Bharat Rakshak

Salem College students develop motors and components for ISRO rockets and satellites
12 September 2008
Its great to note that college students have developed BLDC. Nitesh, can you give the address of prof kannan,SSPEED.

College students develop rocket motors in Tamil Nadu
...
Sona Speed, Prof Kannan said, has also undertaken design and development of Limited Angle Torquer for satellite mechanism and permanent magnet stopper for launch vehicle and drive electronics for brushless DC motors for VSSC and IISU.

The college had signed an MoU with VSSC, ISRO, Thiruvananthapuram and Department of Space in February 2006 for this particular work, VSSC director (projects) Dr Ramakrishnan told

The IISU appreciated the novel concept of slotless armature developed by SSPEED to eliminate cogging torque, he said, adding VSSC hoped to continue similar collaborative efforts with the institution in future for the flight motors.

Avinash, thank you for the info. regards.

Chandrayaan-1 on course for launch

T.S. Subramanian

Passes battery of tests in Space Simulation Chamber

— PHOTO: ISRO

Chandrayaan-1 undergoing tests at the ISRO Satellite Centre in Bangalore.

BANGALORE: The sticker on the threshold just says, “Spacecraft checkout No.4.” As we entered the mezzanine-like floor on Monday and looked below, the gorgeous looking Chandrayaan-1, enveloped in golden yellow insulation foil, came into view.

It was in the dirt-free “clean room” of the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bangalore, and men dressed in white overalls, were fussing over it and conducting checks. It had passed a battery of tests in the space simulation chamber (SSC), where it was subjected to extremes of hot and cold temperatures.

Tests that unfolded its solar panel, as if were an accordion, and for pointing its antenna were equally successful. It will now face vibration and noise tests. Things are moving ahead for the launch of Chandrayaan-1, India’s first spacecraft to the moon, before the end of October from Sriharikota by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle called PSLV-XL.

Chandrayaan-1 will carry 11 instruments, five from India and six from abroad. They will map the minerals and chemicals on the lunar soil and also provide clues to the moon’s origin.

ISAC Director T.K. Alex called it “a complicated mission” because “for the first time, we are sending a spacecraft beyond the earth’s orbit” (that is, it will orbit the moon). The moon is nearly four lakh km away and the spacecraft has to be manoeuvred precisely in stages to reach the moon’s orbit.

After all the 11 instruments were successfully integrated into Chandrayaan-1, it underwent thermo-vacuum tests in the special facility SSC. The spacecraft was subjected to 120 degrees Celsius and minus 150 degrees Celsius in the chamber. “It was tested in varying temperatures for almost 20 days. The performance of the spacecraft and its instruments were thoroughly checked and we found that they were all working well,” said Dr. Alex.

M. Annadurai, Project Director, Chandrayaan-1, asserted that there were “no issues’ when the spacecraft went through thermo-vacuum tests, including “soak and shock tests.” During the “soak” tests, it was subjected to high temperatures for long durations. In “shock” tests, it alternately went through high and very low temperatures in quick succession. “During these tests also, we found that there was no issue and all the systems were working well,” Mr. Annadurai said.

He called the SSC a big contraption that “looks like a well.” It is four metres in diameter and seven metres in depth. It has a big lid.

Chandrayaan-1 is now getting ready for the vibration and acoustic tests from September 20. It will be placed on a shake-table. Mr. Annadurai said: “We will generate the vibrations that the spacecraft will undergo when it is launched by the PSLV. Then we move on to the acoustic chamber, where we generate noise similar to that made by the PSLV engines. The spacecraft has to withstand that also.”

While an aircraft engine produced 145 decibels of noise, the PSLV engines produced 150 decibels, Dr. Alex explained. “We are on course for transporting Chandrayaan-1 to Sriharikota by the end of this month (September),” Mr. Annadurai said.

I don't know if this was posted here before.

Now, I have read that the mission to the moon(that is the entire mission till man landing on moon) is to find and mine some kind of Helium to fuel nuclear fusion reactors. Also the program India is involved in Europe is to test and develop fusion reactors.

http://www.wired.com/science/space/news/2006/12/72276
http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/19296/?a=f
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4504668.stm

Any comments on this.

