Tag Archives: human spaceflight
Watch the celebrations, on mute
Right now, Shubhanshu Shukla is on his way back to Earth from the International Space Station. Am I proud he’s been the first Indian up there? I don’t know. It’s not clear. The whole thing seemed to be stage-managed. Shukla … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Science
Tagged Axiom-4, Gaganyaan, Human Space Flight Centre, human spaceflight, Indian Space Research Organisation, International Space Station, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shubhanshu Shukla
Comments Off on Watch the celebrations, on mute
Solve all our problems
This is xkcd #1232. When it came out I remember it was to rebut a particular line of argument against NASA’s lunar and interplanetary missions — that the agency was spending large sums of money that would be better spent … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Science
Tagged Elon Musk, Gaganyaan, game theory, human spaceflight, Indian Space Research Organisation, interplanetary spaceflight, NASA, SpaceX, sustainability, xkcd
Comments Off on Solve all our problems
Something more foolish than completing phase 3 trials in 1.5 months?
That the Union government and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had entered into a more intimate, but not necessarily more beneficial, relationship became evident in 2019 when then ISRO chairman K. Sivan trotted out a series of dubious claims … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Science
Tagged Balram Bhargava, Covaxin, Gaganyaan, human spaceflight, Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, K Sivan
Comments Off on Something more foolish than completing phase 3 trials in 1.5 months?
Why we need *some* borders between us
Borders are often a bad thing because they create separation that is unconducive for what are generally considered to be socially desirable outcomes. And they’re often instituted to maximise political outcomes, especially of the electoral variety. However, as electoral politics … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Op-eds
Tagged #MeToo, affirmative action, borders, deliberative democracy, democratic society, higher education, human spaceflight, leaky pipeline, privilege, quota system, reservations, SpaceX, status quo
Comments Off on Why we need *some* borders between us
Sci-fi past the science
There’s an interesting remark in the introductory portion of this article by Zeynep Tufekci (emphasis added): At its best, though, science fiction is a brilliant vehicle for exploring not the far future or the scientifically implausible but the interactions among science, technology … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Science
Tagged Arthur C Clarke, Elon Musk, human condition, human spaceflight, Jeff Bezos, politics, sci-fi, science fiction, social science, Zeynep Tufekci
Comments Off on Sci-fi past the science
The ‘could’ve, should’ve, would’ve’ of R&D
ISRO’s Moon rover, which will move around the lunar surface come September (if all goes well), will live and and die in a span of 14 days because that’s how long the lithium-ion cells it’s equipped with can survive the … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Science
Tagged Chandrayaan 2, graphene, graphite, human spaceflight, Indian Space Research Organisation, lithium-ion batteries, lithium-ion cells, R&D, silicene, translational research
Comments Off on The ‘could’ve, should’ve, would’ve’ of R&D
The Planetary Society says humans orbiting Mars is important before they land on it
A notional timeline for the 2033 mission was presented also, with crewed test-flights in cislunar orbits being planned for 2025 and 2027. The launch window provides a suitable focus year because NASA hopes to have tested the necessary spaceflight technologies and experience through its ARM in the 2020s. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Ames Research Center, Apollo 8, Asteroid Retrieval Mission, human spaceflight, Humans Orbiting Mars, launch windows, manned Mars missions, NASA, Planetary Society, SpaceX Mars Colonial Transporter
Comments Off on The Planetary Society says humans orbiting Mars is important before they land on it