Indian Space Program Discussion

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 18 Aug 2013 13:50

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 892852.cms

CHENNAI: Indian space science is waiting at the threshold of a new phase of mega satellite launches and exploration as the countdown for the GSLV-D5 rocket launch began at 11.50am on Sunday. Twenty-nine hours later, at 4.50pm on Monday, the rocket carrying telecommunication satellite GSAT-14 will lift off from Sriharikota, 100km north of Chennai.

GSAT-14, which weighs 1,982kg, will be used for telecast and telecommunication.

What makes the launch crucial for the nation is the use of an indigenous cryogenic engine as the upper stage. The first attempt to use an indigenous cryogenic engine on April 15, 2010 to power GSLV-D3 was a failure. With only one more Russian cryogenic engine left in the Isro arsenal, success of the indigenous technology using oxygen and hydrogen in extreme low temperatures as the fuel will propel several big ticket future missions including a manned project to space.

Isro senior scientists led by chairman K Radhakrishnan are monitoring GSLV-D5, whose strap-boosters started getting fuelled soon after the countdown. Liquid propellants are being filled into the second stage. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, which fuel the cryogenic engine will be filled around 9am on Monday. Scientists at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre told TOI that the rocket's health and weather conditions were fine.

India needs cryogenic engines to launch GSLVs that can carry payloads weighing more than three tonnes, which hold the key to future of telecommunication and space exploration. GSLV-D5 weighs 414 tonnes.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 18 Aug 2013 13:56

The Hindu article on GSLV D5: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/scienc ... 033057.ece

Lilo · Post by **Lilo** » 18 Aug 2013 14:05

Good luck guys - the nation prays for your success .

SriKumar · Post by **SriKumar** » 18 Aug 2013 17:54

Found this video of a successful GSLV launch showing a ground trace. Flight events and parameters are shown intermittently during the video, from roughly 3:00 min. onwards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5vO7YhxsAo
Screen shot at 3:36 shows the last flight event i.e. Cryogenic stage turned off at 1021 seconds (17 minutes) and satellite separation occurs at 1036 secs. At video time 3:47, it shows a ground trace of the rocket path, which looks mostly straight and generally free of course changes. The trace is actually a moving shot but lasts only 2 seconds (1167 & 1168 seconds). This is after satellite separation...one of the marks on the trace in pink says 'CSOFF'.

Assuming all goes well, there should be a similar video tomorrow for D05...with time vs. altitude, speed, and ground trace.

kit · Post by **kit** » 18 Aug 2013 19:28

Wish ISRO gave us a birds eye view from top down from the GSLV lift off. It is going to be successful launch.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 Aug 2013 21:04

For acadaemic reasons alone,in manned spaceflight,there was supposedly an escape package for the crew module which could parachute the module in case there was a problem after launch.Cannot a similar device be designed for commercial sat launches to save the sats/mission package in case similar problems are experienced ?

member_20067 · Post by **member_20067** » 18 Aug 2013 21:08

Philip wrote:For acadaemic reasons alone,in manned spaceflight,there was supposedly an escape package for the crew module which could parachute the module in case there was a problem after launch.Cannot a similar device be designed for commercial sat launches to save the sats/mission package in case similar problems are experienced ?

Costs of developing and integrating that system will probably be higher than the cost of the satellite itself...

member_20067 · Post by **member_20067** » 18 Aug 2013 21:09

kit wrote:Wish ISRO gave us a birds eye view from top down from the GSLV lift off. It is going to be successful launch.

Yes, high time we have some nice HD videos which gives bird's eye view of the launch.

juvva · Post by **juvva** » 18 Aug 2013 21:42

juvva wrote:status update @ http://isro.org/ :
2nd stage propellant loading in progress.

+ @ 22:05 IST 18 Aug 2013

- 2nd stage propellant loading completed.
- strap on propellant loading in progress.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 18 Aug 2013 22:07

Good video from undeetv

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 18 Aug 2013 22:24

On the eve of GSLV D5 Launch using indigenous cryogenic engine, it is worth remembering the incident involving Project Head which had rocked the nation long time back.

Today DD did a feature talk with Dr Nambinayaran, Project Director of ISRO's Cryogenic Reseach Divison. He was falsely implicated in Spy Scandal , accused of leaking information to Maldivian Mohtoramas and tortured by various agencies , kept in custody , exonerated in CBI investigation and subsequently by Supreme Court.

The police had made out a case that Narayanan and Sasikumaran had passed on secret documents to other countries, especially Pakistan. They accused Chandrasekhar of Russia's space agency, Bangalore contractor S K Sharma, and inspector general Raman Srivastava of passing on secrets of the Aeronautical Defence Establishment, Bangalore. They alleged that Chandrasekhar, Sasikumaran and two women from the Maldives, Mariyam Rasheeda and Fauzia Hassan, had met secretly to exchange papers and money.

