50th anniv of the first manned space flight and we got a chance to fly into space that day!

       What a flight into space!

       And this was one of the best gits ``Beyond Moon and Mars (BMM)'' could get to mark the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight by Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 2011.

       BMM has always dreamn't about space exploration since childhood. But to see earth from space for the very first time and that too on the very day man first flew into space is something extremely significant and memorable for it.

      But hold it folks!  Do you think that BMM really flew into space on April 12,2011? No. Far from it.

      The truth is BMM flew into space while watching the nearly two hour masterpiece produced by Christopher Rilay called ``First Orbit,'' which commemorates the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's flight on Tuesday and it premiered on Youtube the same day.

      The superb film produces a realistic feeling that you are actually flying in space. So those of us who perhaps will never get a chance to go into space should see this great film. The photography was done by an astronaut on board the International Space Station (ISS)  by, Paulo Nespoli.

     The film was made by matching the orbital path of the space station as closely as possible to that of Gagarin's Vostok-1 spacecraft. According to the makers, Nespoli filmed the same vistas of the earth through the giant cupola window of the space station.

     In in interview Riley has been quoted as saying that it was a disappointment that Gagarin did not have any pictures of his flight. So, this project.

     Nespoli said that initially he thought it was a bizarre idea. ``But, more I thought of it, it turned out to be interesting. Filming in space was more challenging than on earth mainly because of the microgravity. We had a challenge here (space station), because it is very busy at the space station. So, I had to find time to do the filming and at the end it became a very interesting project,'' he said.

    Riley said that the film needed music. ``At the other end of the space station, another astronaut, Candy Coleman, was listening to the score we wanted and Nespoli was filming at another end. We had to get them to together,'' he has been quoted as saying. The music is composed by Philip Sheppard and is from the albus Cloud Songs.

    The film is enriched by the fact that it has original audio of the conversation between Gagarin and the ground station. ``We blended the audio and the visuals by working thru the weekend,'' Riley said. For the audio, the makers interacted with Nato, the Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency and the British Council.

     BMM has requested Pradeep Mohandas, its good friend and secy of the India chapter of the Moon Society to transfer the film into a cd and give it.

    Once BMM gets this cd be sure it will be seeing it any number of times.

    What a great film and tribute to Gagarin.

    Once again--it is a super gift for the 50th anniv of the first manned space flight.

T-0 We have lift off of the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight by Yuri Gagarin

         And the day has arrived. It was the 108 minutes flight which changed the world exactly 50 years ago today, 

         At 11.37 a.m. (IST), on April 12, 1961, a mighty Vostok spacecraft carrying a 27-year-old air force pilot, Yuri Gagarin, lifted off from the Baikonour cosmodrome and thundered into world history. For the first time man was escaping the earth's gravity and flying into space. Yuri became the world's first spaceman beating the Americans. The US followed on May 5,1961, with a 15-minute sub orbital flight by Alan Shepherd.

        To mark the 50th anniv of this historic occasion, a number of films and books are being released all over the world today---well I do not know about India!  ``Beyond Moon and Mars (BMM)'' will be downloading two films which will be available on the net later today.

        Though it is the 50th anniv, BMM feels a touch of disappointment. Why? The reason is that the excitement and thrill relating to this great event is somewhat lacking in India, and hardly any of the science-related organisations especially in Mumbai have taken advantage of the situation to either educate youngsters about Gagarin or popularise space exploration. Surprisingly, India has not even brought out a special stamp to mark the occasion. Very unfortunate.

         Such a low key affair, would have perhaps been appropriate had it been the 50th anniv of the first landing on the moon since Neil Armstrong by nature is a very recluse person and not too communicative as BMM discovered when he met him in November 1995. Nasa, however, would have gone to town on such an occasion.

        Gagarin on the other hand is just the opposite as stories and articles about him suggest. Therefore, it would have been nicer if the 50th anniv was celebrated in a bigger way with exhibitions, public discussions and sale of Gagarin merchandize. Maybe we can start planning for the 75th anniv in a big way right now!

          What better proof of the lack of knowledge about Gagarin celebrations than the response of some residents of Al Jabreya building at Marine Drive to this important event? 

          Why Al Jabreya Court?  How many people are aware that Gagarin, when he came to Mumbai in October 1961, had dinner on the fourth floor of this building hosted by an eminent doc who was staying on the fourth floor?  On Monday, when BMM visited Al Jabreya Court and spoke to a few residents about Gagarin. None of them were aware that the world's first spaceman had visited their building.

