandrayaan and Mars mission. The sleepy palm-fringed village became part of modern India's quest to scale dizzying heights of scientific research when an American-built rocket Nike-Apache was fired on November 21, 1963.
The launch site in due course came to be known as Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station (TERLS) and later became Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a major centre of ISRO named after pioneer of Indian space programme Vikram Sarabhai.
It was Sarabhai who gathered a team of young scientists and engineers for the mission and sent them to the US for hands-on training in sounding rockets.His early recruits included former President APJ Abdul Kalam. According to scientists, Thumba was identified for locating the launch station as the magnetic equator passes through South Kerala making it an ideal spot for the launch.
The Union Government took the first step in its space programme in August 1961 by entrusting the Department of Atomic Energy with the task of conducting space research and peaceful uses of outer space.
In 1962, a national committee on space research was formed under the chairmanship of Sarabhai for carrying on the mission and the next year on November 21 the first sounding rocket, a US-built Nike Apache was launched from Thumba. The launch facility was prepared by shifting several fishermen families from Thumba to an adjacent coastal stretch with the then Catholic Bishop playing a vital role in persuading the villagers. A church in the locality has been retained as such and later converted into a space museum.
It's 50 years today since India launched its first rocket from Thumba - Sci/Tech - DNA
It's 50 years today since India launched its first rocket from Thumba
India today entered the golden jubilee of the launch of its first rocket from the sylvan settings of the coastal hamlet of Thumba near here, marking the decisive step of the country's space odyssey which has witnessed landmarks like Chandrayaan and Mars mission. The sleepy palm-fringed village became part of modern India's quest to scale dizzying heights of scientific research when an American-built rocket Nike-Apache was fired on November 21, 1963.
The launch site in due course came to be known as Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station (TERLS) and later became Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a major centre of ISRO named after pioneer of Indian space programme Vikram Sarabhai.
It was Sarabhai who gathered a team of young scientists and engineers for the mission and sent them to the US for hands-on training in sounding rockets.His early recruits included former President APJ Abdul Kalam. According to scientists, Thumba was identified for locating the launch station as the magnetic equator passes through South Kerala making it an ideal spot for the launch.
The Union Government took the first step in its space programme in August 1961 by entrusting the Department of Atomic Energy with the task of conducting space research and peaceful uses of outer space.
In 1962, a national committee on space research was formed under the chairmanship of Sarabhai for carrying on the mission and the next year on November 21 the first sounding rocket, a US-built Nike Apache was launched from Thumba. The launch facility was prepared by shifting several fishermen families from Thumba to an adjacent coastal stretch with the then Catholic Bishop playing a vital role in persuading the villagers. A church in the locality has been retained as such and later converted into a space museum.
It's 50 years today since India launched its first rocket from Thumba - Sci/Tech - DNA
IND151
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The Indian space agency will decide on the need for a second rocket launch site after doing a detailed study on the cost-benefit and other aspects like the trend in remote sensing satellites, said its chief on Monday.
“A study is being undertaken on the need for a second launch site and the report is expected in couple of months,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K Radhakrishnan said.
DMK president M.Karunanidhi has been demanding building of second rocket launch site at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district as it is an ideal location and could save rocket fuel or increase the rocket’s carrying capacity.
“A rocket launch site should be on the east coast and near the equator. And Tuticorin district satisfies that condition,” a former ISRO official said.
A senior ISRO official, who did not want to be identified, said that Tuticorin is a good location for a rocket that needs to fly towards south. “As a matter of fact, long back Tuticorin was considered for locating a rocket launch site but the locals opposed it.”
Radhakrishnan said that for all eastward launches, the current site at Sriharikota is the best.
“We send the remote sensing (earth observation) satellites southwards. But the global trend in the remote sensing satellites is reduction in their size.”
“The size of remote sensing satellites is coming down while that of communication satellites is going up. A new rocket launch site for remote sensing satellites, normally launched southwards, has to take into account the capital expenditure involved and the savings in fuel burnt by the rocket. For launching communication satellites the current site is the best,” he added.
According to him, a study is being undertaken on constructing third launch pad at Sriharikota capable of launching upgraded geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) Mark III.
Meanwhile, ISRO has decided to construct a new rocket assembly building in order to increase the frequency of rocket/satellite launches and use the exiting two launch pads effectively, he said.
At present, ISRO has two rocket assembly facilities and two launch pads at its Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
It needs over a month’s time to ready a launch pad after each rocket blast-off.
During the 12th Plan Period, the Indian space agency has planned 58 missions for realization — 33 satellite missions and 25 launch vehicle missions (17 PSLV, six GSLV Mark II missions and two GSLV Mark III including the experimental one).
ISRO officials said that there is sufficient land at Sriharikota for building the new launch pad and other facilities.
Second rocket launch site depends on satellite size, cost-benefit: ISRO | idrw.org
“A study is being undertaken on the need for a second launch site and the report is expected in couple of months,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K Radhakrishnan said.
DMK president M.Karunanidhi has been demanding building of second rocket launch site at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district as it is an ideal location and could save rocket fuel or increase the rocket’s carrying capacity.
