Tag Archives: Indian Space Research Organisation
An award that isn’t
ISRO just put out a call for a one-time space journalism award, named for Vikram Sarabhai, with a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. Here’s the doc with all the details. Pay attention to (4), where it says submissions will … Continue reading
Posted in Scicomm
Tagged Akshay Kumar, Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, Jaggi Vasudev, Mission Mangal, science journalism, space journalism, Vikram Sarabhai
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Why covering ISRO is a pain
The following is a bulleted list of reasons why covering developments on the Indian spaceflight programme can be nerve-wracking. ISRO does not have a media engagement policy that lays out when it will communicate information to journalists and how, so … Continue reading
Posted in Scicomm
Tagged access journalism, Chandrayaan 2, GSLV Mk-III, Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, Lok Sabha, Tamil cinema
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Firstpost’s selfish journalism
I’m sure you’ve heard of the concept of false balance, which is based on the conviction that there are two sides to every story even when there aren’t or when it’s not clear to anyone what the other side is. … Continue reading
Posted in Scicomm
Tagged Chandrayaan 2, Firstpost, helium-3, Indian Space Research Organisation, K Sivan, Moon, pseudoscience, The Wire
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Why are we going to the Moon again?
At 2:51 am on July 15, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its Chandrayaan 2 mission on board a GSLV Mk III rocket from its spaceport in Sriharikota. The rocket will place its payload, the orbiter, in a … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds
Tagged Aditya L1, Chandrayaan 1, Chandrayaan 2, Gaganyaan, GSLV Mk-III, Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, Mangalyaan, Mars Orbiter Mission, NASA MAVEN, South Asian satellite, space diplomacy
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Solutions looking for problems
There’s been a glut of ‘science projects’ that seem to be divorced from their non-technical aspects even when the latter are equally, if not more, important – or maybe it is just a case of these problems always having been … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds
Tagged Bharati script, Chandrayaan 2, Chinese Space Station, Elon Musk, Gaganyaan, Hyperloop, IIT Madras, Indian Space Research Organisation, Indian Space Station, International Space Station, space science
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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
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Finding trash in the dumpster
Just as there’s no merit in writing a piece that is confused and incomplete, there’s no merit in digging through a dumpster and complaining that there’s trash. However, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt when The Quint publishes something … Continue reading
First temple, then launchpad?
ISRO chairman K. Sivan is free to worship and worship any deity he bloody well wants ∞; that’s his right. But it’s not entirely comforting when you think back about all the chairpersons ISRO has had – all men, all … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds
Tagged G Madhavan Nair, Indian Space Research Organisation, K Kastirurangan, K Radhakrishnan, K Sivan, public figures, scientific temper
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Moon mission pushed to October, so we wait
So, the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) Chandrayaan 2 mission to the Moon has been pushed to October from April. Delays of this sort are to be expected for missions of this scale, although I’ve also heard that ISRO often … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds
Tagged Chandrayaan 2, GSLV, GSLV Mk II, Indian Space Research Organisation, lunar surface, PSLV, TeamIndus
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For space, frugality is a harmful aspiration
Ref: ‘ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission to cost lesser than Hollywood movie Interstellar – here’s how they make it cost-effective’, staff, Moneycontrol, February 20, 2018. ∞ ‘Chandrayaan-2 mission cheaper than Hollywood film Interstellar’, Surendra Singh, Times of India, February 20, 2018. ∞ The following … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds
Tagged Chandrayaan, ESA, frugal engineering, frugal innovation, gravity, hollywood, Indian Space Research Organisation, Interstellar, ISRO, K Sivan, labour costs, Mars Orbiter Mission, Moneycontrol, NASA, NASA MAVEN, public sector undertaking, quality control, Times of India
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