AstrotalkUK

Episode 72: Satish Dhawan Space Centre

By Gurbir Dated: June 1, 2015 Leave a Comment

ep72 — From left to right. V. Seshagiri Rao Associate director, Dr M.Y.S. Prasad SDSC director, Dr S.V. Subba Rao Deputy Director

Located about 80km from Chennai on India’s east coast, Satish Dhawan Space centre is used by ISRO to launch all of its satellites including those to the Moon and Mars. Also known as Sriharikota, it was established during the late 1960s but today it has a vehicle assembly building, two launch pads and a state of the art mission control centre.

In this episode, Dr MYS Prasad, the director at Satish Dhawan Space Centre describes the key services and activities that take place at India’s 21st century rocket launch complex. This interview was recorded in January 2014 and Dr Prasad stood down as director on 31st May 2015.

Audio

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

Video

Episode 71: TATA Institute for Fundamental Research

By Gurbir Dated: May 25, 2015 Leave a Comment

Homi Bhabha 1909 - 1966 — Homi Bhabha 1909 – 1966

The Indian Space Program was initiated by a brilliant nuclear physicist Homi Bhabha who pretty much immediately handed over the space program to Vikram Sarabhai. Bhabha himself pursued the goal of establishing premier scientific institutions for fundamental research in India. At the time he regarded scientific institutions to be critical for the new emerging independent India. Whilst working in the Indian Institute of Science, in 1945 he came up with the idea of an institution for fundamental research and went on to establish the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR) which continues to operate today.

Although separate organisations, the connection between ISRO and TIFR remains strong to this day. Many of the instruments and subsystem onboard ISRO’s satellites are designed and constructed within TIFR. In this episode, the former director of TIFR, Professor Mustansir Barma talks about Homi Bhabha, his achievements in physics and the role of the TIFR in modern India.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

Images and video from the partial Solar Eclipse 20 March 2015

By Gurbir Dated: May 7, 2015 Leave a Comment

Some images and short videos of the eclipse recorded from northwest England during a mostly cloudy morning of 20th March 2015. I used a video camera piggy-backed on my driven Vixen 102mm telescope along with a Cannon 550D at the prime focus for a few stills. A mylar filter was used most of the time on both the scope and video camera but occasionally removed because the attenuation provided by the clouds was sufficient. Although mostly cloudy throughout the eclipse there were several intervals when the sun was not completely obscured and is when these recordings were made.

The video was shot using a Panasonic HDC HS900 camera and the first 4 still images are from that camera too. Click on any image to open gallery view.

Partial Solar Eclipse 20 Mar 2015 – still images from video using Panasonic HDC HS900

If you are intrigued by the birds in the images above. Here are the video clips from which they came at one tenth normal speed.

Partial Solar Eclipse 20 March 2015 – Vixen 102mm and a Cannon 550D at prime focus.

This 3 minute video is a collection of intervals when cloud cover did not completely obscure the sun during the couple of hours of the solar eclipse. It has been speeded up twenty times normal speed.

Episode 70: India’s Deep Space Network and ISRO Satellite Centre

By Gurbir Dated: April 30, 2015 Leave a Comment

Indian Deep Space Network India’s space program is now over half a century old. During this time its Infrastructure has evolved. This episode looks at the current communication capabilities used to support space vehicles during launch, in Earth orbit or on a interplanetary missions.

ISRO has an extensive network of ground stations on the Indian mainland, off-shore and neighbouring countries (Mauritius and Fiji) and collaborates with Norway, Russia, USA and European countries for mission specific needs. ISRO also has ship borne resources it deploys to meet individual mission profiles.

ISRO Dish1 copy ‘s flagship deep space antenna is the 32m fully steerable dish at Byalalu close to Bangalore. It was established for the 2008 Moon mission and has been the primary resource for communicating with its Mars Orbiter Mission. Byalalu is also the central site for India’s Regional Navigation Satellite System IRNSS due to come in to full operation in 2016.

This conversation was recorded in March 2014 with the then director of the ISRO Satellite Centre SK Shivakumar who had been project leader that established the 32m antenna.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: