Space
agency to promote scientific temper in country
The Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) will have an year-long Vikram Sarabhai centenary
celebration starting in August 2019 to honour the visionary scientist and its
legendary founding father.
In a few months’
time, it plans to roll out a dedicated ISRO TV channel showcasing space
applications, developments and science issues, targeting young viewers and
people in remote areas in their language.
Series of events
Sarabhai, the
architect of the Indian space programme, the
first ISRO chief and renowned cosmic ray scientist, was born on August 12,
1919.
ISRO’s tributes
to Sarabhai start with naming the first Indian moon landing spacecraft of the
Chandrayaan-2 mission ‘Vikram’. The mission is planned for early 2019. A chair
each at Sarabhai's two alma maters, Cambridge University and Gujarat
University, as also at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), would
be set up, apart from giving awards, scholarships and fellowships in the
country and abroad, ISRO Chairman K. Sivan said at a news conference on Sunday,
the 99th birthday of the legend.
Sarabhai was
only 28 when he sowed the seeds of a space agency around the late 1940s and
1950s. “We have planned an year-long centenary of the visionary architect of
the space programme and our first Chairman, Dr. Sarabhai, during 2019-20. A
series of activities will be organised nationally and internationally to
commemorate the great international scientist,” Dr. Sivan said.
The events are
being taken up with an initial outlay of ₹ 50 crore.
Earlier, former
Chairman of ISRO K. Kasturirangan unveiled a new bust of Sarabhai at the
remodelled atrium of ISRO headquarters, Antariksh Bhavan.
Dr. Sivan said
100 lectures by science luminaries would be held across the country and in
association with the International Astronautical Federation, the global space
networking body. Space clubs, knowledge centres and talk shows are also among
the plans.
Public satellite
launches
As it
strengthens its public outreach, ISRO will shortly start allowing the public to
watch satellite launches from its Sriharikota launch centre. “We are opening
our space port to visitors just as NASA (the U.S.’ National Aeronautical and
Space Administration) does,” Dr. Sivan said.
Source: THE HINDU- 13th August,2018
