Tag Archives: Indian Space Research Organisation
Gaganyaan: The ingredient is not the recipe
For all the hoopla over indigeneity – from ISRO chairman S. Somanath exalting the vast wisdom of ancient Indians to political and ideological efforts to cast modern India as the world’s ‘vishwaguru’ – the pressure vessel of the crew module … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Culture, Science
Tagged crew module, Gaganyaan, Indian Space Research Organisation, S Somanath, The Hindu
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A difficulty celebrating Chandrayaan 3
I’m grateful to Avijit Pathak for his article in Indian Express on August 29. After the Chandrayaan 3 mission achieved its primary objective, to soft-land a robotic lander on the moon’s south polar region, there was widespread jubilation, but I … Continue reading
Posted in Life notes, Op-eds
Tagged Avijit Pathak, Chandrayaan 3, Indian Express, Indian Space Research Organisation, nationalism, Patriotism
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Checking the validity of a ‘valid’ ISRO question
The question of whether resources directed to space programmes are a diversion from pressing development needs, however, is a valid one. As an answer, one can uphold the importance of these programmes in material and scientific terms. The knowledge gleaned … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Science
Tagged Department of Space, Indian Space Programme, Indian Space Research Organisation, NewSpace India, Rahul Menon, The Hindu
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NYT’s ISRO coverage continues assault on sense
The New York Times refuses to learn, perpetuating views of ISRO that are equal parts blurry and illiterate, and often missing points that become clearer with just a little bit of closer reading. The launch and subsequent success of Chandrayaan … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Scicomm
Tagged Chandrayaan 3, Gravity Film, Indian Space Research Organisation, NASA MAVEN, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reason of state, The New York Times
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Looking (only) for Nehru
I have a habit of watching one old Tamil film a day. Yesterday evening, I was watching a film released in 1987, called Ivargal Indiyargal (‘They Are Indians’). In a scene in the film, an office manager distributes sweets to … Continue reading
Posted in Science
Tagged Chandrayaan 3, Higgs boson, Indian Space Research Organisation, Ivargal Indiyargal, Jawaharlal Nehru, Satyendra Nath Bose, Vikram Sarabhai
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Land on the moon, feet on the earth
Yesterday was fantastic. India made a few kinds of history, when one is great enough, by autonomously landing a robotic instrument in the moon’s south polar region. Some seven hours later, it deployed a rover, bringing the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s toughest … Continue reading
Posted in Scicomm
Tagged Chandrayaan 3, Indian Express, Indian Space Research Organisation, Memes, misinformation
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Landing Day
Good luck, Chandrayaan 3. Good luck also to all the journalists covering this event from within India – a unique location because it’s where you will feel the most excitement today about the mission’s activities on the moon as well … Continue reading
Posted in Scicomm, Science
Tagged Chandrayaan 3, Indian Space Research Organisation, Pragyan rover, Vikram lander
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Making sense of Luna 25
At the outset, let’s hope the unfortunate demise of Russia’s Luna 25 mission to the moon will finally silence the social media brigade that’s been calling it a competitor to India’s Chandrayaan 3 – although I wouldn’t put it past … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Scicomm
Tagged Chandrayaan 3, European Space Agency, Exomars, Fobos Grunt, Indian Space Research Organisation, Luna 25, Luna Glob, NASA, Roscosmos
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The shadows of Chandrayaan 2
When in September 2019 the surface component of the Chandrayaan 2 mission failed, with the ‘Vikram’ lander crashing on the moon’s surface instead of gently touching down, there was a sense in all public spaces and conversations that the nation … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Science
Tagged Arun Mohan Sukumar, Chandrayaan 2, Chandrayaan 3, Indian Space Research Organisation, Jahnavi Phalkey, K Sivan, Narendra Modi, National Physical Laboratory, S Somanath, solar cooker, Vikram lander
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