“A rocket launch site should be on the east coast and near the equator. And Tuticorin district satisfies that condition,” a former ISRO official said.
A senior ISRO official, who did not want to be identified, said that Tuticorin is a good location for a rocket that needs to fly towards south. “As a matter of fact, long back Tuticorin was considered for locating a rocket launch site but the locals opposed it.”
Radhakrishnan said that for all eastward launches, the current site at Sriharikota is the best.
“We send the remote sensing (earth observation) satellites southwards. But the global trend in the remote sensing satellites is reduction in their size.”
“The size of remote sensing satellites is coming down while that of communication satellites is going up. A new rocket launch site for remote sensing satellites, normally launched southwards, has to take into account the capital expenditure involved and the savings in fuel burnt by the rocket. For launching communication satellites the current site is the best,” he added.
According to him, a study is being undertaken on constructing third launch pad at Sriharikota capable of launching upgraded geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) Mark III.
Meanwhile, ISRO has decided to construct a new rocket assembly building in order to increase the frequency of rocket/satellite launches and use the exiting two launch pads effectively, he said.
At present, ISRO has two rocket assembly facilities and two launch pads at its Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
It needs over a month’s time to ready a launch pad after each rocket blast-off.
During the 12th Plan Period, the Indian space agency has planned 58 missions for realization — 33 satellite missions and 25 launch vehicle missions (17 PSLV, six GSLV Mark II missions and two GSLV Mark III including the experimental one).
ISRO officials said that there is sufficient land at Sriharikota for building the new launch pad and other facilities.
Second rocket launch site depends on satellite size, cost-benefit: ISRO | idrw.org
Guynextdoor2
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What's it to you? You seem needlessly interested in the progress of Kaafir space agencies.
Chronos
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That was unnecessarily aggressive? Is he a troll?
li0nheart
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Men behind Mars dreams
Kurian Mathew
Principal investigator, Methane Sensors for Mars (MSM)
Mathew is aware of the keen gaze of the World space community on the methane sensors his team put together at Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad. He however, wears the attention with rare grace and nonchalance. The sensors will measure methane levels in the Mars atmosphere.
"This is the first time that a differential radiometer based on Fabry-Perot Etalon filters will be used for remote sensing of a planetary atmosphere. Such a complex payload was realized in one-and-a-half years and the credit goes to the payload team who worked day and night under the leadership of associate project director S S Sarkar, and deputy project director A R Srinivasan," says Mathew.
Mars Orbiter Mission has a highly elliptical orbit which is generally not suitable for remote sensing. But this apparent drawback was made an advantage by a suitable imaging strategy. "At the apogee of the orbit, satellite altitude is about 80,000 km while the ground track velocity is less than 20m per sec. This means the MSM will look on the same ground scene for longer periods. By integrating the MSM signal for longer time intervals it is possible to increase the signal-to-noise performance of the sensor. So, even though the expected methane concentration in the Martian atmosphere is extremely low, we may detect it." Mathew said. "Retrieval of methane concentration from MSM data is a challenge as it requires correcting the data for absorption by carbon dioxide gas which constitutes about 95% of the Martian atmosphere," he added.
The MSM's sensitivity will be calibrated during the Earth-bound phase of the mission. "By measuring reflected solar radiation from the Earth surface it is possible to estimate methane concentration in the atmosphere which will validate the performance of the sensor."
Somya Sarkar
Associate project director (Payloads, Mars Mission)
For Sarkar and his team, lessons from Chandrayaan I moon mission helped them improvise and innovate in the Mars mission. The aim was to improve technology, curtail total payload weight and economic use of fuel in the Mars mission. "Chandrayaan-I prepared us for the Mars mission. It helped us take corrective steps where necessary and also build in a degree of autonomy for emergency situations."
"While conceptualizing and designing the payloads, we took many factors into consideration including the distance the payloads travel before hitting the Mars orbit, extreme temperature conditions which range between -22 and 50 degrees celsius and also the harsh environmental conditions around Mars," says Sarkar.
The weight of three payloads designed by SAC Ahmedabad was 7.5kgs of the total 15 kg. The challenge for Sarkar's team was to keep the payloads compact while not compromising the scientific objectives of the mission. "We tested new technology with the payloads where to reduce the time, we used many off-the-shelf components and tested them critically to ascertain if they were fit for the space mission. They were then put to use for designing the payloads," says Sarkar.
He adds "The entire team worked round-the-clock to meet the deadline and put in their utmost effort to provide the best technology for the mission. We are excited about the mission and are confident of its success," he said.
Ashutosh Arya
Principal Investigator, Mars Colour Camera (MCC)
When the Mars Colour Camera aboard Mangalyaan sends back the first colour images of the Martian surface in September next year, Ashutosh Arya and his team will heave a sigh of relief at Space Applications Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad. These will be India's first colour images from space by a camera developed indigenously by ISRO. The MCC will also record Mangalyaan's 10-month journey.
