The Great Indian Scientists
A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam (1931-2015)
1.
A. Synonyms
a)
Affectionate—loving, tender
b)
Epithet—title, caption
c)
Tenacity—perseverance, stability
d)
Monetary—financial, pecuniary
e)
Dwindle—decrease, diminish,
contract
f)
Kindred—related, akin
g)
Generous—charitable, humane
h)
Fascinate—delight, cheerful,
amaze
i)
Pursue—continue, sustain
j)
Relentless—steady, uncompromising
k)
Eventually—ultimately,
prospectively
l)
Pious—religious, devoted
m)
Conceive—begin, initiate
n)
Toil—stress, labour
o)
Renowned—great, noble
p)
Latent—inactive, passive, unused
q)
Harness—utilize, lock, control
r)
Demit—resign, depress
s)
Mettle—courage, character, stuff
1.B.Antonyms
a)
Pinnacle x base
b)
Humble x proud
c)
Perseverance x unstable, fickle
d)
Meagre x excessive
e)
Irrelevant x relevant
f)
Holistic x atomistic, divided,
segmented
g)
Indigenous x foreign, external
h)
Culminate x base, inferior
i)
Crucial x unimportant
j)
Objective x subjective
k)
Persuade x dissuade, refutation
l)
Nascent x end, completion
m)
Herculean x easy, small, less
n)
Credible x incredible,
unbelievable
o)
Devoid x presence
p)
Converge x distance, diverge
q)
Rigorous x mild
r)
Impeccable x imperfect, faulty,
flaw
2.
Questions and answers
a)
Who had most influenced the value system of Kalam when he was young?
Kalam attributes much of his value
system to his parents. He says that he has inherited honesty and
self-discipline from his father Jainulabdeen; and faith in goodness and deep
kindness from his mother Ashiamma.
b)
How did Kalam’s college days at St. Joseph’s help him inculcate religious
harmony?
At St. Joseph’s Kalam had to share his
room with two students of different faiths—a Syrian Christian from Kerala and
an orthodox Iyengar from Srirangam. They had a wonderful time together and
learnt the importance of religious freedom and harmony.
c)
Note initial employments of Kalam and what he was supposed to do.
First, he joined HAL (Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited) as aeronautical engineer for shop-floor training. He was
engaged into overhauling activities of both piston and turbine engines of the
aircrafts.
Later, he got a position at the
DTD&P (Air) [Directorate of Technical Development and Production].
He was then sent to Aircraft and
Armament unit in Kanpur and got the shop floor training. After receiving the
training, he was back to the DTD&P.
He was subsequently posted to
Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) at Bangalore. Here, he started to
build an indigenous hovercraft.
d)
What is a hovercraft?
A hovercraft is a wingless, light,
swift, heavier-than-air flying machine.
e)
Why was Thumba chosen to be centre for TERLS?
Thumba is on the earth’s magnetic
equator making it the ideal location for scientists to launch sounding rockets
and to conduct atmospheric research.
f)
What are sounding rockets? Why are they important?
A sounding rocket is an instrument-carrying
rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during
its sub-orbital flight. They are used for probing the near-earth environment,
including the upper regions of the atmosphere. They are important to understand
atmosphere, its pattern of changes and reasons of change.
They are advantageous because of their
low cost, short lead time and their ability to conduct research in areas
inaccessible. The smaller size of a sounding rocket also makes launching from
temporary sites possible allowing for field studies at remote locations, even
in the middle of the ocean, if fired from a ship.
g)
What was the objective of the SLV project?
To
develop a reliable launch vehicle for a 40 kilogram satellite in a 400 km
circular orbit around earth.
h)
When an institution abroad declined a crucial high speed test equipment, what
did Kalam do to get it done?
Kalam approached the National Aerospace
Laboratory (NAL) to do the task as he was aware of the fact that at NAL,
scientists had developed computational abilities. NAL along with scientists
from IISc and DRDL worked round the clock to achieve the results.
i)
What did Kalam invent with Dr. Somaraju and what was the purpose?
Kalam developed an economical stent
called the “Kalam-Raju Stent” which would lessen the health costs for the poor.
Kalam made it available for just 7 thousand rupees whereas other stents range
from 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh rupees.
j)
When did Kalam shift to Bangalore and what did he want to do there at IISc?
