Hello world,
We Indian are coming....
we have launced Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 will be reaching moon by 2012.
Chandraayan -1 on a lean budget...
Chandrayaan-1, now on its way to the moon, has cost less than one-tenth of the Indian Premier League rights bagged by Sony Entertainment. Rocket science is no match for cricket in the Indian popularity scale, but the economics of the Indian space odyssey could well be a lesson for anyone.
While Isro spent a little more than Rs 380 crore (about half the price of a Jumbo Jet) on Chandrayaan-1, on which about 1,000 scientists toiled for three years, a similar effort by Nasa or any other space agency would have cost five times more. Given the time taken for the project, Chandrayaan-1 cost only about 4% of Isro’s budget for the last three years.
How did Isro do it? “Optimisation,” says Isro chairman G Madhavan Nair, said “There are some tests the Americans would have done six times and we did only thrice. We scrutinise every parameter and optimise the tests. Yes, you may call it a calculated risk, but, touch wood, we have been successful with this approach so far.”
This doesn’t mean cutting corners, he says. “More than 30% of the sub-systems that went into Chandrayaan-1 were used by us in other operations. The PSLV we used for the launch is almost the same one we have been using for several previous launches, with the only difference being the six enhanced strapon motors (the quantity of solid propellants was increased from nine tonnes to 12 tonnes each).”
Optimising tests on such mastered equipment and procedures, Isro has been saving a lot. Isro has obviously attuned itself to this philosophy as much by discretion as by compulsion.
The proud second launch:
Even as ISRO is waiting for Chandrayaan-1 to reach the lunar orbit, it has already completed project reports and conceptual studies on Chandrayaan-2 and secured central approval for the project.
Chandrayaan-1 project director M Annadurai told reporters on Saturday that an initial fund of Rs 25 crore had been allotted by the Centre to ISRO and that a seed fund of Rs 50 crore was ready.
Interestingly, Chandrayaan-2 will be a partnership between India and Russia. “Talks are on as to who will build the lander and rover. ISRO can contribute to both and Russia anyway has the expertise. We are working out as to who will do what, but it will definitely be a partnership,” Annadurai said.
The project will have a lander landing on the moon’s surface and a rover which will go around the surface and conduct spot analysis of soil and possibly water. Earlier projects would bring back soil samples to analyze the moon’s surface, but Chandrayaan-2 will test the soil on the moon itself. The project has begun and conceptual studies on the spacecraft that will orbit around the moon are under way.
“We’ve been given four years to conclude Chandrayaan-2. By 2012, we should have completed two major projects on the moon.”
Interestingly, Chandrayaan-2 will be a partnership between India and Russia. “Talks are on as to who will build the lander and rover. ISRO can contribute to both and Russia anyway has the expertise. We are working out as to who will do what, but it will definitely be a partnership,” Annadurai said.
The project will have a lander landing on the moon’s surface and a rover which will go around the surface and conduct spot analysis of soil and possibly water. Earlier projects would bring back soil samples to analyze the moon’s surface, but Chandrayaan-2 will test the soil on the moon itself. The project has begun and conceptual studies on the spacecraft that will orbit around the moon are under way.
“We’ve been given four years to conclude Chandrayaan-2. By 2012, we should have completed two major projects on the moon.”
Chandrayaan-1 inches closer to moon
Chandrayaan-1 has covered 20% of its journey towards Moon as ISRO scientists on Saturday performed the second orbit-raising manoeuvre.
The lunar spacecraft’s on-board 440 Newton Liquid engine was fired for about 16 minutes from 5.48 am.
With this engine firing, Chandrayaan-1’s apogee (farthest point to earth) has been raised to 74,715 km, while its perigee (closest point to earth) has been raised to 336 km, ISRO spokesperson S Satish said. ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair termed Saturday’s orbit-raising operation as “record-breaking.”
“So far, Indian-made satellites have reached to a height of only 36,000 km. Saturday’s firing has taken Chandrayaan-1 to something like 75,000 km. That’s well beyond what we have reached so far. It was a good event, and done precisely,” Nair, also secretary in the Department of Space, said.
Indicating the complexity of India’s first unmanned lunar mission, he said when the spacecraft is closer to the earth, its gravitational field is well defined and scientists can shape the trajectory. AGENCIES
Source: www.epaper.timesofindia.com
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