Indian space mission not a medium of one-upmanship: K Radhakrishnan

MANGALURU: Indian space mission is not a medium of one-upmanship (over Western countries), but a mode to use it for the Indians, noted K Radhakrishnan, former chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The organization while fully internalizing the vision of its founder Vikram Sarabhai over the years has only strived to ensure that the tangible benefits are felt by the common man along indulging in 'exciting missions' like Mangalyaan, he noted.

Delivering the Founders' Day lecture of Karnataka Bank Ltd on Wednesday, Radhakrishnan said this can be gauged by the fact that only 9% of ISROs total outlay is utilized for events such as Mars Orbiter Mission and rest goes towards making the organization useful to the common man in one form or the other. The 25 Indian satellites orbiting the Earth and launched by ISRO influence Indian lives in one manner or the other influencing many sectors, he said.

Noting that global positioning system (GPS) is the buzz word off late, Radhakrishnan said India has already three such GPS satellites in space and the fourth one will be launched in March this year. The presence of GPS satellites helps one to find their location down to the nearest 10 metres accuracy, he said, adding launch of fourth GPS satellite will put in place an assured system that is there for all to see and derive advantage from in any manner they choose.

The 80,000-odd ATMs dotting length and breadth of the country work on Indian communication satellite systems, he said adding the 16,000-odd ISRO workforce is constantly worried about the health of these 25 satellites just as doctors would be about their patients. "If any of these satellite fails, the ripple effect will be felt on the ground," he said adding ISRO has put in place a system to ensure that all systems dependent on these satellites working without any hitch.

Dwelling on the success of MoM, which drew criticism and skepticism - both globally and within the country, Radhakrishnan said the biggest success of this mission is that ISRO has succeeded in bringing Gen Y to discuss pure sciences on its Facebook page. "The FB page launched on October 22, 2013 which has received more than 9 lakh likes and majority of them are in the age group of 18-25 years. They are discussing science there and this is a major success," he said.

About criticism that MoM generated especially 'roti', 'toilet' debate that Rs 450 crore spent on it generated, Radhakrishnan said ISRO fully understood the fine line between national fame and national shame if the mission had failed. "At ISRO, productive conflicts are encouraged," he said adding the organization follows the laws of physics and not hierarchy and even the junior most is encouraged to speak their mind. "MoM has primed us for bigger mission," he said.

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