After the completion of SLV-3 project,
Kalam was selected to be the Director of ISRO Launch Vehicles and he shifted to
the headquarter in Bangalore, also the location of IISc (Indian Institute of
Science). He wanted to do a Ph.D. by writing a complete account of the SLV-3
project and he thought such proximity to IISc would help him. However, this
didn’t happen.
k)
Who helped Kalam design the guidance systems for Agni missiles?
Tessy Thomas, the mastermind behind
designing guidance for Agni series, helped Kalam.
l
) What were the two controversies that Kalam faced during his presidency?
1. Refusing to pass the amended
‘Office-of-profit’ Bill, which he later signed because of sheer pressure.
(According to the Act, representatives like ministers, MLAs, CMs and other members
of both the houses are not capable of serving if found guilty of holding an
office of profit, which means they have another source of income that comes
under the Act)
2. Doing nothing on the 20 odd clemency
petitions that were pending with him for
various convicts across the country. He personally opposed death
penalty. He believed that one can’t take away the life that God has given.
Hence, he neither rejected nor granted mercy to those victims.
m)
Name a few awards that Kalam won.
Padma Bhushan (1981)
Padma Vibhushan (1990)
Bharat Ratna (1997)
Indira Gandhi Award for National
Integration (1997)
Veer Savarkar Award (1998)
Ramanujan Award (2000)
Honorary Doctorate of Science
(2007)
King Charles II Medal (2007)
IEEE Honorary Membership (2011)
n)
After his tenure as President, what were the assignments that Kalam took up?
Kalam,
after his tenure as President, became
i)a
visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Shillong; IIM,
Ahmedabad and IIM, Indore
ii)an
honorary fellow of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
iii)Chancellor
of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram
iv)Professor
of Aerospace Engineering at Anna University
v)an
adjunct to many other academic and research institutions across India
vi)taught
Information and Technology at the International Institute of Information
Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad and
vii)taught Technology at Banaras Hindu
University and Anna University.
o)
What were the career options available to Abdul Kalam after his degree? Why would
he choose one over the other?
Kalam came to know that, as a pure
science subject, Physics had very few career options. And, he was always
fascinated about flying. Hence, he decided that aeronautics was his calling. To
make his dream come true, he enrolled to engineering course at the MIT (Madras
Institute of Technology) and chose to pursue aeronautical engineering.
3. Match the
following (Answers)
1.
Kalam’s birth place ---- (G) Rameswaram
2.
Kalam’s first school ---- (J)
Rameswaram Elementary School
3.
Kalam’s ancestor’s traditional business ---- (M) Ferry goods and passengers across
4.
Kalam’s higher schooling at ---- (L)
Schwartz High School
5.
Kalam’s college was ---- (B) St. Joseph’s
College in Tiruchirapally
6.
The English teacher who influenced Kalam towards literature ---- (N) Prof. Sequeria
7.
Subject in which Kalam did his graduation ---- (K) Physics
8.The
teacher who explained flight of birds to Kalam as child ---- (O)Siva Subramania Iyer
9.
The subject which most fascinated Kalam ---- (F) Aeronautics
10.
Kalam did his engineering from ---- (C)
Madras Institute of Technology
11.
The highest civilian award that Kalam
received in 1997 ---- (A) Bharat
Ratna
12.
Kalam became president in the year ---- (E)
2002
13.
Indian national committee for Space Research ---- (H) INCOSPAR
14.
Kalam did a 6 month training on rocket technology from here ---- (I) NASA
15.
ISRO was established under this umbrella organization----(D) Department of Atomic Energy
4. Fill in the
blanks
i) Kalam showed early inclination in the
subjects Physics and Mathematics.
ii) Kalam’s first school was Rameswaram
Elementary School.
iii) Kalam met several good teachers at
this school Schwartz High School.
iv) After finishing his schooling, Kalam
joined St.Joseph’s college in Tiruchirapally.
v) Kalam owes his interest in literature
to Professor Sequeria of St. Joseph’s.
vi) Kalam went to this holy city after
getting rejected for Indian Air Force Rishikesh.
vii) Kalam did his graduation in Physics.
viii) Department of Atomic Energy was
formed in this year 1954.
ix) The scientists of the TERLS worked
initially from the St. Mary’s Magdelene Church.