          A doctor, Rahul Shroff, who was born and brought up in this building told BMM: ``This is the first time I am learning that Gagarin had visited our building. I am happy to know that our building was a part of the history of space exploration,'' he said.

          As stated earlier, BMM's dad was a guest of Air India when it inaugurated its Mumbai-Moscow flight in the 60s. When he returned, he brought back with him a number of Gagarin memorobalia. BMM is wearing one of them today.

          Hopefully, BMM should have a big poster of Gagarin soon.

          Long live the memory of Gagarin.

        

         



       

                                                                                

       

       

       

        

        

And finally the date is out

            It is exactly T-24 hours left for the lift off of the 50th anniv of Yuri Gagarin's flight, and we had an announcement of another lift off next week.

           Amidst the excitement of the 50th anniv celebrations, came the announcement on Sunday about the much-delayed launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) with three satellites. They are the indigenous Resourcesat-2, YouthSat and X-Sat from Singapore.

           The launch is slated for Wednesday April 20 at 10.12 a.m.at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota

           This flight is being viewed with considerable interest for two main reasons. First, the question is will it signify the ``resurrection''----if this word can be used---of Isro whose image has taken a severe beating following the two failures of the Geo Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and more importantly the controvery relating to the Antrix-Devas deal?

           Second, it is carrying a satellite which is the brain child of APJ Abdul Kalam.

           Considering this challenging scenario, one can definately conclude that chairman of Isro, K.Radhakrishnan, right now is certainly not occupying a very enviable position!  It is certainly a very nail-biting moment for him because, by chance, if anything happens to this flight what will happen to his career trajectory?  One can also say at the same time that the PSLV is not known to have let down anyone except during the very first launch.

           The original plan envisaged the launch taking place nearly two-and-a-half months ago. But, Isro exercised considerable caution keeping in view the GSLV failures and decided to carry out more extensive tests before clearing the mission for lift off. Also problems cropped in the second stage of the rocket.

           Now the mighty rocket is standing at the launch pad in Sriharikota with the three satellites atop all set to blast off on the morning off April 20. The launch authorisation board will review the readiness of the mission and will give the final `go' on April 16. After the green signal is given the last phase of the countdown will kick off during the early hours of April 18.

          Good Luck and God Speed.                      

          
            

T-72 hours. We have lift off for the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's flight.

        Fifty years ago, this would have been something beyond one's imagination.

        It was an event which literally woke up the US from its slumber---the flight of Yuri Gagarin on April 12,1961.

        When Moscow Radio announced the news, a sense of disappointment and frustration enveloped the entire US. It had once again been beaten in the space race after the launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union on October 4,1957.

        After the flight of Gagarin, the US rushed to send an astronaut, Alan Shepherd,  to space on May 5,1961, to catch up with the Soviets, though it was a feeble attempt. Twenty days later on May 25,1961, President Kennedy proclaimed that the US will be landing on the moon by the end of the decade.

        Now, apparently, the tables have turned. A country which was beaten in the space race initially is all praise for the Soviet's achievements. What an irony! Nasa has opened a special section in its website called : ``Yuri Gagarin: 50 years later.''  It contains the front page of ``The Huntsville Times, carrying the banner headlines ``Man Enters Space.'' Huntsville is an important centre for US space programme because the Marshal Space Flight Centre is located there which was headed by none other than Wernher Von Braun. It was here where the Saturn rockets were designed for the Apollo missions.

        In the photo section there are also pictures of Gagarin being taken to the launch pad in a bus, a plaque in memory of Gagarin signed by John Glenn, James McDivitt and Neil Armstrong, Gemini-4 astronauts meeting Gagarin,.the Vostok-1 control panel, the Soyuz spacecraft called `Gagarin,' rolling to the launch pad at Baikonour and a cosmonaut paying homage to the statue of Yuri Gagarin.

        An informative website.

        ``Beyond Moon and Mars (BMM)'' has downloaded a 12-minute video produced by the European Space Agency (ESA) called ``First Man In Space.''

         BMM hopes that India too does something.









      

        

T-8 days left for the 50th anniv of Gagarin's flight. A flight dedicated to Yuri.

           When the countdown hits the T-7 days mark for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the world's first human space flight early on Tuesday morning (IST), a rocket will thunder off the launch pad at Baikonour carrying three crew members to the International Space Station. It has been designated as Expedition 27.

           The commander of the Soyuz spacecraft is Alexander Samokutyaev, the Nasa flight engineer is Ron Garan and the Russian flight engineer is Andrey Borisenko.

