Boredom can push one to extremes. A friend of mine suffered from this
frustrating symptom coupled with bouts of insomnia. He often read the telephone
directory at the dead of the night to set his restless mind to rest. Of late, I became a victim of a similar disposition. However, instead of the
telephone directory, I seek solace in the wide world of the net.
My favourite refuge is the YouTube. Apart from old
movies, there are numerous other issues and non-issues that you can indulge in.
A few days ago, I accidently found a link which supposedly explained “The
Theory of Relativity” in the simplest possible words. If I was a bit confused
while I started watching the clip, at the end I was completely flabbergasted. Incidentally,
an old friend from Kuwait called me when I was watching the hour long clip. He
was curious to know how I had been spending my time in USA, where I was on a holiday.
Without contemplating the consequences, I blurted out; - I am studying the Theory
of Relatively. What followed was a stunned silence at the other end followed by
a mute suspicion of my sanity. He was relieved when I explained the extraordinary
scenario.
YouTube has the habit of suggesting subjects of your
possible interest. My dabbling with Einstein led me to a video clip that
boasted of India’s space technology, - Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)
or Mangalyaan. The event sent ripples across the nation when national TV
channels broke the news on 5th November 2013 from Sriharikota, where
the launch pad of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) was located.
What caught the international scientific community by
complete surprise was the ridiculously low cost of the project. An elated prime
minister could not hide his excitement and pride, when he announced to the
nation that the cost of US$ 73 million was way less than the US $ 100 million
spent on making the Hollywood blockbuster “Gravity”. Another crowning glory was
India’s astounding success at the very first attempt, whereas the other three
space agencies from USA, Russia and Europe all failed in their maiden attempts.
Incidentally, NASA also launched a Mars mission named
Maven a few days later on 18th November 2013 and the total cost was
US$ 671 million. Scientists around the
globe marveled at the low cost of the Indian mission and initially attributed
the reason to cheap human resources in India. However, salary of the scientists
and other staff are arguably lower but constitute a small fraction of the total
cost. The main reason for the cost difference was a much higher payload of Maven
and the technology used for its launch.
Maven headed for the Mars orbit
immediately after its launch and reached on 22nd September 2014,
consuming a stupendous amount of fuel. On the contrary, Mangalyaan, in spite of
being launched earlier reached the Mars orbit 2 days later. This was due to a
unique technique employed by the Indian space scientists.
The Mangalyann or the Mars Craft was not sent to Mars
immediately after launch but was placed in an off-centered elliptical orbit
around the earth. After every revolution, when it came close to earth, the
scientists provided a bit of thrust from the control room to push it a bit away
from earth while still remaining in its orbit. It happened for a week and
during this process the craft generated a tremendous amount of energy due to
centrifugal force, which provided the initial “force”
when the craft was finally released towards its intended mission. This
technique minimized the cost of fuel. The scientists called it a “sling shot”
method. However, I think it was the legendary “Jugad Technology” that we, in
India, nurtured to perfection.
It was indeed an event of great pride. But it was not
the end of the story. It turned out to be just the beginning of India’s space
odyssey. In June 2016, ISRO launched a rocket to place twenty satellites in
space on behalf of USA, Germany, Canada and Indonesia. The mission was a
success. The western countries, though conversant with space technology, opted
for India because of the low cost. ISRO is finally ready to snatch away a large
slice of the lucrative business of placing satellites in space.
The journey has just begun.
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New Jersey/Kolkata
June/July 2016