x) The first sounding rockets launched
by TERLS were imported from Russia and France and their names,
respectively, were M-100 and Centaure.
xi) In the Indian scientific landscape,
Professor Satish Dhawan contributed in fluid dynamics and in the Indian space
research; he contributed in boundary layer research.
xii) The first Indian satellite was
named Rohini and was launched on 18 July 1980.
xiii) Kalam was the chief
executive of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
xiv) The quiver of missiles envisaged by
Kalam included 5 missiles namely Prithvi, Trishul, Akash,
Nag and Agni.
xv) In 1992, Kalam was appointed the
chief scientific advisor to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of
the DRDO.
5. Answers from
options
i) As chief executive of IGMDP, Kalam
proposed a quiver of missiles namely:
a)
Prithvi b) Trishul c) Akash d) Nag e) Agni
ii) Kalam’s ancestors were in the
business of:
a) Ferrying
passengers in boats c) Ferrying
goods
iii) To augment family income, Kalam as
a child used to sell:
c) Newspaper
iv) IN his school years, Kalam’s
favourite subject used to be:
b) Science c) Mathemaics
v) Kalam, during his career, has worked
at this places:
a)
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited b) DRDO c)ISRO
vi) Kalam was inducted in TERLS as a:
c) Rocket
Engineer
vii) The first sounding rocket launched
by TERLS included the following:
a) Centaure
from France c) M-100 from Russia
viii) The first satellite that India
launched was named:
a) Rohini
ix) Duringthe 1990s, which project was
very crucial for the Indian Government for the defence forces which only
recently got completed?
b) Light
Combat Aircraft
x) Kalam contributed phenomenally in the
development of:
a)
Sounding rockets b) Guided
Missile c) Satellite
launch vehicle
6.
Answer in detail
i.
Why is Abdul Kalam called the “Missile Man” of India?
Kalam immensely contributed to the
development of missile technology in India and hence called the “Missile Man”
of India. He led several successful testing of missiles and their subsequent
inclusion in the Indian military arsenal. He was instrumental in developing a
quiver of missiles Prithvi, Akash,
Trishul, Nag and Agni under the
IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme).
ii.
What difficulties did Kalam have to face as a kid?
Kalam’s family was a humble one. His
parents were so generous and used to feed many people everyday. His father
avoided all the inessential comforts and luxuries but the necessities were
provided for, in terms of food, medicine or clothes.
When Kalam was eight years old, the
Second World War broke out and for some unknown reason, there was a sudden
demand for tamarind seeds. Kalam used to collect them and sell them to a
provision shop. A day’s collection would fetch him one anna (16 annas=one rupee).
At the age of 10, Kalam’s daily routine
was to wake up at 4am; take bath; take math lessons from Mr. Swamiyar; go to Namaz with his father and then to Arabic
school to learn the holy Koran Sharif. Later he would go to the Rameswaram
railway station to collect newspaper to be sold in the town to earn extra money
for the family; meanwhile trying to do well in his studies too.
iii.
What particular event at his school had a lasting impression on Kalam and
guided him towards his career path?
Kalam was fascinated by the mysteries of
the sky and the flight of birds from early childhood. He was inquisitive to
know how birds could fly. When Kalam was in 5th class, his teacher
Mr. Siva Subramania Iyer described to the class how birds flew, how the drag
and lift worked and to help the flight, they usually flew in a formation. When
the children still couldn’t understand, he took them to the sea beach to show
the flight of birds.
This experience had a lasting impression
on Kalam and helped him decide the future course he was to take towards his
career. His fascination of flight of birds turned into a keen interest in
aeronautics when he read an article on British Fighter Planes.
Kalam used to watch cranes and seagulls
soar into flight and longed to fly. He was also convinced that he too would one
day soar up into the sky. He was indeed, the first child from Rameswaram to
fly. He mentions that aeronautics is a fascinating subject, containing within
it the promise of freedom.
iv.
What lesson did Kalam learn while working on a project for a small aircraft at
the MIT?
