INDIA AT 100: CHAPTER SPACE

 Rejected.

“Earth is the cradle of Mankind, but one cannot stay in the cradle forever.” - Konstantin Tsiolkovsky pioneer of astronautic theory.

Although humanity has lived on Earth, mankind is spacefaring and Space Inspire the Youth! Without risk, we would have remained in our caves, but we have come a long way daring to see what lies beyond our immediate sight. Human Beings have always aspired to explore the unexplored and to understand what is not understood.

With plans to get out of Earth before there is world war 3, millions of people moved out of earth, and it was not an easy task. Colonies were built in the outer space, with temporary habitats created, terra-farming introduced, food and power generation made possible, atmosphere warmed up and made breathable. Solar powered factories were set up to meet human needs. Voyager Station created artificial gravity using centrifugal force. Water was available, though not in plenty as in Earth.

Until there was a need to escape the earth permanently, because of various disasters, pandemics and wars; these were used as Vacation Homes. Space Hotels were set up by different countries, and private players.  Loving travel and space, but not being an astronaut, this was the best place to be in. There were vehicles circling the Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto.

The hotels took the shape of a Ferris wheel, spinning to simulate gravity in its pods. Though its form was unusual compared to Earth hotels, its rooms and amenities were largely familiar to regular travellers. There were luxurious accommodations for up to 600 guests — including villas available for purchase as vacation homes — a gourmet restaurant, pub, gymnasium, and entertainment center, a  standard high-end resort, just in space. ‘Aircations’ (cruises in the sky) have become popular. Space travel is reasonably priced, although stays in ‘Spatels’ (space hotels) are still reserved for the relatively well off and week-long stays in Space is for wealthy.

This is where we spend the 50th Anniversary of Space day celebrated annually on the first Friday of May, with an aim to promote the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). An unofficial educational holiday created in 1997 by Lockheed Martin, this day coincided with the 100th Independence Day Celebration in India as well.

As my nephew was an astronaut, he had concessional pass for 5 family members, and me being a travel freak, did not let go of the opportunity. He was getting wedded to his colleague and astronaut, specialising in medical research. Wedding was at a Spatel in space. Both of them had completed their astronaut training from Devanahalli, Karnataka; but with a gap of 15 years. Soon after the wedding, both of them would join the space habitat orbiting Saturn. It was the first of the kind around Saturn, though he was involved in similar assignment on Moon and Mars.  The space station environment presented a variety of challenges to human habitability, including short-term problems such as the limited supplies of air, water and food and the need to manage waste heat, and long-term ones such as weightlessness and relatively high levels of ionizing radiation. These conditions created long-term health problems for space-station inhabitants, including muscle atrophy, bone deterioration, balance disorders, eyesight disorders, and elevated risk of cancer.

Their job is to address these issues, so that future space habitats  could be designed for occupation beyond the weeks or months that current missions typically last. Possible solutions included the creation of artificial gravity by a rotating structure, the inclusion of radiation shielding, and the development of on-site agricultural ecosystems. Some designs might even accommodate large numbers of people, becoming essentially "cities in space" where people would reside semi-permanently. Humanoid robots were first used for a better understanding of what weightlessness and radiation do to the human body during long durations in space.

Saturn was chosen because, scientists believe several moons within our solar system have significant subsurface liquid water deposits. Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa are two examples. Both appear to have salty, liquid oceans covered with thick layers of ice at the surface. The existence of these geysers also tells scientists that these moons have a source of energy, perhaps from gravitational forces or radiation — energy that keeps the oceans liquid under the ice and could even support life.

In parallel, he is also involved in researching on life in space, and says that  we are not alone. There are other solar systems, universe and galaxy similar to ours, and then there are Kepler – 438B (472.9LY) , Kepler – 136F (557.7LY), Kepler 62e(1,200 LY) Kepler 62F1207 LY.

He would keep saying:

I am restless. I am athirst for far-away things.

My soul goes out in a longing to touch the skirt of the dim distance.

O Great Beyond, O the keen call of thy flute!

