Four Astronauts have been announced for India's first Gaganyaan Human Space Mission. They are test pilots: Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap and Shubhanshu Shukla. Prime Minister Modi, a visionary, made the announcement.
Congratulations, It is a long awaited mission. A critical step to reality of becoming an active player in Artemis Accord as well as ambitious goal of having Indian human space capabilities.
When I trained Apollo Astronauts in 1968-1972 period and after receiving Apollo Achievement Award my work began with Apollo 8, I was a rare Indian immigrant working on the US NASA mission not only to put Humans on Moon but also worked parallelly for other Human Space programs such as Skylab, Space Shuttle and Space Station designs. Space tug was also on drawing board but never became real, still has hopes in future growth of cislunar activities and for the Lunar Orbiting Gateway.
Late Dr. Vikram Sarabhai then Chair of Indian Space Program invited me to establish ISRO HQ with Applications focus hence I worked on Landsat Missions then called ERTS looking at Earth, as well as on ATS Geostationary Satellite for Meteorology and TV broadcast. went back to India in 1973 as first Scientific Secretary of ISRO HQ. The first satellite Program had just started, after that I helped get approval for India's Bhaskara Satellites and also established National Remote Sensing Agency. There fore I provided technical oversight to all IRO Projects including IRS, INSAT and SLV.
In 1975, I produced a Report and Proposal for India to Participate in the then NASA Space Shuttle program which is still in ISRO HQ Library, but never got funded.
Today after 50 years that wish is getting doubly fulfilled. It is heartening:
1. Participation of India's Astronaut in the International Space Station as part of Artemis Accord.
2. Announcement of Gaganyaan Astronauts.
While there is gap of 25 years since the China Human Space flights, it is hoped and is evident that India will not chose the stand alone limited scope path, it will hopefully work with community, as ISS has done, in spite of deficiencies such as retirement of Shuttle after Columbia Disaster.
Human space flight Lunar and Planetary destinations are more real today than Shuttle participation was and India has to scale from LEO to such vast in scope realities which forward looking economy will enable, yet this scientist who again contributed to NASA programs twice hopes that stable India will again prove leadership in its contributions to advancing space achievements, as Indian professionals have proven in leading technology giants globally. A case of such leadership and vision is SpaceX, who not only created a launch capability to ISS but are likely to play big role in Lunar exploration and Artemis Program.
Among Open Challenges are regulations and awareness that while creating space assets, we are also creating earthlike space environmental problems. Next Generation will undoubtedly solve the problems created by pioneers.
Noble thoughts with great dreams are likely to succeed.
Helpful links and posts
2020 - Space.com article analyzing Chandrayaan-2 and suggestions for Future ISRO missions. https://www.space.com/india-moon-landing-not-a-failure.html
https://forums.space.com/threads/space-human-space-flight-global-and-indian-perspective.64744/
https://indiafoundation.in/articles...d-indias-role-in-emerging-new-race-for-space/
Ravi
(Dr. Ravi Sharma, Ph.D. USA)
NASA Apollo Achievement Award
ISRO Distinguished Service Awards
Former MTS NASA HQ MSEB Apollo
Former Scientific Secretary ISRO HQ
Ontolog Board of Trustees
Particle and Space Physics
Senior Enterprise Architect
SAE Fuel Cell Tech Committee voting member for 20 years.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/drravisharma
Congratulations, It is a long awaited mission. A critical step to reality of becoming an active player in Artemis Accord as well as ambitious goal of having Indian human space capabilities.
When I trained Apollo Astronauts in 1968-1972 period and after receiving Apollo Achievement Award my work began with Apollo 8, I was a rare Indian immigrant working on the US NASA mission not only to put Humans on Moon but also worked parallelly for other Human Space programs such as Skylab, Space Shuttle and Space Station designs. Space tug was also on drawing board but never became real, still has hopes in future growth of cislunar activities and for the Lunar Orbiting Gateway.
Late Dr. Vikram Sarabhai then Chair of Indian Space Program invited me to establish ISRO HQ with Applications focus hence I worked on Landsat Missions then called ERTS looking at Earth, as well as on ATS Geostationary Satellite for Meteorology and TV broadcast. went back to India in 1973 as first Scientific Secretary of ISRO HQ. The first satellite Program had just started, after that I helped get approval for India's Bhaskara Satellites and also established National Remote Sensing Agency. There fore I provided technical oversight to all IRO Projects including IRS, INSAT and SLV.
In 1975, I produced a Report and Proposal for India to Participate in the then NASA Space Shuttle program which is still in ISRO HQ Library, but never got funded.
Today after 50 years that wish is getting doubly fulfilled. It is heartening:
1. Participation of India's Astronaut in the International Space Station as part of Artemis Accord.
2. Announcement of Gaganyaan Astronauts.
While there is gap of 25 years since the China Human Space flights, it is hoped and is evident that India will not chose the stand alone limited scope path, it will hopefully work with community, as ISS has done, in spite of deficiencies such as retirement of Shuttle after Columbia Disaster.
Human space flight Lunar and Planetary destinations are more real today than Shuttle participation was and India has to scale from LEO to such vast in scope realities which forward looking economy will enable, yet this scientist who again contributed to NASA programs twice hopes that stable India will again prove leadership in its contributions to advancing space achievements, as Indian professionals have proven in leading technology giants globally. A case of such leadership and vision is SpaceX, who not only created a launch capability to ISS but are likely to play big role in Lunar exploration and Artemis Program.
Among Open Challenges are regulations and awareness that while creating space assets, we are also creating earthlike space environmental problems. Next Generation will undoubtedly solve the problems created by pioneers.
Noble thoughts with great dreams are likely to succeed.
Helpful links and posts
2020 - Space.com article analyzing Chandrayaan-2 and suggestions for Future ISRO missions. https://www.space.com/india-moon-landing-not-a-failure.html
https://forums.space.com/threads/space-human-space-flight-global-and-indian-perspective.64744/
https://indiafoundation.in/articles...d-indias-role-in-emerging-new-race-for-space/
Ravi
(Dr. Ravi Sharma, Ph.D. USA)
NASA Apollo Achievement Award
ISRO Distinguished Service Awards
Former MTS NASA HQ MSEB Apollo
Former Scientific Secretary ISRO HQ
Ontolog Board of Trustees
Particle and Space Physics
Senior Enterprise Architect
SAE Fuel Cell Tech Committee voting member for 20 years.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/drravisharma
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