speech on india's space program in English
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SPACE research is no longer considered as a high-tech venture whose costs make it an irrelevant luxury for a developing country like India.
Indeed, the benefits of space research have great relevance for developing countries—revolutionising communications, natural resources management, study of agricultural potential, weather monitoring, and disaster management. Furthermore, the spin-offs from space technology find applications in fields ranging from food storage to open- heart surgery, from fishing to automobiles.
Returning to the earth involves problems opposite to those of getting into space.
The orbiter enters the earth’s atmosphere at a speed of more than 25,800 kilometers per hour. As the spacecrafts slows down, friction with the air produces intense heat. The temperature of the wings may reach over 1500 °C. A thermal protection system shields the orbiter from this heat.
Artificial Satellites:
An artificial satellite is a manufactured ‘moon’. It circles the earth in space along a path called an orbit. An artificial satellite may be designed in almost any shape.
The son-synchronous mode also enables the satellite to cross above a given place on the earth a; the same local time so that repeated observations of a given area car be compared as well as conjoined.
Another type of satellite is one of long-elliptical Molniva-orbit (for example, Molniya 1-73 satellite with 504 and 39,834 km altitudes at perigee and apogee respectively).
Launch:
The launch vehicle’s second stage generally gives the spacecraft the velocity it needs to go into orbit. The higher the orbit the lower the speed needed to stay in orbit For example; a spacecraft in a circular orbit 320 kilometers high must travel at a speed of more than 27,400 kilometers per hour.
Escaping Earth’s Gravity:
The moon lies within the earth’s gravity. But at the moon’s distance, the force of gravity is very weak. A spacecraft launched at 40,200 kilometers per hour-just 1,100 kilometers per hour greater than the speed necessary to reach the moon-can escape the influence of the earth’s gravity.
This speed of 40,200 kilometers per hour which corresponds to 11.2 kilometers per second is called escape velocity. It sends the spacecraft into interplanetary space. The spacecraft then comes under the influence of the sun’s gravity and goes into orbit around the sun close to the earth’s orbit.
Travelling to the Planets:
To reach a planet, a spacecraft must be launched from the earth at a velocity greater than escape velocity. This extra velocity changes the speed of the spacecraft around the sun. Given the proper velocity, the craft goes into a solar orbit that carries it to the target planet.
To reach Mars, a spacecraft must be launched at 11.8 kilometers per second—0.6 kilometer per second faster than escape velocity. Also, the craft must be launched in the same direction the earth moves around the sun.
The extra 0.6 kilometer per second then adds to the 29.8 kilometers per second the craft has because of the earth’s motion. The craft’s final speed around the sun is 30.4 kilometers per second. Travelling at this speed, the spacecraft coasts outward from the sun until it crosses the orbit of Mars.
The Indian Space Programme:
The genesis of the Indian space programme lay Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) that was formed by the Department of Atomic Energy in 1962. The first sounding rocket was launched from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in 1963. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was formed under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in 1969.
The experimental phase included Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), Satellite Telecommunication Experiment (STEP), remote sensing application projects, satellites like Aryabhata, Bhaskara, Rohini and APPLE and launch vehicles, SLV-3 and ASLV.
The Indian space programme is geared to the utilisation of space technology for the socio-economic development of the country. The primary objective of the space programme is to set up self-reliant operation of space services.
The main thrusts of the programme are: (i) satellite-based resources survey and environmental monitoring, (ii) satellite communications, (iii) meteorological applications, and (iv) development of indigenous satellite launch vehicles and associated ground segment for providing these space based services.
The S&T projects of the Department of Space (DOS) fall under the following categories: (i) National Mission/ Mission-mode projects; (ii) projects of DOS; and (iii) DOS-sponsored projects in universities and other institutions.
The space programme was formalised with the constitution of the Space Commission and the Department of Space (DOS) in 1972 to formulate and implement space policies in the country. The Space Commission is the nodal agency for coordinating R&D activities in space science and technology.