Yahoo News: Rocket Disaster Casts Doubt Over Indian Space Program
If the history of modern rocketry teaches anything, it's that sooner or later, stuff will blow up. When you pour thousands of gallons of combustible fuel into 15-story machines and then ignite the whole stack, the occasional explosion is simply going to be the cost of doing business. What you have to hope is that no one gets hurt, and if at all possible, no one's watching.
The spectacular Christmas-day explosion of India's new Geo-Synchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) - a gleaming 167-ft. (51m) tower of rocket - spared the country the deaths that sometimes accompany space disasters, but the public humiliation was another matter. Crowds swarmed the Satish Sahwan Space Center in Andhra Pradesh in anticipation of the launch and millions more watched live on TV as the GSLV's engines were lit at 4:04 PM. Forty-seven seconds later, engineers on the ground lost control of the vehicle. Sixteen seconds after that, they blew the haywire rocket up. A booster that was supposed to carry a critical telecommunications satellite into high-Earth orbit instead met its end just eight miles (13 km) over the Bay of Bengal. (See the top 50 space moments since Sputnik.)
More was lost in the GSLV disaster than a $39 million (1.75 billion rupee) rocket and its satellite payload. Also badly damaged was India's long-pursued rep as a major player in the commercial rocket game. This is not the first GSLV that has failed to fly; the booster has a record of four disasters in seven tries over the past 10 years - the most recent just last April.
"The GSLV has had only a 50% success rate," says Ajey Lele, space expert at the Institute of Defense and Security Analysis in New Delhi. "India has wanted to have the technology and the facility [to launch heavy payloads] on its own soil. Now that will not happen in the near future." But with China, Japan, the U.S. and other countries all chasing the same global business with their own fleet of rockets, the near future may be all the time the Indian program has. See pictures of five nations' space programs.
India has had a big - if unheralded - presence in the space community for a long time. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) - essentially India's NASA - was established in 1969 with the mission of focusing exclusively on launching communications and Earth observation satellites, programs that have immediate benefits for people on the ground and were seen as the only legitimate business a country as poor as India had in space.
ISRO did well with its limited portfolio, but things changed in 1999, when the country - puffed up after a series of successful nuclear tests the year before - decided to aim higher, planning for unmanned missions to the moon and manned missions into Earth orbit. In 2008, the Chandrayaan-1 lunar spacecraft made good on part of that promise, not only successfully orbiting the moon, but making a significant - indeed, landmark - discovery about the surprising quantity of water mixed in with the lunar soil. Meantime, the smaller predecessor of the GSLV was making a name for itself as a reliable commercial launcher, with a string of 16 successful launches against no failures. The GSLV was seen as the next logical step in a rapidly advancing program: a three-stage, heavy-lift rocket suitable for bigger payloads and crews. (See photos of the labor of space exploration.)
But the ambitious design of the rocket may be its undoing. The problem that led to the explosion occurred in the first stage - a giant liquid-fueled engine surrounded by four, strap-on solid fuel rockets. Strap-ons, as designers know, are a great way to add oomph to a booster; the more power you need, the more solids you attach. But multiple engines mean increased complexity - not to mention the need to coordinate the exact amount of thrust each motor is producing, the exact moment ignition takes place and the tricky acoustical business of controlling vibrations. The fact that it's that stage that failed this time was not surprising but it was disappointing, since in the April launch it worked perfectly; it was the second, simpler stage that failed that time. Another former ISRO chief called the nature of this most recent accident nothing short of "a national setback."
For the moment it's unclear whether it's a setback the space agency can recover from in time. Sorting out multiple glitches in multiple stages is a time-consuming business, and even one more failure could irreparably destroy the GSLV's image. Ultimately, the global market for heavy-lift flight could simply leave India behind. Uncertain too will be the scheduled 2015 launch of the Chandrayaan II, a joint Indian-Russian moon mission that's intended to carry both a lunar satellite and a rover and was slated to be launched on a GSLV. Even less certain is the launch of the first Indian astronauts - or vyomanauts - a mission that did not yet even have a target date and is less likely than ever to get one until the big booster proves itself.
India's economic and technological growth have been extraordinary over the past ten years, but as the U.S. and Russia learned over the previous fifty, there is nothing that challenges a country's scientific and industrial base like trying to take those first steps into space. The GSLV may yet recover, and vyomanauts may yet ride it to glory, but the path won't be easy. It never, ever is.
Rabu, 29 Desember 2010
Senin, 27 Desember 2010
Partial Solar Eclipse on Jan 4th, 2011 - Visible from parts of Northern India
THE FIRST ECLIPSE of 2011
A partial solar eclipse will occur on January 4, 2011. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring Earth's view of the Sun. A partial solar eclipse occurs in the polar regions of the Earth when the center of the moon's shadow misses the earth.
The eclipse will be visible over most of Europe, the Arabian peninsula, North Africa and Western Asia.
IT WILL BE VISIBLE FROM PARTS OF NORTHERN INDIA.
