Success in Space and Poverty on Earth

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) crossed another milestone in space research. Its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) set two satellites into space on 20 April. With this, Indian scientists, since the country's independence, have achieved great success in space exploration apart from other achievements. But there remains one field where it has failed dismally and that is removing poverty in the country. All countries that have failed in this most important field, their other achievements have come to naught and become meaningless.
In the eyes of the world, India is a rapidly growing economic power. Planning Commission chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia is in nobody's doubt. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who appointed him to the post, also points out that there is no shortage of his capabilities. He has always been praised. But now the Supreme Court has raised objection to his policy, and it cannot be considered inappropriate.
Hiding Real Picture
Ahluwalia tried to remove the stain of poverty by hiding the truth which was often laid at India's door. He considered those earning Rs.13 per day income in rural areas to be living above poverty line. This was his attempt to remove the stigma of poverty. To do this, he shelved the UN criteria for assessing poverty. His announcement helped in getting down the difficulties of the union government because, according to this standard, below the poverty line is reduced to 36 percent.
The Supreme Court, however, did not think much of Ahluwalia's attempt of reducing poverty and the court could not resist asking him what was behind his scheme which is reducing hundreds of thousands of people in this country to dire poverty. Then what is the meaning of hiding this truth and painting a rosy picture of the country? Instead, what the government should have done is to wipe out the black mark of poverty from the face of the country. Such rhetoric is not going to benefit any.
It seems strange that Ahluwalia had to listen to the truth from the Supreme Court. No benefit is going to come by doing gymnastic with figures and the Supreme Court ultimately ask Ahluwalia what was the reason for such optimistic predictions when the country is going through such a phase. What is the hidden reason for such optimistic predictions? It is a pity that Ahluwalia had to listen to such talk from the court. In the past also, he has been against the growing subsidies to farmers. What seems appropriate is that he seems more interested in eliminating farmers than poverty and fulfilling the basic needs of people. This is not the first time that the Supreme Court has raised its voice against poverty. It has raised its voice several times. Before this, the Supreme Court insisted that the rapidly rotting grain should be distributed free among people.
Antipoverty Programs
What happens is that the government has seriously thought about its policies but has not as seriously implemented them. Because of corruption the money that is allotted has not reached its rightful targets. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has acknowledged this failure himself that corruption is a very big challenge and a hindrance to progress.
Poor states have benefited from the antipoverty programs but what to do about the money that gets siphoned off on the way. There seems to be no care about it. When high officials themselves siphon off large amounts then what is the government going to do with the empty treasury.
Shortage of Food Grain
It is strange that there is no shortage of food grain in the country but still people are starving. Many states have informed the union government that there is no shortage of grain and have requested it to distribute it properly. The real reason is poor distribution. Increase in poverty is causing brigandage. Indians are out on the streets looking for employment. The court remarks are enough to remind the public. Our policies should be made on the basis of humanity. There is no denying that owing to wrong policies the poor are getting poorer and the country is facing t he challenge of poverty. All talk of progress sounds hollow.

India's GSLV-D3 Rocket Launch Fails

India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D3 -- built with Rs. 330 crore ($74.4 million) mission (rocket Rs. 180 crore, GSAT-4 satellite Rs.150 crore) -- failed on 15 April because two small cryogenic engines apparently failed to ignite within minutes of its launch, leading it to deviate from its path. The GSLV-D3 was launched using an Indian-designed and built cryogenic engine for the first time.

The rocket lifted from the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) launch pad in Sriharikota at 1057 GMT. However, the launch was not perfect with the GSLV-D3 failing to send any data after 500 seconds of taking off. The rocket deviated from its path and the scientists monitoring the launch said that they did not receive any speed and altitude data from the vehicle.

Cause of Failure
ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said: 'The vehicle was tumbling. The control was lost as two small cryo engines did not ignite.'

The GSLV-D3 was to put the 2.2-tonne communication satellite GSAT-4 into the Geo Transfer Orbit (GTO) on 15 April evening. Until now ISRO had been using Russian cryogenic engines in its GSLV missions as the United States had forced Moscow not to sell the cryogenic technology to India in 1992.

Previous GSLV Flights
The previous five GSLV flights from Sriharikota from 2001 to 2007 used the Russian cryogenic engines. The GSLV-D3 vehicle is 49 meters tall and weighs 419 tones. It is a three-stage rocket. The core first stage is powered by solid propellants. Around this core stage are four strap-on motors powered by liquid propellants. The second stage again uses liquid propellants. The third upper stage is propelled by the indigenously made cryogenic engine. Filling of the second stage and the four strap-on booster motors with liquid propellants will be completed during the countdown.

In addition, the filling of the cryogenic engine with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen will continue till almost the end of the countdown. This is to prevent loss of cryogenic fluids due to evaporation. Certain mandatory checks of the vehicle and charging of the batteries in both the rocket and the satellite would be done during the countdown.