The size of a shoe box and armed with a high-resolution camera, the MCC's job is to click images of the red planet surface from the nearest and farthest points of Mangalyaan's orbit. Interestingly, Mangalyaan will enter its Mars orbit a few days before the ISON comet whizzes past the red planet. "Developed countries plan exclusive space missions to click images of comets. Mangalyaan will be there before the comet arrives near Mars. This gives us a unique opportunity to click images of the comet's tail," says Arya. Besides capturing the comet, the MCC will capture images of geological features on Mars - like rivers, valleys, delta, and dune structures. "MCC will work in synergy with the many sensors aboard Mangalyaan," says Arya.
Arya's team faced many challenges when designing the camera. The principal one was weight reduction and the stringent environmental tests. "The optics and the mechanical components were subject to severe thermoware and vibration tests and the camera remained intact. Another challenge was to make the camera meet our weight budget. We succeeded in both," says Arya. When MCC is 370km away from the Mars surface it provides a frame image of 25m x 25m. At the farthest point on the orbit, 80,000 km away, MCC provides a 4km x 4km field of view.
Men behind Mars dreams - Times Of India
Kurian Mathew
Principal investigator, Methane Sensors for Mars (MSM)
Mathew is aware of the keen gaze of the World space community on the methane sensors his team put together at Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad. He however, wears the attention with rare grace and nonchalance. The sensors will measure methane levels in the Mars atmosphere.
"This is the first time that a differential radiometer based on Fabry-Perot Etalon filters will be used for remote sensing of a planetary atmosphere. Such a complex payload was realized in one-and-a-half years and the credit goes to the payload team who worked day and night under the leadership of associate project director S S Sarkar, and deputy project director A R Srinivasan," says Mathew.
Mars Orbiter Mission has a highly elliptical orbit which is generally not suitable for remote sensing. But this apparent drawback was made an advantage by a suitable imaging strategy. "At the apogee of the orbit, satellite altitude is about 80,000 km while the ground track velocity is less than 20m per sec. This means the MSM will look on the same ground scene for longer periods. By integrating the MSM signal for longer time intervals it is possible to increase the signal-to-noise performance of the sensor. So, even though the expected methane concentration in the Martian atmosphere is extremely low, we may detect it." Mathew said. "Retrieval of methane concentration from MSM data is a challenge as it requires correcting the data for absorption by carbon dioxide gas which constitutes about 95% of the Martian atmosphere," he added.
The MSM's sensitivity will be calibrated during the Earth-bound phase of the mission. "By measuring reflected solar radiation from the Earth surface it is possible to estimate methane concentration in the atmosphere which will validate the performance of the sensor."
Somya Sarkar
Associate project director (Payloads, Mars Mission)
For Sarkar and his team, lessons from Chandrayaan I moon mission helped them improvise and innovate in the Mars mission. The aim was to improve technology, curtail total payload weight and economic use of fuel in the Mars mission. "Chandrayaan-I prepared us for the Mars mission. It helped us take corrective steps where necessary and also build in a degree of autonomy for emergency situations."
"While conceptualizing and designing the payloads, we took many factors into consideration including the distance the payloads travel before hitting the Mars orbit, extreme temperature conditions which range between -22 and 50 degrees celsius and also the harsh environmental conditions around Mars," says Sarkar.
The weight of three payloads designed by SAC Ahmedabad was 7.5kgs of the total 15 kg. The challenge for Sarkar's team was to keep the payloads compact while not compromising the scientific objectives of the mission. "We tested new technology with the payloads where to reduce the time, we used many off-the-shelf components and tested them critically to ascertain if they were fit for the space mission. They were then put to use for designing the payloads," says Sarkar.
He adds "The entire team worked round-the-clock to meet the deadline and put in their utmost effort to provide the best technology for the mission. We are excited about the mission and are confident of its success," he said.
Ashutosh Arya
Principal Investigator, Mars Colour Camera (MCC)
When the Mars Colour Camera aboard Mangalyaan sends back the first colour images of the Martian surface in September next year, Ashutosh Arya and his team will heave a sigh of relief at Space Applications Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad. These will be India's first colour images from space by a camera developed indigenously by ISRO. The MCC will also record Mangalyaan's 10-month journey.
The size of a shoe box and armed with a high-resolution camera, the MCC's job is to click images of the red planet surface from the nearest and farthest points of Mangalyaan's orbit. Interestingly, Mangalyaan will enter its Mars orbit a few days before the ISON comet whizzes past the red planet. "Developed countries plan exclusive space missions to click images of comets. Mangalyaan will be there before the comet arrives near Mars. This gives us a unique opportunity to click images of the comet's tail," says Arya. Besides capturing the comet, the MCC will capture images of geological features on Mars - like rivers, valleys, delta, and dune structures. "MCC will work in synergy with the many sensors aboard Mangalyaan," says Arya.
Arya's team faced many challenges when designing the camera. The principal one was weight reduction and the stringent environmental tests. "The optics and the mechanical components were subject to severe thermoware and vibration tests and the camera remained intact. Another challenge was to make the camera meet our weight budget. We succeeded in both," says Arya. When MCC is 370km away from the Mars surface it provides a frame image of 25m x 25m. At the farthest point on the orbit, 80,000 km away, MCC provides a 4km x 4km field of view.
Men behind Mars dreams - Times Of India
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