The Hindu Business Line : ISRO to hold debate on manned mission

Antariksh Bhavan, the seat of the Department of Space in Bangalore, has set the Indian-in-space ball rolling and called the first debate on an `Indonaut' on November 7.

Former DoS chiefs Dr U.R. Rao and Dr K. Kasturirangan; Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Dr C.N.R. Rao; scientist Dr M.G.K. Menon; former National Aerospace Laboratories chief and atmospheric scientist Dr Roddam Narasimha figure among the 50-odd experts invited from the Department of Science & Technology, CSIR labs and other scientific establishments.

ISRO scientists will make presentations at the closed-door talks, according to ISRO's spokesman, Mr S. Krishnamurthy. "For now, a manned mission is a wish. Based on Tuesday's outcome, we may hold one more round of discussions" in December this year or January 2007, he told Business Line.

The chain of approvals, from the scientific community, the supporting institutions, the Space Commission and the Government, has to be counted.

Technically, ISRO can do a manned mission 8 years from getting the approvals. Its GSLV rocket can be used for five-tonne lifts. In early 2008, ISRO is also venturing into the Moon with an orbiter and a lunar impactor aboard the PSLV.

According to Mr Krishnamurthy, "This is not the first time we have discussed sending an Indian into space. Last month, during the Budget discussions, for instance, we raised the topic internally to get the views of our centres."

The 2008 lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 estimated at Rs 386 crore was cleared in August 2002 after a three-year debate. A manned mission, in its estimate, could cost Rs 10,000-15,000 crore. "It's not a case of whether we can do it, but whether we need it. The nation should be ready to bear it," he said.

On the flip side, as paid space tourism is a reality and space mining does not seem unlikely, ISRO does not want to miss the bus. It would like to show that it, too, can put a man in space. It wants to have enough justifications and the right scientific goals to send an Indian into orbit where robots cannot suffice. "The nation should not be sorry after 20 years" that they did not put a human in space when they could have, he said.

WHAT IT TAKES

With a human aboard, it will have to first master the re-entry technology, capsule, the heat insulation at Earth's atmosphere, zero G and training of the astronaut; the life-supporting technologies and systems that go into a manned spacecraft; preparing the astronauts psychologically and physically for a week-long space ride. It also calls for the ground infrastructure for simulation. "We also have to master retro-firing to cut the speed of the spacecraft and get it back to Earth, and also the recovery of the capsule," Mr Krishnamurthy said.

For now, it is still at the threshold of it: the launch of a 600-gram SRE or the space capsule recovery experiment is now slated for January 2007, along with the Cartosat-2 mapping satellite.

More Stories on : Science & Technology | Outlook

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page