During his course at MIT, in the third
year, Kalam was assigned a project to design a small aircraft along with six
other batch mates. System design and system integration parts were assigned to
Kalam. However, Mr. Srinivasan, the design teacher who was also the director of
MIT was unhappy with the progress. Kalam pleaded for a month’s time to complete
the task but Mr. Srinivasan asked him to submit it within three days and told
that he has to lose his scholarship if he couldn’t. Scholarship was Kalam’s
lifeline and he couldn’t afford to lose it. He worked day in and day out and
was appreciated on completion of the task.
Kalam learnt the importance of time and
time management with that experience. He says that it was a year of transition
and was to have a great impact on his later life.
v.
Take us through the development of rocket technology in India and how later
indigenously made rockets were built? How did the training that Kalam received
at NASA help him?
Kalam, as rocket engineer at TERLS
played a crucial part in the development that went on in the institution for
years to come. They were clearly a driven and motivated team. Kalam was
nominated to go to the USA for a six-month training programme on sounding rocket
and launching techniques at the NASA. After he came back, he successfully led
several launches of sounding rockets in India.
Later, in 1965, India started launching
indigenously made (home grown) sounding rockets. They are collectively called
the RSR (Rohini Sounding Rocket). In later years, several hundred RSRs had been
launched with increased sophistication with technological advancements. For
this to achieve, Kalam had to collaborate with several leading laboratories in
India and also scientists from other countries.
vi.
How did Kalam’s team building and collaboration abilities help him in executing
projects he took up?
At TERLS, Kalam worked on sounding
rockets. For the development of these rockets and related technologies, Kalam
had to collaborate with several leading laboratories in India and also
scientists from USA, USSR, France, Germany and Japan. Kalam was an apt person
to bring together the resources for a common objective. He has the ability to
stitch together diverse teams and it helped in the further development of the
project.
There was a smooth progress in the
project SLV-3 as teams of scientists from different divisions within VSSC and
other ISRO centers were brought together and a variety of coordination
mechanisms were formulated. At DRDO, he used to talk freely to the scientists
and maintained a wide network. When there was a last minute problem, the NAL
scientists along with the scientists from IISc and DRDL had worked round the
clock to achieve the results. Kalam has mastered the art of team building and
collaborating.
During the IGMDP, Kalam led the team
with collaborative management and took a consortium approach by roping in
services from several other academic institutions, several DRDO laboratories
and Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). That was the
visionary approach and the leadership skills Kalam learnt from TERLS and ISRO
days that helped him pull up things that seemed incredible. It helped him in
executing all his projects as expected.
vii.
Explain the work Kalam did at DRDO.
After almost 20 years of dedicated
service for the space mission—first at Thumba and then at ISRO—Kalam joined
DRDO as Director of the Defense Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) at
Hyderabad in 1982. He was entrusted with an Integrated Guided Missile Development
Programme (IGMDP). Under the programme, a quiver of five guided missiles is to
be developed simultaneously. They are Prithvi,
Akash, Trishul, Nag and Agni
missiles. Kalam was appointed as the chief executive of the programme. Kalam
faced with failures initially with Prithvi
and Agni and there was much criticism
for wasting money and time. Kalam kept working with his team and eventually,
reconfirmed his reputation as someone who always delivered on expectations.
viii.
Explain the developments that led to Kalam being nominated for the post of
President of India.
Initially Kalam’s name was not in the contender’s list, however, the
then Prime Minister Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, decided to offer the presidency
to Kalam, sensing the delicate political situation. Kalam being India’s most
credible scientist, an honest man and from religious minority community, even
the Indian National Congress which was the main opposition came to support his
candidature and Kalam became President of the Republic of India in 2002. He was
the first president with a scientific background.
ix.
What was the importance of the success of SLV 3 project?
The development of an Indian SLV had
become the most ambitious project on the ISRO agenda. Kalam was appointed the
Project Manager of the SLV-3 mission. Unfortunately, the first launch in 1979
failed giving way to criticism. But the second launch was successful, a year
later.
SLV-3 proved to be a turning point in
the history of the Indian space programme. That single success changed
perceptions, both within and outside ISRO, about what Indian Space and
Technology could do. It was a big boost to the nation. Until then the Indian
Space Programme had not gone beyond sounding rockets. For the first time, the
success of SLV inspired the confidence of the nation. The scientific strength
of our country was proved.
x.
Write a note on Pokhran-II and
Kalam’s involvement in it.