The GSAT-4 weighs 2,220 kg. It carries a communication payload called Ka-band transponder for wide-band multimedia services, e-commerce and high bandwidth Internet. The navigation payload named the GPS-aided Geo-Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system will help commercial aircraft to land accurately in runways during inclement weather.

Salient Features
The cryogenic stage was built at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. Cryogenic engines are crucial for putting communication satellites weighing more than two tones into a GTO. Cryogenic technology involves the use of liquid oxygen at minus 183 degrees Celsius and liquid hydrogen at minus 253 degrees Celsius.

Mohammed Muslim, Project Director, Cryogenic Upper Stage Project (CUSP), said the cryogenic technology was the most complex one to be developed by the ISRO. It has taken us 15 years to achieve this. It is normal time for any country and we are the sixth country to acquire this technology (after the United States Russia, Europe, Japan, and China). This is a highly guarded technology. The ISRO had not taken chances with this mission and "the vehicle has been reviewed and checked point by point any number of times.

The ISRO built the cryogenic engine from scratch after the U.S. pressured Russia in April 1992 and July 1993 into agreeing not to sell cryogenic technology to India. In January 1991, India and the erstwhile Soviet Union had reached an agreement, under which the Soviet space agency, Glavkosmos, would sell cryogenic stages and transfer the cryogenic technology to India.

US Pressure Pays
Under the US pressure, Russia in July 1993 went back on its agreement to transfer the cryogenic technology. In lieu of the technology, it agreed to sell two additional cryogenic stages to India. The last five flights of the GSLV from Sriharikota were powered by the Russian cryogenic stages. A cryogenic stage includes the engine, propellant tanks, motor casing and wiring.

In fact, it took the ISRO all these years to develop the cryogenic technology because it had to develop special materials. At very low temperatures of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, metals become brittle. The ISRO, therefore, had to develop new alloys, new welding techniques and new types of lubricants.

India Launches Oceansat-2

It has not even been a month after Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) declaring its moon mission Chandrayaan-1 as over, but coming out of that dejection, it has added one more achievement to its credit. With the help of its powerful rocket PSLV, it has successfully launched its satellite named Oceansat-2 in space, along with six more nano-satellites of Europe. This remote sensing satellite will take the place of Oceansat-1, which has been working in space for the past 10 years. This was the 15th successful flight by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in a row.

Special Features
By placing with characteristics precision a satellite in an orbit of 728-km at a height of 40 km, the ISRO has made the country proud. Last year, the ISRO had launched 10 satellites in space simultaneously. Launching of seven satellites through the PSLV has followed this. These feats speak volumes about the ISRO.

Oceansat-2 could be useful in understanding the mood of oceans and forecasting weather. One special feature of Oceansat-2 is said to be of great help to fishermen. With the help of equipment on board this satellite, it would be possible to identify areas with large concentration of fish. With that information, fishermen would find their work made easy. What could be better than science making our day-to-day work easy in this manner? Until now, we see that useful information received from satellites and other very sensitive equipment or sources is not reaching the lowest level of population in an effective manner.

Useful for Agriculture Farming
The country has satellites and supercomputers capable of making accurate weather forecast, but even today, small farmers and fishermen are dependent on their common sense to guess changes in weather. People may be receiving warning about some big storm or cyclone through TV or radio, but the day-to-day information useful to agriculture farming is not reaching them. If fishermen going into sea to catch fish in their small dinghies do not get vital information from Oceansat, what is the use of such huge expense? It is issues like these that have created the dichotomy like Bharat and India.

It is praiseworthy that the country reaches the moon with the help of science, or our medical tourism sector grows, but it should also have its role in improving the lot of farmers. There should also be arrangements that poor people do not suddenly get infected by diseases like Encephalitis, and start dying. The objective of science is to make the life of humans easy, and it is the poor and farmers who need it most. The real benefit of Chandrayaan and Oceansat will be seen only when several disparities in the country and society are removed with their help.

Success for ISRO
The secret of ISRO's success is that it has changed the entire economics of satellite launching. Without compromising on quality, it had made preparations for launching at the lowest possible cost. Only China can compete with ISRO to some extent in this respect. But its rate of failure is higher than that of India. Brazil is also trying to follow this example, but it is still not experienced enough in this field.

First, the self-confidence that ISRO has demonstrated through successive and successful trials. This determination for meticulous planning has raised ISRO's image in the world for launching rockets successfully. In this respect, it is included among organizations whose rate of failure is perhaps the lowest. The satellite launched recently will, perhaps, put ISRO in the category of those launched by countries like Germany and Switzerland, or countries that are far more developed, modern, and prosperous than India.

Seen in this perspective, the ISRO can serve as a good model for the country's private and public sectors. It is an organization that did not lose heart even at a time when India was being denied necessary technology. It developed technology of international standards on its own with the help of domestic resources. The Soviet Union did certainly help in the beginning but later, ISRO had to depend on itself. Outside assistance cannot be relied upon in a sophisticated field like satellite technology. ISRO had understood this truth much earlier. As a result, it is now openly competing with world powers. Therefore, there is much to be learned from ISRO.