Tests that unfolded its solar panel, as if were an accordion, and for pointing its antenna were equally successful. It will now face vibration and noise tests.

... But Indian aims are not that big. They are all peaceful onlee. I say that because India invited all sorts of cooperation on the first flight itself. They didnt even consider the psychologcal impact of the flight to the moon being solo for India. So US has sent a camera/instrument that uses the Indian sat and gets all the data they need while ISRO thinks its a great step forward for themselves. Will ISRO get similar access on a US moon mission?

Thats from the article above, but is'nt it logical to carry out Noise and Vibration tests prior to tests for checking solar panel unfolding and even hot and cold extreme condition simulation.

The performance of the spacecraft and its instruments were thoroughly checked and we found that they were all working well,” said Dr. Alex.

I almost wanted to say condescendingly that we are stupid and we do not know how to fly satellites and doing the wrong tests in the wrong order on this sats....

While also attempting to place the Tricolour on the surface of the Moon that would bring India into a league of its own.

I heard this report on TV last night. Is this really true? Looks like some BRFite's dream is coming true.

Chandrayaan to be launched today

Within 100 kilometres of the lunar surface, the spacecraft will be launched. ( Watch )

Chandrayaan will then enter the lunar atmosphere and land for exploration.

ISRO is likely to launch the spacecraft by October or December this year.

ISRO gets 12 acres at Valiyamala


Express News Service
18 Sep 2008 12:43:00 AM IST

The Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology’s (IIST) plans for a permanent campus in the district went one more step forward on Wednesday with the State Government handing over 12 acres at Valiyamala to the ISRO.

A total of 54 acres are to be handed over to the IIST - the ISRO’s dream academy for training India’s future space scientists - at Valiyamala for setting up the campus. Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan handed over the documents to ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair at the former’s office in the presence of Law Minister M. Vijayakumar, VSSC Director K. Radhakrishnan and IIST Director B.N. Suresh.

Earlier, the State Government had handed over 20 acres at Ponmudi for setting up an Observatory. ``We will be setting up a radar and other facilities there,’’ Madhavan Nair said. The master plan for the permanent campus is ready and the IIST had identified the contractors for the project. The facilities are expected to be ready in a year.

The Ponmudi land is 2,500 feet above the sea level, while the Valiyamala land, which lies next to the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of the ISRO, is 500 feet high, he said.

The ISRO had set up the IIST to overcome an acute resource crunch at the ISRO units across the country. It currently functions from a temporary campus at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thumba.

The first batch of the IIST had 138 students from all over the country sourced from the IIT-JEE rank list. The procedures for the admission of the second batch are on.

Chandrayaan will be launched today, so that it can be launched in October or December. It will then be launched 100 km away from lunar surface, where it will eventually LAND, and then use its Remote Sensing equipment to survey the moon.

Satellites usually have numerous components that are sensitive to sound and vibration. Solar panels are a particular concern,because they typically have a large surface area relative to their volume. Fatigue crackscan thus form and propagate in the panels under harsh environments. A similar concern exists for high-gain, dish antennae. In addition, the following failure modes may occur

• Failure of micro-electronic component lead wires
• Shattering of crystal oscillators
• Chafing of wires
• Cracking of printed circuit boards
• Malfunction or failure ofwaveguides or Klystron tubes
• Vibration of optical elements
• Failure of joints in structures made from composite materials

File image Sriharikota.
by Staff Writers, New Delhi, India (PTI) Sep 19, 2008
Weather permitting, India's maiden moon mission, Chandrayaan-1, may lift off Oct 19 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, scientists associated with the odyssey indicated Thursday.

'The tentative date is Oct 19,' they said in Bangalore after completing all the work on the cuboid-shaped 590 kg spacecraft that will carry 11 payloads.

Meanwhile, the government Thursday approved a sequel to the mission few years down the line.