Pokhran-II
was the series of five nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by India in May
1998. Kalam, the chief scientific advisor and director of DRDO has served as
the Chief Project Coordinator of this nuclear test. He played strategic
political and technological role. Extensive planning was done to ensure that
the test preparations would remain secret. Media did a lot of coverage of the
work put in by Kalam and he became the most well-known face of nuclear science
in the country. After the test, the Indian government led by Prime Minister
Atal Behari Vajpayee convened a press conference to declare India a
full-fledged nuclear state. It was said, “There is no compromise on national
security; all options including the nuclear options will be exercised to
protect security and sovereignty.”
7. Assignments
i.
Read more about Tessy Thomas and her contributions towards science in India and
especially note her achievements in a recent path breaking space mission in
India.
Tessy Thomas hails from Kerala. She was
born in 1963. She was named after Mother Teresa. She completed her B.Tech and
joined DRDO as a scientist. She was appointed by Abdul Kalam in Agni missile
programme when she completed her M.Tech.
Within a few years of coming into the
Agni team, DR. Tessy Thomas had designed an advanced missile guiding system
which was first of its kind in India. With this, the missile would never miss
its target. Her expertise didn’t stop here. She has also developed a ground
breaking technology named RVS (Re entry Vehicle System). This lets the missile
re-enter the atmosphere with a thundering velocity and with a temperature of
three thousand degree Celsius. The real test for Tessy Thomas and her team came
in July 2006, 75 seconds into the flight and the test missile suddenly went out
of control but Dr.Tessy Thomas took it as a challenge and the team was able to
launch that missile after a period of 10 months successfully. It was all due to
the untiring efforts of Tessy Thomas.
She is called “The Missile Woman of
India” or “Agniputri” for her remarkable efforts in the works of Agni 3, Agni 4
and Agni 5. She was the associate project director for the Agni 3, an
intermediate range ballistic missile. It is capable of engaging targets deep
inside neighbouring countries. It is the most sophisticated and accurate
ballistic missile of its range class in the world.
She was project director for the Agni 4
project that was successfully tested in 2011. It has a number of new
technologies and significant improvement in missile technology. The missile is
light weight and has two stages of solid propulsion and a payload with re-entry
heat shield.
Tessy was appointed the project director
for the five thousand kilometer range Agni 5 missile in2009 and the missile was
successfully tested in 2012. It is an inter-continental ballistic missile
developed by the DRDO of India. She says, “We are all proud of our country.
Agni 5 is one of our greatest achievements.”
Tessy Tomas was conferred the Lal
Bahadur Shastri National Award for her outstanding contribution for making
India self-reliant in the field of missile technology. She says, “I have built
a vehicle that can also carry flowers. I am building it for a country that only
wants it as a deterrent. So I am building it to actually ensure peace in this
region.”
ii.
List out the names of scientists mentioned in the whole of the lesson. Write a
paragraph each about their role/contribution to Indian space and missile
technology.
Homi
Jehangir Bhabha
He was an Indian nuclear physicist,
founding director and professor of physics at TIFR. He was known as “father of
the Indian nuclear programme’. Bhabha played a key role in convincing the
Congress party leaders and Jawaharlal Nehru to start the ambitious nuclear
programme. He was the visionary behind India’s three stage nuclear power
programme. He is one of the most prominent scientists that India has ever had.
He also encouraged research in electronics, space science, radio astronomy and
microbiology. Bhabha was the founding director of TIFR (Tata Institute of
Fundamental Research) and the DAE (Department of Atomic energy). He was known
for Indian nuclear programme, Cascade process of cosmic radiations, point
particles, Bhabha scattering and Theoretical prediction of Muon.
MGK
Menon
MGK Menon was a physicist and policy maker
from India. He had prominent role in the development of science and technology
in India over four decades. One of his most important contributions was
nurturing the TIFR which his mentor Homi J. Bhabha founded in 1945. He
undertook experiments with cosmic rays to explore the properties of fundamental
particles. He was actively involved in setting up balloon flight experiments,
as well as deep underground experiments with cosmic ray neutrinos in the mines
at Kolar Gold Fields. He contributed to science and the building of modern
India.
Prof.