Local Circumstances:
For details about local circumstances, visit the SPACE eclipse blog at http://solareclipsesindia.blogspot.com/
How to Observe:
For suggestions and tips by SPACE on how to observe a solar eclipse, visit here http://solareclipsesindia.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-view-solar-eclipse.html
For solar viewing goggles, telescopes etc visit the SPACE Arcade website:
www.spacearcade.in
Details and Map at NASA eclipse site here:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2011.html#SE2011Jan04P
A partial solar eclipse will occur on January 4, 2011. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring Earth's view of the Sun. A partial solar eclipse occurs in the polar regions of the Earth when the center of the moon's shadow misses the earth.
The eclipse will be visible over most of Europe, the Arabian peninsula, North Africa and Western Asia.
IT WILL BE VISIBLE FROM PARTS OF NORTHERN INDIA.
Local Circumstances:
For details about local circumstances, visit the SPACE eclipse blog at http://solareclipsesindia.blogspot.com/
How to Observe:
For suggestions and tips by SPACE on how to observe a solar eclipse, visit here http://solareclipsesindia.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-view-solar-eclipse.html
For solar viewing goggles, telescopes etc visit the SPACE Arcade website:
www.spacearcade.in
Details and Map at NASA eclipse site here:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2011.html#SE2011Jan04P
Jumat, 24 Desember 2010
QUADRANTIDS METEOR SHOWER on Jan4th, 2011
The Quadrantids are an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at their peak.
The shower usually peaks on January 3 & 4, but some meteors can be visible from January 1 - 5. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation Bootes.
The source of the Quadrantid meteor shower was unknown until Dec. 2003 when Peter Jenniskens of the NASA Ames Research Center found evidence that Quadrantid meteoroids come from 2003 EH1, an "asteroid" that is probably a piece of a comet that broke apart some 500 years ago. Earth intersects the orbit of 2003 EH1 at a perpendicular angle, which means we quickly move through any debris. That's why the shower is so brief.
Details here:
http://meteorshowersonline.com/quadrantids.html
Kamis, 23 Desember 2010
RESULTS of the "scientist of the day"
STEPL (Space Technology and Education Pvt. Ltd.) conducted an experiment for school children as part of the Winter Solstice Day celebrations at Jantar Mantar on 22nd Dec by SPACE.
The competition titled 'Scientist of the Day' involved measuring the shadow of a long stick over a period of time and using the shortest shadow to find the Circumference of the Earth. This uses the concept that the sun rays shine directly overhead on the Tropic of Capricorn (the latitude line at 23.5° south, passing through Brazil, South Africa, and Australia) on the day of Winter Solstice. Younger students participated in a competition "Measuring the Sun Angle" which was a smaller part of the original one.
About 150 students from 21 schools from Delhi NCR participated in this competition, including schools such as The Airforce School, Subroto Park; DPS Sonepat; Ryan International School, Rohini; Step by Step, Noida; Apeejay School, Saket, etc. The students sat in groups amidst the green lawns surrounded by the ancient monuments and measured away for a couple of hours. It was a great experience for the teachers and students to be involved in such a project.
All the groups did a great job and attended to the measurements with attention and diligence. I am proud to announce the winners of these two competitions:
In Senior Section Ryan International School, Vasant Kunj won the first prize where as team 8 and team 7 from Ryan International School, Rohini got second and third prize respectively.
In Junior Section team 5 from The Air Force School, Subrato Park won the first prize where as team 15 and team 16 from Step By Step Greater Noida stood second and third prize respectively.
Earth will be at Perihelion on Jan 4th, 2011 (00:30 IST)
You may know that we don’t have a circular orbit around the Sun. It is elliptical, that means at one point we are closest, and at another we are at the furthest point away. On January 3rd at 19:00 UT or January 4th at 00:30 IST, Earth will be at its closest point from the Sun on its' elliptical orbit around the Earth, which is known as Perihelion.
The Earth-Sun distance at that time is 147,093,590 km, which is about 5 million km closer than its farthest point in early July. However, this effect is much less significant than the effects due to the axial tilt of the Earth. Our seasons are determined primarily by the tilt of the Earth and not by how close or far the Earth is to the Sun.
To read in detail about Earth at Perihelion, find the attached document at the Google Calendar listing for this event here:https://docs.google.com/
SPACE celebrated Winter Solstice at Jantar Mantar, Dec 22, 2010
SPACE celebrated Winter Solstice with public outreach and with a large group of school students at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi
22nd December was the shortest day of the winter, i.e. the Winter Solstice when the Earth's axis in the Northern Hemisphere was tilted furthest away from the sun. After this day, the day lengths slowly increase again. This day is celebrated over the world in different cultures, the most famous celebrations being at Stonehenge. SPACE observed this day in Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
SPACE conducted public outreach at Jantar Mantar. Thankfully, although Winter Solstice indicates the peak of winter unofficially, it turned out to be a glorious sunny day. A lot of tourists and general wanderers walked through and were happy to find out what the ancient 'Jantar's (Yantras- meaning Machines) or structures were actually used for and how they were used to measure locations and time using the sun's shadow or by observing celestial objects.SPACE conducted tours of the various instruments and explained their workings.