'The union cabinet today gave its approval for undertaking lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 and upgrading the associated existing ground segment at a total cost of Rs.425 crores (Rs.4.25 bn),' Information and Broadcasting Minister P.R. Dasmunsi told reporters in New Delhi after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Chandrayaan-1 will be launched by indigenous Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and will carry payloads of six foreign countries - the US, Britain, Germany, Sweden and Bulgaria - apart from those of India.

Scientists said that the Chadrayaan-1 spacecraft will be shipped later this month, most likely on Sep 30, to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota for the launch.

'We have completed the integration of the satellite,' Chandrayaan-1 director M. Annadurai told reporters at ISRO Satellite Centre in Bangalore.

Chandrayaan-1, estimated to cost nearly Rs.4 billion, will beam back digital elevation maps of the moon and its mineral concentration, as also carry out environmental studies and measure radioactivity on the lunar surface.

It will try to find the traces of atomic elements such as Radon, Uranium and Thorium.

related report
Mission Moon Chandrayaan-I Unveiled
It looked like a colourful wrapped candy as the spacecraft that will launch India's maiden odyssey to the moon was unveiled here on Thursday.

The spacecraft, lodged at `Checkout 2' room at the centre is all decked up with golden multilayer insulated foils covering a major part of its body with the highly sophisticated components sitting snugly inside.

The integrated lunar spacecraft has successfully passed the thermal vaccuum test where the spacecraft was inserted into a huge simulator akin to a well and its chambers closed.

The temperature of the chamber using infra-red rays was raised to a maximum of 120 degrees and lowered to minimum of over minus 100 degrees to test its mechanical and system integrity, an ISRO official said.

"The test, carried over 20 days, simulated conditions akin to the harsh environment in the moon where temperature ranges from high to very low. The test ensured that all the components and packages integrated were working and there was no mechanical or system defect, the official told the media team.

The spacecraft built by ISRO in collaboration with other partners like HAL will carry 11 payloads, including five instruments developed by ISRO.

These include a Terrain Mapping Stereo Camera which could capture images having five m spatial resolutions (size of the smallest object that can be seen) and 20 km swath (width of the picture). This will help in topographic mapping of moon.

Optimal Conditions Set For Chinese Spacewalk

Engineers inspect the Shenzhou VII spacecraft in a testing facility in Jiuquan, Gansu province, on July 18 2008. (Photo: CFP)
by Staff Writers
Shanghai, China (XNA) Sep 12, 2008
Bringing forward the launch date of China's third manned spacecraft by one month will maximize conditions for the country's highly anticipated inaugural spacewalk, experts have said. The Shenzhou VII spacecraft was first scheduled for take off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province at the end of October.

The spacecraft was later rescheduled for take off between Sept 25 and 30.

Compared with the initial launching window in October, the position of the sun during the new period would enable astronauts to walk out of the space module in sunlight and avoid returning in "total darkness", the Beijing Evening News recently quoted an expert as saying.

The exact launch date at the end of this month will be decided by the weather conditions at the launch center, said Jiao Weixin, professor with the School of Earth and Space Science at Peking University.

The launch could be postponed because of strong gales that could cause the rocket to veer off from its set course, he said.

The best climate for launching the manned spacecraft include zero rainfall, a ground wind speed of less than 8 m per second, a minimum horizontal visibility of 20 km, and no lightning in nine hours before and after the launch, Jiao said.

Drizzles and the temperature will usually pose no hindrance to the launch, he added.

As for the sandstorm that hit western Gansu province on Sunday, meteorologists said it is unlikely the conditions will interfere with the launch.

The sandstorm had started to wane on Monday and moved to Lanzhou in the south, posing no threat to the launch, meteorologists were quoted by the Beijing News as saying.

Earlier reports had said that the Shenzhou VII spacecraft will be launched on a Long March 2F rocket.

On its return, the spacecraft will reportedly land within Wulanchabu, a city in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

So far, engineers have installed the propellant in the spacecraft, a spokesman of the mission said earlier this week.

The much-awaited mission is the second stage of the country's three-staged manned space program, which seeks to launch a manned spacecraft, set up a space laboratory, and build a space station before 2020.