Vikram Sarabhai
Sarabhai was an Indian scientist and
innovator widely regarded as the father of India’s space programme. The nation
honoured him awarding Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. The Vikram A. Sarabhai
Community Science Centre (VASCSC), established in the 1960s worked towards
popularizing science and mathematics education among students, teachers and the
lay public. Its mandate is to stimulate interest, encourage and expose the
principles of science and scientific method and also to improve and find
innovative methods of science education. Establishment of ISRO was one of his
greatest achievements. He convinced the Indian government of the importance of
a space programme for a developing country like India. He wanted to prove that
we are second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real
problems of man and society. He selected Thumba to set up TERLS because of its
proximity to the equator. TERLS was renamed Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)
in his honour. Sarabhai started a project for the fabrication and launch of an
Indian satellite. As a result, the first Indian satellite Aryabhata was put in
orbit in 1975 from a Russian cosmodrome.
Prof.
Satish Dhawan
Satish Dhawan was an Indian aerospace
engineer, widely regarded as the father of experimental fluid dynamics research
in India. He was one of the most eminent researchers in the field of turbulence
and boundary layers, leading the successful and ingenious development of the
Indian space programme. Although he was the head of the Indian space programme,
he devoted substantial efforts towards boundary layer research. His most
important contributions are presented in the seminal book Boundary Layer
Theory. He set up the country’s first supersonic wind tunnel at IISc. He also
pioneered research on relaminarization of separated boundary layer flows,
three-dimensional boundary layers and trisonic flows. Dhawan carried out
pioneering experiments in rural education, remote sensing and satellite
communications. His efforts led to operational systems like INSAT, a
telecommunications satellite; IRS, the Indian Remote Sensing satellite; and
PSLV, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle that placed India in the league of
space faring nations. Following his death, the satellite launch centre at
Sriharikota (SHAR) was renamed the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC).
Dr.
V. S. Arunachalam
Dr. V. S. Arunachalam worked as a
scientist in his early years. He was the head of DRDO for about ten years. He
initiated major defense projects like the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and the
Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). He served as Defense
Scientific Advisor to the Defense Minister of India serving ten Defense
Ministers and five Prime Ministers. He advised the government on the
definition, assessment and review of a number of major technological and
societal programs such as optical fiber communications for India, development
of indigenous iron and steel technologies, scientific and technological
missions for the country to eradicate illiteracy, infant mortality etc. he also
advised the government in the area of graduate education in Engineering. He was
conferred Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan for his contribution to Indian
science. He was awarded DRDO’s lifetime achievement award for his outstanding
contribution in the field of scientific research and technology.
Highlights of Kalam’s life
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam—Born
on 15 October 1931—Father-Jainulabdeen,
Mother-Ashiamma
Interested in mathematics and science
subjects—At 8, sold tamarind seeds—At 10, sold newspapers to support
family—wake up at 4—bath, maths tuition, Namaz, Arabic school, newspaper
Schooling in Rameswaram Elementary
school—Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry—religious indifference
At 15—Schwartz High School in
Ramanathapuram—Mr. Solomon
Joseph’s
College in Tiruchirapalli, Tamilnadu in 1950—religious harmony—shared room with
students of other faiths—Love for literature (Mr. Sequeria)—wrote poems in
Tamil and English—essay writing—Graduation in Physics in 1954—fascinated by
flight of birds—in 5th class, Siva Subramania Iyer—bird
fly—beach—lasting impression—aeronautics—also, lunch at his house
MIT
in 1954—aeronautical
engineering—sister mortgaged her chain and bangles—3rd year—year of
transition—project work—design an aircraft—3 day time—scholarship would be
stopped—learnt importance of time and time management—engineering degree (DMIT)
from MIT in 1958—joined HAL(Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited)—shop-floor training—hands-on approach—overhauling engines
1958—Applied
for the Indian Air Force—pilot Dehradun—and DTD&p(Air) Delhi—failed in
pilot test, stood 9th, only 8 were
needed—depressed—failure—Rishikesh—ashram—swami—You are not destined to be a
pilot, forget your failure—accept what comes—job at DTD&P(Directorate of
Technical Development and Production)—250/-—training at Aircraft and Armament unit in Kanpur—shop
floor training—posted at ADE (Aeronautical Development Establishment)
Bangalore—‘If I was not flying the planes, I was at least helping to make them
airworthy.’