~             Rabindranath Tagore

Interested in flying and space, he had first thought of moving to US to join NASA soon after his schooling. Around that time, there were multiple projects by ISRO, with mission to Mars, moon, setting up of own space station amidst others. He was part of the 20 tonne India’s own space station, that was set up as a follow-up programme of the Gaganyaan mission. India did not join the International Space Station program. The new own space station was capable of harbouring a crew for 15–20 days at a time, placed in a low Earth orbit of 400 km altitude and was capable of harbouring three humans. The team that he was part of in ISRO  developed spacecraft docking and berthing technology, SPADEX, with systems like signal analysis equipment, high-precision videometer for navigation, docking system electronics and real-time decision making for landing systems. As part of SPADEX, they launched 2 small satellites for testing. This technology was crucial for a space station as it enabled transfer of humans from one vehicle or spacecraft to another. He had his training at ISRO's Human Space Flight Centre , Glavcosmos, which is a subsidiary of the Russian state corporation Roscosmos, and Gagarin Research & Test Cosmonaut Training Centre   for abnormal landing in various terrains including forests, rivers and sea. This was the beginning, but then there was no looking back. They were trained to have packed food, sleep standing, put through rigorous exercises, which never mattered as he loved, space explorations searching outer space with the aids of astronomy and space technology. He believed that we have come a long way, though there is lot more unexplored, and would quote “what we know are like drops in the ocean, what we don’t is vast like the sea, space is much bigger than the sea’s and ocean”

The first rocket that was able to fly high enough to be considered in space was the V-2 Missile, weapon developed by German scientists in World War 2. The technology  used in rockets in early space exploration. In October 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first Satellite Sputnik – 1 into low Earth Orbit, marking the start of the ‘Space Age’, a few week after Sputnik 2 had a dog named Lika – first passenger for space journey. On April 12 1961, Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, orbiting the Earth once in a space craft named Vostok -1.  In response, the United States launched its first satellite Explorer – 1 on January 31, 1958. This started the ‘space race.’ When NASA- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration opened for business on October 1, 1958, it accelerated the work already started on human and robotic spaceflight. NASA's first high profile program was Project Mercury, an effort to learn if humans could survive in space. This was followed by Project Gemini, which used spacecraft built for two astronauts to perfect the capabilities needed for the national objective of a human trip to the Moon by the end of the 1960s. In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the 1st man to walk on moon, on the Space shuttle Apollo 11. Dr Vikram Ambala Sarabhai, following the successful launch of Sputnik by Russia, had said, “There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. To us, there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned spaceflight. But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society.” The money we are spending now on space program will help in the long run. He thrust upon the Indian government the need for a comprehensive space programme. The Indian National Committee for Space Research created in 1962, became the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Under his leadership, the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station was established with a successful launch in 1963. The first Indian satellite Aryabhatta was sent into orbit in 1975 from Russian rocket launch using a Kosmos – 3 M launch vehicle.  India became proud custodian of remote sensing technology, VIKAS liquid fuel, well equipped Data space centre, Satellite navigation system, GSLV rockets and operational vehicles. Chandrayan 1 in 2008 was set up to embark on moon.  Mars Mission was also set up to study the universe from single platform.

Outside India in 2021 space tourist focused missions gained momentum with new beginning in space tourism. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, Jeff Bezos with Blue Origin and SpaceX each flew their first tourist-focused missions. Roscosmos (the Russian federal space agency) had two sets of space tourists into space, including a mission with Space Adventures. Russian film crew started real time shooting of dramas on ISS – International Space Station. Sirisha Bandla from India had joined Branson and five others in their first journey to the edge of space from New Mexico. She became the third Indian-origin woman to fly into space after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams. The only Indian ever to fly into space has been Wing Commander (Retd) Rakesh Sharma who flew on a Russian mission in 1984. He was an Indian Air Force Pilot then.  Rakesh Sharma gave a thumbs up to India’s plans of sending astronauts into space using Gaganyaan saying ‘a manned space flight is a natural corollary of every space programme that has attained a level of maturity.’ Then we had 16,000 strong space agency which used the country’s heaviest launcher the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III or GSLV Mk-III, this 640 tonne, 43 metre tall rocket also dubbed the `Bahuballi’ send a crew into space.