In 1996, the CBI submitted its closure report in the chief judicial magistrate's court in Kochi, concluding that the allegations of espionage were unproved and false. The court agreed and all six accused were discharged.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-k ... nDKUW.dpuf

The CBI pointed out lapses by Kerala police officers Siby Mathews, K K Joshwa and S Vijayan, who probed the case. In a report to the Kerala government, it called for "necessary action as deemed fit". In June last year, the home secretary issued an order saying it was not proper or legal to take action against the officials after 15 years. The government decided no action need be taken.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/k ... 958850.ece

Siby Mathews is currently the Chief Information Commissioner in Kerala.

Looks like a classic Mole Operation.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 18 Aug 2013 22:37

http://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.in/2012/0 ... yanan.html

He was then project director of the prestigious cryogenic system project and was working on developing an Indian cryoengine for the third stage of the GSLV.

Narayanan introduced the liquid fuel rocket technology in India in the early 1970s, when A. P. J. Abdul Kalam’s team was working on solid motors. He foresaw the need for liquid fuelled engines for ISRO’s future civilian space programmes. He was personally mentored and encouraged by the then ISRO chairman Satish Dhawan.

Narayanan developed liquid propellant motors, first building the successful 600-kg thrust engine in the mid-1970s and thereafter moving on to bigger engines. His team developed the Vikas engine used by several ISRO rockets including the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV) that took Chandrayaan-1 to the moon in 2008.

The Vikas engine is used in the second stage of PSLV and as the second and the four strap-on stages of Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).Nambi led the Indian team to France to work with scientists there on the development of their Viking engine.

And it was he, they add, who was mostly responsible in learning the complex configurations that helped the Indians to later develop the Vikas engine, an improved version of the Viking.

....
....
Nambi narayanan accused Sibi Mathew ** and RB Sreekumar of instigating some other unidentified police officers to physically assault him at the Hindustan Latex guesthouse in Trivandrum in early December 1994, call him a ******** and a traitor.

Narayanan was arrested and spent 50 days in jail, most of the time naked.

Nambinarayanan says that RB Sreekumar, of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) who interrogated him wanted him to make false accusations against the top brass of ISRO.

This is the same RBS who is used against NaMo, though unsuccessfully.

ashish raval · Post by **ashish raval** » 19 Aug 2013 00:11

^^ this is one reason why I am always bullish about India's future. Despite all odds, corruptions, sanctions, peanut budget compared to west, Indian scientists will always deliver against all odds. ISRO's hard work in getting top recruits have finally paid off. After success each one involved based on their level should get big bonuses

Sridhar · Post by **Sridhar** » 19 Aug 2013 02:17

The NDTV video was for GSLV-D3 in 2010, not the current launch of GSLV-D5.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 19 Aug 2013 08:33

That is written on the Vehicle itself.

disha · Post by **disha** » 19 Aug 2013 08:46

Wishing ISRO all the best., waiting for a milestone to be successfully crossed.

juvva · Post by **juvva** » 19 Aug 2013 08:59

status update @ www.isro.org:
- 2nd stage propellant loading completed.
- strap on propellant loading completed.

juvva · Post by **juvva** » 19 Aug 2013 09:03

I envy the guys in khan land and other kingdoms, they are sleeping thru these tense hours.

ravar · Post by **ravar** » 19 Aug 2013 09:50

All the best ISRO! Though considering the complexity of cryo propulsion, I am mentally prepared to accept a couple of more failures.

Meanwhile, a newbie question- the space shuttlle's main engines are also cryo and the flames are bluish-white in colour while that of CE 7.5 (as seen on the video of the engine being tested) are orange-ish. Can some guru enlighten. Thanks

disha · Post by **disha** » 19 Aug 2013 09:51

juvva wrote:I envy the guys in khan land and other kingdoms, they are sleeping thru these tense hours.

Really? I will tune off later though since I believe in certain "jujoos".

abhijitm · Post by **abhijitm** » 19 Aug 2013 10:12

Tension is unbearable. I am unable to focus on work.

Guys dont jinx this. GSLV will fail onlee

abhijitm · Post by **abhijitm** » 19 Aug 2013 11:45

Isro update:
Preparation of third stage propellant filling operation in progress.

Neela · Post by **Neela** » 19 Aug 2013 11:55

Live webcast of launch from 16:15 onwards on DD.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 19 Aug 2013 12:13

Relax Guys , ISRO will make it this time I am quite confident.

All the Best to ISRO Team ......I have got my Mysore Pak ordered from Bangalore ready for the occasion.

kvraghavaiah · Post by **kvraghavaiah** » 19 Aug 2013 12:27

Propellants filling in Cryo stage might be comlete by now. 4 hours to launch.

symontk · Post by **symontk** » 19 Aug 2013 12:45

ravar wrote:All the best ISRO! Though considering the complexity of cryo propulsion, I am mentally prepared to accept a couple of more failures.