1958—ADE—hovercraft—indigenous, prototype—Nandi—defense
minister V K Krishna Menon’s support—comments from seniors—built the
hovercraft—light weight, wingless, swift, flying machine—one year—ride in
hovercraft—Menon appreciates—out of his position—project shelved—Kalam put his
heart and soul in it—depressed—limitations—after sometime—guest comes,
questions, takes ride—Director of TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research)—MGK Menon—in a week—call for interview—Kalam relaxed, answers
cool—best performances when you are relaxed—Interviewed by Menon and Prof.
Vikram Sarabhai—Sarabhai appoints Kalam as rocket engineer at TERLS
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) instituted by PM of India Nehru
and Homi J. Bhabha in 1954,
headquarters in Mumbai
Under DAE, INCOSPAR (Indian Committee for Space Research) was set up by
Sarabhai and the Govt. of India (PM Nehru) in 1962 (the talented pool from TIFR)
INCOSPAR set up TERLS (Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station) in 1962 at Thumba, Kerala—Thumba on
earth’s magnetic equator—Sarabhai at helm
1962—Kalam
at TERLS—rocket engineer—Chief Designer for a Rocket-Assisted Take-Off
system—pioneer in the fire glass technology development—St. Mary’s Magdelene
church—1963—Kalam nominated to go to
the USA—NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)—a 6 month
training—Tipu Sultan credited for use of rocket technology—Kalam was impressed
and felt proud—in 1799 when Tipu died in war, the British took with them to
England 700 rockets and sub systems of 900 rockets—no patent—reverse
engineering—with death of Tipu, demise of Indian rocketry took place for nearly
150 years.
Nov
1963—launch of first sounding rocket in
India—two stage—one Russian (M-100) another French (Centaure).
1965—launched
hundreds of indigenously made sounding rockets—RSRs (Rohini Sounding Rockets)—increased
sophistication and advanced technology—for this, collaboration with many
leading laboratories in India and scientists from other countries.
1965—SSTC
(Space Science and Technology Centre) was established in Veli near Thumba.
15
August 1969—ISRO
(Indian Space Research Organisation) was established under the DAE(INCOSPAR
eventually grew into ISRO in 1969)—Homi Bhabha’s death—Sarabhai to lead—Kalam
was selected to lead SLV (Satellite
Launch Vehicle) project under ISRO—Sarabhai great mentor—Kalam entrusted with
prestigious SLV 3 and SLV 4 projects
1970—project
Devil, project Valiant—ballistic missiles—Valiant a failure—Devil discontinued
by 1980, later led to development of Prithvi—secret funds from Indira
Gandhi—the Devil wind up—many excellent professionals hadn’t recovered from the
disappointment till 1982
On
31 Dec 1971—Sarabhai’s death—Professor Satish
Dhawan—Chairman of ISRO (after a brief period by MGK Menon)
Satish
Dhawan—prominent in fluid dynamics research
and boundary layer research in India—popular teacherat IISc (Indian Institute
of Science)Bangalore—did seminal works in the field of rural education and
remote sensing technology
1972—Dhawan
designated Kalam as project manager for
the SLV—same year, DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation)
working on SAM (Surface to Air Missile)—collaboration—generate ideas and
implemented
1979—first
test launch—failed—Kalam wanted to resign—persuaded by Dhawan to
continue—successful in next launch—on 18
July 1980—named the satellite, Rohini—efforts of team
1980—Kalam
became Director of ISRO launch vehicles—shifted
to ISRO headquarters at Bangalore—close to IISc—wanted to do a Ph. D on SLV
3—but couldn’t
1982—After
20 years of service for space mission at TERLs and ISRO—joined DRDO as Director of DRDL (Defense Research and
Development Laboratory) at Hyderabad
1982—At
DRDL—IGMDP (Integrated Guided
Missile Development programme)—to achieve self-sufficiency in the development
and production of wide range of ballistic missiles—battlefield missiles—Kalam
with MR. V S Arunachalam, the scientific advisor—to build a quiver of five
guided missiles for India—Prithvi, Surface to surface missile—Trishul,
the tactical core missile—Akash, the surface to air mid-range
missile—Nag, the anti-tank missile—Agni, the intermediate range
ballistic missile—defense minister R Venkatraman—Rs. 388 crore for
mission—Kalam—chief executive of the programme—initial failure in launching
Prithvi and Agni too—later successful—Agni took some more time—Kalam confirmed
his reputation as someone who always delivered on expectations.