With Gaganyaan India became the 4th country to send people to space. Many ventures around moon continued in the path of Chandrayaan-1 launched by ISRO in Oct 2008 and across Mars with Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)/Mangalyaan. Exploration of the Moon and Mars is intertwined.  Finding from Moon was implemented in Mars as well. Aditya L1 was set up to study sun. RLV-TD was the first space plain with low-cost access to space, created by Indian space transportation system. Space odyssey was given prominence to explore the unexplored. Research was also around Abell 2256 Galaxy.  Along with Government support, private players were part of space programmes and bodies like IspA, IN-SPACe ,NSIL, NGPEs were set up to expedite the space journey who were instrumental in devising new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying astronauts to low-Earth orbit. Taking its cue from science fiction films like "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Interstellar," NASA, ROSCOSMOS, there were various projects set up.

Space Exploration need huge investment – but facilitates, enhanced communications, television channels, internet service, connect different parts of the countries, Kidney dialysis and the new artificial heart have been based on technology found in space shuttle. Programmable Heart Pacemaker were first developed In the 1970s using NASA satellite electrical system. Image processing used in CAT scanners and MRI technology in hospitals worldwide came from technology development to computer improved pictures of the moon for the Apollo programs. Joystick evolved from Apollo Lunar Rover, used for Computer Games, cranes, Mining Trucks, Underwater unmanned vehicles. Micro gravity semiconductor material can produce chips as much as thousand times more powerful than anything now available. Pharmaceuticals produced in space with zero gravity have purities far higher than any produced-on Earth, There is an element known as Helium 3 that is found on the moon, and could power the world for at least 1,000 years when we are able to use it. Thus space exploration helps find, Simple solutions to world’s most complex problems working across space and time. Human and machine work side by side –with artificial intelligence, integrated solutions are delivered. Information is shared at the speed of lightning. It helps in addressing global challenges ; monitoring global warming, developing capabilities of Global protection, Space debris removal, Building mutual trust and understanding among nations.

Understanding the benefits of investing in space projects, many countries started being part of the space odyssey. Now the space is crowded with Earth’s trash.

“We need to see ourselves as Earthlings, as we share the planet. That's the only way we're going to move forward.” – Mae Jemison. Best would be for all nations to collaborate and work as Eathlings, but then countries have their own separate missions.

Here is how the space is crowded:

The International Space Station (ISS) is the third brightest object in the sky after the sun and the moon. It is divided into two main sections, the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) and the US Orbital Segment (USOS). Then other countries started having their own space stations, with our own, Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. Among other things, it includes two major satellite systems, INSAT for communication, television broadcasting and meteorological services, and Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) system for resources monitoring and management. Two satellite launch vehicles Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to place IRS and INSAT class satellites in orbit. In addition to Gaganyan and Mangalyan, there are projects on Asteroid Mission: To understand the formation of Solar System, how water and organic material came to Earth to find the way to reduce the possibility of future impact with earth and exploring possibilities of mining and resupply for space mission. Then there are the Interstellar comet, Cosmic iceberg, Alien space wreck, shaggy-dog mysteries of the sky continue to mesmerize astronomers including my nephew. Various Projects like Lyra that sends spacecraft to reach interstellar visitors including ‘Oumuamua. Project Lyra makes plans for spacecraft that could chase down ‘Oumuamua and other interstellar visitors to our solar system. Oumuamua was a chip off a faraway planet belonging to another star. Similar to it collisions with asteroids break off and keep moving through space. There are various telescopes too installed for studies. A lot of crowding is also from the broadband internet and telecommunication satellites.

Right now, there's no strong societal framework to force current space explorers to be more inclusive. The cornerstone of space law, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, cherishes equity, but it's designed to govern countries, not companies or individuals. It doesn't do much to level the playing field for less-developed countries. It basically says that nobody can deny you access to space but doesn't guarantee that anybody will give you access to space. India, along with US, China, Russia has been working towards having a strong space law in place. With more nations joining the space club, along with commercial partners and many smaller agencies from the existing countries who are already a major participant, cooperative endeavour would be the key for sustainability of Space the final frontier.