STEPL (Space Technology and Education Pvt. Ltd.), i.e. the education wing of SPACE conducted an experiment for school children. The competition titled 'Scientist of the Day' involved measuring the shadow of a long stick over a period of time and using the shortest shadow to find the Circumference of the Earth. This uses the concept that the sun rays shine directly overhead on the Tropic of Capricorn (the latitude line at 23.5° south, passing through Brazil, South Africa, and Australia) on the day of Winter Solstice. About 200 students from 15 schools from Delhi NCR participated in this competition, including schools such as The Airforce School, Subroto Park; DPS Sonepat; Ryan International School, Rohini; Step by Step, Noida; Apeejay School, Saket, etc. The students sat in groups amidst the green lawns surrounded by the ancient monuments and measured away for a couple of hours. It was a great experience for the teachers and students to be involved in such a project.
Experimental material such as Telescopes, Binoculars and Astrokits were provided by SPACE Arcade www.spacearcade.in.
Rabu, 15 Desember 2010
SPACE wil celebrate Winter Solstice at Jantar Mantar, 22nd Dec
SPACE will celebrate Winter Solstice at Jantar Mantar
22nd Dec, 11:00am - 3:00 pm
SPACE will celebrate Winter Solstice with Public Outreach at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most inclined toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun's apparent position in the sky to reach its northernmost or southernmost extreme.
22nd Dec, 11:00am - 3:00 pm
- Learn about all the Jantar Mantar instruments and see how they are used.
- STEPL will conduct competitions on 'Measuring the Sun Angle' (Primary students) and 'Measuring the Circumference of the Earth' (Middle and Senior school students)
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most inclined toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun's apparent position in the sky to reach its northernmost or southernmost extreme.
On the day of Winter Solstice, North Pole tilts away from the Sun and South Pole tilts towards the Sun. The Winter Solstice occurs exactly when the earth's axial tilt is farthest away from the sun at its maximum of 23° 26'. So the Sun shines at lowest heights in Northern skies and at maximum heights at Southern skies. It results in the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere but at the same time it’s the longest day in Southern Hemisphere. So for people in Southern Hemisphere it’s a Summer Solstice.
Winter Solstice indicates winter at its peak. After this, the length of the day starts increasing and it reaches a point where day and night becomes equal in length at Vernal or Spring Equinox. The day continues to grow longer till Summer Solstice, the longest day.
The Winter Solstice will take place at 23:38 UT on 21st Dec (5:08 am IST on 22nd Dec) . In New Delhi, sunrise on winter solstice day is at 7:10 am and sunset is at 5:29 pm making it a day which is about 10 hours in duration.
On Dec 22nd, SPACE will conduct a Public Outreach in collaboration with Nehru Planetarium at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. The students from various schools of Delhi will be performing activities tracking the shadow created by the sun using the Jai Prakash Yantra, and participating in competitions.
More information can be found at our blog http://wintersolsticeindia.blogspot.com/.
For details on competitions visit www.stepl.org
For telescopes, binoculars and cameras visit www.spacearcade.in
Rabu, 01 Desember 2010
SPACE TEAM receives Kudos for Success in Great Indian Star Count Program
SPACE TEAM receives Kudos for Success in Great Indian Star Count Program:
SPACE recently concluded the Great Indian Star Count program (Oct 29th - Nov 12th) in collaboration with the Great Worldwide Star Count. This time SPACE turned in a record 1000 observations from all over India, which was 25% of the total number of about 4500 from over the world!
Our reports have also generated media attention, as it calls attention to the fact that light pollution has now increased by as much as 5% in cities such as Delhi compared to last year.
Such media attention and record number of observations have earned us recognition from the Director of the Globe at Night and Hands on Universe program who have sent their congratulations to SPACE and invited SPACE to join the Globe at Night program in March 2011. They have also requested C.B. Devgun to be a presenter at the IAU (International Astronomical Union) session on light pollution in July 2012 and talk about GISC and Project Dark Skies programs there.
Thanks to all of you who have worked hard to contribute results to this program. It is a privilege to be recognized by an international organization of this stature and be invited to join their programs, and thus receive support in our push to create awareness of light pollution.
Read some media clippings here on this program:http://news.in.msn.com/
SPACE recently concluded the Great Indian Star Count program (Oct 29th - Nov 12th) in collaboration with the Great Worldwide Star Count. This time SPACE turned in a record 1000 observations from all over India, which was 25% of the total number of about 4500 from over the world!
Our reports have also generated media attention, as it calls attention to the fact that light pollution has now increased by as much as 5% in cities such as Delhi compared to last year.
Such media attention and record number of observations have earned us recognition from the Director of the Globe at Night and Hands on Universe program who have sent their congratulations to SPACE and invited SPACE to join the Globe at Night program in March 2011. They have also requested C.B. Devgun to be a presenter at the IAU (International Astronomical Union) session on light pollution in July 2012 and talk about GISC and Project Dark Skies programs there.
Thanks to all of you who have worked hard to contribute results to this program. It is a privilege to be recognized by an international organization of this stature and be invited to join their programs, and thus receive support in our push to create awareness of light pollution.
Read some media clippings here on this program:http://news.in.msn.com/
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