NAL
(National Aerospace Laboratory)—computational abilities—collaborative
work—scientists from IISc, DRDL and NAL—worked round the clock—achieved results
1992—Prithvi coming into production phase—Kalam
was appointed the Chief Scientific
Advisor to the Prime Minister (P V Narasimha Rao) and Secretary of the DRDO (till 1999)—LCA (Light Combat Aircraft)
programme—crucial—Kalam initially had reservations for it—convince after
initial challenges were overcome.
1998—Pokhran-II—nuclear
tests—chief project coordinator—secret tests—media coverage—well known face of
nuclear science in the country—alleged by one of his colleagues—test
results—Kalam dismissed
1998—the
Kalam-Raju stent with Dr.
Somaraju—to help the poor—stent for 7k instead of 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh—later no
orders—no production—affordable light weight calipers to the polio-stricken—just 300 gms instead of 3 to 4
kgs—for just Rs.500—others cost 3,500 to 4000—material used—same material which
was used for nose cone of Agni missile.
1999—wings of Fire—autobiography
25
July 2002—sworn
as the 11th President of
India—man with scientific background—Vajpayee nominated—NDA rule—opposition
Congress party also supported Kalam—won the election—very popular by that time
and people of India were very fond of him—people’s
president—controversies—signing the Office
of Profit Bill—not taking any decision on the 20 odd mercy petitions—including Afzal Gurus’s (Kashmiri separatist, who
was convicted for his role in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack. Received death
sentence in 2013)—Kalam’s tenure from 25 July 2002 to 25 July 2007
Many awards from 1981 to 2011—Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Bharat
Ratna (1997)
Post
Presidency—visiting professor at IITs and research
Institutions
27
July 2015—at IIM, Shillong—to deliver a lecture
on “Creating a Livable Planet—Earth”—5 minutes into lecture—collapsed—cardiac
arrest—met his maker
Kalam—an epitome of simplicity—led
simple life—lived up to everything he said, preached and taught us.
Sounding
rockets—to probe the near-earth environment—can
carry a variety of payloads to a range
of altitudes—but cannot impart the final velocity to orbit the payload
Launch
vehicles—designed to inject into orbit a payload
or a satellite—the final stage of the launch vehicle provides the necessary
velocity for a satellite to enter an orbit—a complex operation requiring
on-board guidance and control systems
Missile—same
family—more complex in nature—large terminal velocity + on-board guidance +
control systems—target-tracking function—ability to trace and attack
fast-moving targets
ISRO—to
develop space technology and its application to various national tasks—formed
in 1969—Nehru and Sarabhai—first satellite—Aryabhata—launched
by the Soviet Union on 19 April 1975—in 1980—Rohini—first satellite to be
placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle—later, PSLV—GSLV—Chandrayan-1 on 22 October 20008, Lunar
Orbiter—Mangalyaan MOM(Mars Orbiter
Mission)—entered Mars on 24 September 2014 (launched on 5 Nov 2013)—India
became first nation to succeed on its first attempt, ISRO the 4th
space agency in the world and the first in Asia to reach Mars orbit—Mangalyaan
featured on the new 2000 rupee notes to celebrate India’s Mars mission—a record
of 20 satellites at one go—2017 Feb,
set up to launch 103 satellites at
one go on a single rocket—micro-small satellites—GSAT-9 to be launched in March 2017
DRDO—Defense
Research and Development Organisation—charged with military’s research and
development—New Delhi—network of 52 laboratories—developing defense
technologies covering various fields like aeronautics, armaments, electronics,
land combat engineering, life sciences, materials, missiles and naval
systems—India’s largest and more diverse research organization
SHAR—Sriharikota
High Altitude Range—a rocket launching station operated by ISRO—located in
Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh—renamed in 2002—Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC)—Sriharikota
chosen in 1969—became operational in 1971—Rohini sounding rocket in 1971—Rohini
launched in 1979—failed—consists two launch pads—second built in 2005—Chadrayan
and Mangalyaan launched from here—crescent shaped island—nearness to
equator—benefiting eastward launches—making best use of earth’s west to east
rotation—uninhabited area
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