China became the third country to send a person into space on its own in 2003. In 2005, the country sent two more astronauts on a five-day flight on Shenzhou VI.

On Shenzhou VII, there will be three astronauts, and one of them is expected to conduct a spacewalk.

The astronauts will use a Chinese-designed and Chinese-made airlock module for extra vehicular activity - work done by an astronaut away from the Earth and outside of a spacecraft. The spacesuit is reportedly designed for such missions of up to seven hours.

Undoubtedly, the Indian space program has come a long way since its initial stages when the first rocket transporter happened to be a bicycle, which carried the 9 kilo rocket to the "launch pad"! That was back in 1963 when visionaries like Vikram Sarabhai and APJ Abdul Kalam laid the foundation of what has become one of the greatest success stories of India.

With He-3 on mind, India gets ready for lunar mission
19 Sep, 2008, 0000 hrs IST, ET Bureau


BANGALORE: Indian space scientists expect to map the lunar surface for the helium-3 (He-3) mineral to fuel nuclear power plants and frozen water as they make final preparations for India’s mission to the moon, expected to blast off next month.

Non-radioactive He-3 is scarce on earth but believed to be abundant on earth’s natural satellite and is seen as a promising fuel for advanced fusion reactors to generate power. The Chandrayaan-I mission is tentatively scheduled for launch between October 19 and 28.

The 575-kg spacecraft will be transported to the moon by a modified version of India’s main rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. “The mission will help us locate He-3, which has the potential to produce a large amount of energy. It is expected that in a few years we can transport it from the moon to run nuclear plants and generate electricity,” the director of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) satellite centre T K Alex said.

The satellite is in the final stages testing and it will be transported to the launch pad at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. It will carry a total of 11 instruments, including six from India, two from the US and one each from Bulgaria, Germany and the UK. The satellite, which will orbit the moon from 100 km above, will jettison a ‘moon impact probe’ to slam into the lunar surface to help explore it from a close range.

“Probably 10 years from now fusion reactors which can use He-3 will be available. Our second mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-II, will also have a lunar lander and help us collect samples of the mineral. The government has given clearance for Chandrayaan-II and we will start the mission as soon as Chandrayaan-I is completed,” Chandrayaan project chief Mylswamy Annadurai said. Programme director (satellite navigation)Surendra Pal said a couple of tonnes of He-3 would be enough to meet the energy needs of the world.

“In the next 40 years, it will be possible to transport it to the earth,” he said. Besides He-3, India’s first moon mission will also search for important minerals like titanium, uranium- 238 and possibility water. “Chandrayaan will look for large craters which have never been exposed to sun light. They are potential sites for frozen water, which is great subject of interest for humans,” the head of ISRO’s astronomy and instrumentation division Sree Kumar said.

With He-3 on mind, India gets ready for lunar mission

Wow! This reminds of a computer game that i played in my childhood - 'Battlezone'. One might say it's off topic, but this news report definitely has startling resemblances with that game. The game plot goes somewhat like this...

There's a meteor shower all over the galaxy during the cold war, some of which falls on earth. The scientists on both sides discover that the meteor has some peculiar properties which allow them to make dandy weapons, which in turn leads to think that one side who controls that 'material' will ultimately win the cold war.

Inter-planetary journey begins in search of the remaining meteor deposits on other plants and their satellites (and ofcourse they always bump into eachother and fight, no matter which planet/satellites they are on). It is then revealed that 'that material' was infact produced by some aliens who mysteriously ceased to exist some day. The soviets somehow 'master' that material into making some ridiculous machines who eventually develop 'brains' of their own and turn on Soviets. Ofcourse, Soviets then ask Amrikis for help who manage to bail them out (for the sake of humanity, you see ) and return to earth for good!

I know this post is nothing to write home about, but i'm sure 'the plot' makes for some pleasure reading. Please dont bawl out at me for this.

Two Chinese astronauts aboard the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft will don spacesuits for the maneuver, one of them a Russian-made Orlan model, Wang Zhaoyao told reporters at the Jiuquan launch site in northwestern China.

The two will be "supported by Russian experts throughout the mission," Wang said.