AstrotalkUK

Not for profit website/blog on astronomy, space and my writing

Episode 69: Mars Orbiter Mission

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Dr Mylswamy Annadurai is the program director for the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) launched in 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation. He served as the program director for the 2008  Chandrayaan-I mission to the Moon and is continuing that role for the Chandrayaan-2 currently in development.

ISROThis interview  was recorded in his office at   the ISRO’s Satellite Centre  in Bangalore on 26th March 2014 after MOM had been launched but before it had arrived at Mars.

 

 

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India’s Mars Orbiter Mission

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Mars Orbiter Mission - Photo - ISRO
Mars Orbiter Mission – Photo – ISRO

India launched its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) with its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launcher and everything, including the weather, performed as expected. The 1340KM Mars bound probe with a 15km  package of five science instruments will arrive at Mars in December next year.

Currently MOM is in Earth orbit where it will remain for another week.  Why? Because the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is still working on its more powerful launcher the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) so had to use the less powerful but extremely reliable PSLV. Hence the modest science package and the requirement of six orbits of Earth for gravity assist.    Several engine firings  on  November 6, 7, 8, 9 and  11 are required, each one  increasing MOM’s speed. A final burn on 16th November will finally supply it the speed it needs to reach Mars. With another critical engine burn is required for arrival in Martian orbit on 1st of December. If that burn, almost a year from now fails, MOM will fly past Mars and be lost in space.

India’s space program was founded almost 50 years ago on the principle that space technology is an essential instrument for national development. Although commercial, military and scientific elements have since crept in, improving the quality of life for the huge Indian population, remains its primary objective.

ISRO has designated this as a technology demonstrator, India is building on the its Chandryaan-1 mission from 2008 but the engineering and technical challenges are an order of magnitude higher. ISRO was successful in reaching the Moon on its first attempt, it is hoping to do likewise with Mars.

Here is a 4 minute clip of my audio interview on Voice of Russia. I am introduced as a science journalist which of course I am not. 

India and Space

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November 21st 2013 marks 50 years of the Indian space program. From humble beginnings devoid of infrastructure, experience or trained engineers, India today has an established track record of designing, building and launching satellites for its own national needs and commercially for others.

The next few podcast offer a glimpse of the people and achievements of this half a century old story .. so far.

Episode 62: An interview with Amrita Shah from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. Author of the most comprehensive biography on Vikram Sarabhai (Vikram Sarabhai :  A Life). Book review of this fascinating book here.

Episode 63: Rakesh Sharma – India’s only spaceman. A video interview recorded in August 2013 where Rakesh Sharma talks about his spaceflight, its aftermath and his views on human spaceflight. Two minute trailer below.

Episode 64 – Bangalore Astronomical Society. Probably the most productive amateur astronomical society in India with a huge presence online and thus an international footprint.

Episode 65 – Professor UR Rao. A look back at the contribution of former ISRO chairman who was originally recruited in to the Indian Space program by Vikram Sarabhai. Whilst working at NASA in the early 1960s, a cosmic ray scientist Rao worked on several Pioneer and Explore spacecraft. Rao was in Dallas waiting to meet Kennedy on that fateful day…

Episode 66 –  Interview with director at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre originally known as Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station. TERLS was the site of India’s first rocket launch in to space on 21st November 1963.

Rakesh Sharma two minute trailer

 

Mars Beckons India – Mars mission set for November launch

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Mars Beckons India Book Review

Title: Mars Beckons India. The story of India’s Mission to Mars
Publisher: Vigyan Pasar
Author: Srinivas Laxman
ISBN: 9788174802255
Hardback: 71 pages

Disclosure: The author of this book, Srinivas Laxman reviewed my book “Yuri Gagarin in Manchester and London” on his blog in 2011. 

The dramatic announcement by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in August 2012 to launch a mission to Mars surprised everyone. It went further. In order to catch the next Mars launch window ISRO committed to a launch in November 2013. Miss that and they will have to wait for at least two years for the next one.  This is an extra-ordinarily bold undertaking for a space agency with the experience of only a single mission beyond Earth orbit under its belt.

In this book the author, a Times of India journalist, Srinivas Laxman interviews some of the key ISRO personnel to get mission details first hand. There is not a great deal of detail in the book.  Given the record breaking timescale, just over a year from announcement to launch, much of the detail is work in progress. The subtitle “The story of India’s Mission to Mars” is a little ambitious given that the mission has yet to begin. In the preface the author describes the book as a “public outreach exercise” which is much more appropriate objective. The book is well produced containing a generous number colour images. Some are disappointingly small and not all sit well within the narrative where they appear.

Although far from comprehensive, this is probably the most detailed information source authorised by ISRO in the public domain at the present. It was published early 2013. Mission details are still emerging. The 500kg spacecraft called Mangalyaan in the media but not formally by ISRO nor in this book, was made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, will be launched aboard a PSLV-XL launcher  (the same one used for the  Chandrayaan-1 mission to the Moon in 2008) in November 2013. Following six ever increasing elliptical orbits of Earth,  Mangalyaan will leave Earth on 26th November and enter Martian orbit of 500km by 80,000km on 21st  September 2014.

This mission, unlike Chandrayaan-1 does not have an element of international collaboration. All five instruments (Methane Sensor, Thermal Infra-red Imaging Spectrometer, Mars Colour Camera, Lyman Alpha Photometer and the Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser) are of Indian origin.

Also included in the book is some background to Mars missions in the past and an introduction to some of the key ISRO personnel too.  This is an ideal book for anyone new to the subject, especially students who are looking for a primer on the India’s first Mars mission. Currently it is only available in hardback. Particularly for the student community, the publisher should consider releasing an e-book version.

The book, published only in India is available online  from Bookadda  at RS175.