Meanwhile, a newbie question- the space shuttlle's main engines are also cryo and the flames are bluish-white in colour while that of CE 7.5 (as seen on the video of the engine being tested) are orange-ish. Can some guru enlighten. Thanks

Depends on thrust of the engine too. ISRO engines are high altitude ones, the shuttle ones are ground ones, has more power

For example, check the thrust of strap on liquid engine of GSLV and same engine in the second stage. The strap on will show less power since the optimal operating area for that engine is at high altitude

Only if you optimize the engine and make it powerful for using on ground, you can use them effectively on ground. If the Vikas engine has the thrust to lift the GSLV, there was no need of the solid stage. Since it cant, a solid stage is required

kvraghavaiah · Post by **kvraghavaiah** » 19 Aug 2013 12:49

Name of this year in Indian calendar (at least Telugu calendar year) is 'Vijaya' which means succes or victory. Thsi year ends around April-2014. India will see a lot of successes by then. Failures are less likely. Some of the successes/milestones:

1. First indegenous nuclear powered submarine Arihanth going to sees with nuclear engine going critical.
2. Cryogenic engine success on GSLV-D5.
3. Mars orbiter launch.
4. Intermediate Jet trainer-HAL completing IOC.
5. NAG missile success.
6. K-4 missile success
7. Arjun - MK2 success
8. Launch of INS Vikrant
9. LCH launch

Did I miss any thing important or did i include any thing out of dates?

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 19 Aug 2013 13:37

ravar wrote:. . . while that of CE 7.5 (as seen on the video of the engine being tested) are orange-ish.

Excess hydrogen in the nozzle emits the characteristic red (or orange) colour.

Shankar · Post by **Shankar** » 19 Aug 2013 13:56

oh no hydrogen as well as oxygen is colorless -when any of the cryogenic propellant vents after filling and before launch it freezes the moisture and carbon di oxide in air and create dense white mist which in night launch on sodium light may seem orangish

Shankar · Post by **Shankar** » 19 Aug 2013 13:58

liquid oxygen has a pale blue color liquid hydrogen is like water colorless so ehan eiether liquid vents you cannot see what we see the condensed air in case of liquid hydrogen almost frozen air

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 19 Aug 2013 14:04

Shankar wrote:oh no hydrogen as well as oxygen is colorless -when any of the cryogenic propellant vents after filling and before launch it freezes the moisture and carbon di oxide in air and create dense white mist . . . .

But, the hydrogen I am taking about is superheated, not the venting hydrogen at filling time.

Sri · Post by **Sri** » 19 Aug 2013 14:06

SS Saar. Will you be watching it live?

I have to play office office til 6.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 19 Aug 2013 14:08

Sri wrote:SS Saar. Will you be watching it live?

Hope to. Can't you see it on the web in office , even if you are in a meeting ?

nits · Post by **nits** » 19 Aug 2013 14:12

SSridhar wrote:
Sri wrote:SS Saar. Will you be watching it live?
Hope to. Can't you see it on the web in office , even if you are in a meeting ?

can someone please post weblink where it will be displayed live

juvva · Post by **juvva** » 19 Aug 2013 14:18

^ this should work:

http://webcast.gov.in/live/

sarkari chanell

Shankar · Post by **Shankar** » 19 Aug 2013 15:21

The NASA space shuttles, which were powered by a liquid oxygen-hydrogen fuel mixture, discharged significant quantities of water vapour into the mesosphere about 80 kilometres above the surface of the Earth.

Polar mesospheric clouds, first recorded by scientists in the 1880s, typically form at Arctic or Antarctic latitudes during the summer months. They consist of ice crystals that coalesce around tiny, dust-like remnants of meteorites that persist in the super-cold mesosphere after space rocks burn up in Earth’s atmospheric shield.

PMCs or noctilucent clouds — so called because they glow (lucent) in the night (nocti) — can form naturally, although rarely, as water vapour from the lower atmosphere reaches the drier upper atmosphere and freezes in temperatures of about minus-150 C.

may be this relevant

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 19 Aug 2013 15:31

The launch has been delayed because of a snag as per Times Now. Nothing more known or on ISRO's website.

Updated: Launch called off....

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 19 Aug 2013 15:44

Countdown stopped for one hour now. Times Now

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 19 Aug 2013 15:53

DD National ticker: Launch of GSLV/D5 Mission Postponed

SSSalvi · Post by **SSSalvi** » 19 Aug 2013 15:55

NDTV website : 1600 hrs

It was halted one hour and 14 minutes ahead of lift-off, after some 'leakage' was detected. Officials say they are not sure when the countdown can be resumed.

===

So around 3:30 PM countdown stopped