Will try again to safely land a vehicle on moon: Sivan

In the Chandrayaan-2 mission, lander Vikram crash-landed on September 6.

November 02, 2019 01:22 pm | Updated 05:34 pm IST - New Delhi

Dr K. Sivan, Chairman ISRO, at the golden jubilee convocation of IIT Delhi

Dr K. Sivan, Chairman ISRO, at the golden jubilee convocation of IIT Delhi

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning another mission to safely land a vehicle on the moon, its chief K Sivan said on Saturday.

In the Chandrayaan-2 mission, one of the components was a lander called Vikram and it crash-landed on September 6 , after a 46-day journey. Vikram contained robotic vehicle Pragyaan that was to traverse 500m of the lunar surface and relay details of the soil back to ISRO.

Mr. Sivan, who was the chief guest at the 50 convocation ceremony at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, said, “Chandrayaan-2 mission could not achieve soft-landing but all other mission parameters until 300 metres were successful. We are planning a follow-up mission to demonstrate soft-landing.”

Also read: ISRO releases pictures of moon surface

Later, in response to questions from The Hindu, he said that while no date for the endeavour had been finalised, the mission was a certainty. “We definitely have to demonstrate the technology and we are working out a plan of action.”

On September 19, when the moon entered a period of darkness—or lunar night, the ISRO said it had constituted a committee of experts to examine why Vikram didn't make the touchdown as planned. “The committee is still examining and we are planning a future course of action,” said Mr. Sivan.

The ISRO chief had consistently maintained that Chandrayaan-2, launched on an indigenously crafted GSLV cryogenic engine, was “95-98% successful.” The key difference between Chandrayaan-1 of 2008 and Chandrayaan-2—apart from being launched on a heavier rocket—was the lander and the rover.

After Vikram crash-landed—for reasons which haven't been fully explained— in the last 3 minutes of its descent on the moon, there were attempts to photograph its remains by the cameras aboard the orbiter as well NASA’s 10-year-old Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Had it touched down on the moon as per plan, itself and the rover would have worked for a lunar day — roughly 14 days on earth: i.e. until September 21.

 

PTI adds:

“Chandrayaan 2 is not the end of the story. Our plans on Aditya L1 solar mission and the human space flight programme are on track. A large number of advance satellite launches are planned in the coming months. SSLV will make its maiden flight sometime in December or January. The testing of a 200-tonne semi-cryo engine is expected to begin shortly. Work is on to provide NAVIC signals on mobile phones, which will open the path to developing a large number of applications for societal needs,” Mr. Sivan said.

Asserting that IITs were the “holy grail” of technical education in India, he said when he graduated from IIT Bombay more than three decades ago, the job scenario was not as vibrant as today.

“Area of specialisation limited the career options. Today, the options are many. There is an added volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity about the global economy. However, you all are much smarter and aware about these scenarios than the older generations,” he said.

The ISRO chief advised the students to chose the career options wisely.

“Keep in mind that, there is only one life and there are many career options. You all need to identify your passion and natural talent and align your career. Choose an industry that reflects your passion and interests. Rather than choosing a job for money, choose it for your happiness," he noted.

“Be good at what you do. Remember, passion is not the only ingredient needed for success. You also need skills and strengths. You might be passionate about music or cricket. But do you have the talent and skillset to become successful in extremely competitive fields like music or sports?," he said.

 

One did not need to be a topper, super genius or have excellent grades to achieve a successful career, he pointed out.

“To be successful in your career, academics or business, you need not be super intelligent or a genius. You need not be the topper, you need not have excellent grades. All you need is focus by eliminating distractions and time-wasting activities,” he said.

“And for god’s sake, don’t be a copycat. Just because, it is fashionable to be a stand-up comedian, can you be a comedian? The trick is to strive the right balance between what you love and what you are good at. You can always be passionate about music and be a competent engineer together,” he added.

Before the convocation address, the ISRO chief signed an MoU with IIT Delhi for setting up a Space Technology Cell (STC) at the institute.

With this, IIT Delhi will join the league of other premier institutions like IISc Bangalore and IIT Bombay, where the STCs have been set up to play a major role in taking up the space technology research and applications to the newer heights.

A total of 1,217 postgraduate and 825 undergraduate students were awarded degrees at the convocation besides the distinguished alumni awards.

 

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