           What is special about this mission?  It is indeed dedicated to none other than Yuri Gagarin, and the Soyuz spacecraft has been named as Gagarin. It will dock with the Poisk module in the Russian segment of the space station on April 6. They will join three others who have been at the space station since December 2010.

           In a Nasa pre-flight interview, Samokutyaev recalled that when he was studying in kg, the school presented the youngsters with model rockets which was three or four metres. He said that the model reminded him of the rocket in which Yuri flew to space on April 12,1961.

          He said: ``When I looked at the rocket, I understood that it was mine and I protected the vehicle, I protected that rocket and everybody called me Gagarin and that was the moment when I understood that I wanted to become a cosmonaut.''

          The commander told the interviewer that he likes hockey in the same way Gagarin enjoyed playing the game. ``I am very proud to launch into space during the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight,'' he remarked.

          ``The fact that the mission coincided with the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's flight was one of the most important and most interesting part of our flight. We have planned several activities, we will not be discussing them because this is a secret for now and we'll be able to celebrate these important dates for everyone--- ( perhaps this is why the Russian consulate in Mumbai has yet to publicise its plan for the 50th anniversary programme!)

         Ron Garan has blogged that the ``buzz around the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight is really starting to pick up. Many dignatries are starting to arrive and we have been conducting a lot of media interview concerning the historical significance of this anniversary,'' he said.

         Says Ron: ``For me it is an incredibly significant milestone in the history of humanity. On that April 12,1961, humanity made a giant leap in our evolution as a species. We instantly became a species that was no longer confined to the boundaries of our earth. On that day we were no longer a single planet species,'' he said.

         Emphasising that Gagarin's flight led to international co-operation, he observed: ``There is no doubt in my mind that the world is safer and more peaceful place today than it would be otherwise if we had not taken that first step into space.''

         A part of the rocket has a large painting of Gagarin, and the name ``Gagarin'' is painted in large red letters along with the emblem designating the mission as a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first human space flight.

        ``Words cannot describe what an honour it is to have our launch coincide with the 50th anniversary of humanity's first step into cosmos. As I stood there and looked at this incredible sight, it dawned on me that 50 years ago one nation launched one man ino space and made that first step towards the human exploration of space. Today three crew members representing many nations are partnering the space station,'' he added.

        Good luck and God Speed.
           

T-11 days. Eleven days left for the 50th anniv of first manned space flight by Gagarin to lift off.

       With just 11 days left for the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight---April 12,2011---by Yuri Gagarin, one can expect a lot of sensational material about the world's first spaceman, many of which can portray him in an unfavourable way.

       Those behind these so called spicy disclosures perhaps depend on sources who have been not been favourably disposed towards Gagarin's flight in the first place, for a variety of reasons. This reflects a pro-American tilt because the US lost the space race in the first round. Even after 50 years there could still be a sense of bitterness even among a small section of pro-US Russian scientists that Russia defeated its arch political rival---the US--in the space race.

       There is every possibility that organisations like the CIA will use those friendly towards the US in Russia to discredit Gagarin's achievement.

       What is the result? Books like ``108 Minutes That Changed The World,'' will fill bookstores which claim to reveal hitherto unknown aspects of Gagarin's flight.

        This book claims that Soviet scientists had miscalculated the area where Gagarin would land. How far this is true we do not know. A huge book ``Beyond Moon and Mars (BMM) is currently reading, ``Our Gagarin,'' which contains contributions by those who were involved with the flight says just the opposite--it says that every arrangement had been made in different places to receive the spacecraft.

        Which of the statements is true we really will not know. Agreed?

        That is not all.  This book claims that the Soviets had even lied about the manner in which he landed. It says that they had given misinformation that Gagarin had landed in the space capsule, when he actually touched down in a parachute.

        BMM which has been keenly following the mission is aware that the final phase of the landing was done in a parachute which would have disqualified the mission from being registered with the Federation Aeronautique Internationale---the international body set up in 1905 which records world aerospace achievements.

       Russian space officials negotiated with the organisation which did not take time to acknowledge that Gagarin's flight had broken a world record. Can it ignore the achievement of a man who has risked his life to become the first to escape the earth's gravity?  No certainly not. So, to say that the Soviets had ``lied'' about the manner in which Gagarin had landed is anything but the truth.

       Who cannot forget stories which are still taking their rounds that the moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin was a big hoax. It is possible that such false propoganda perhaps could have been the handiwork of the KGB, the powerful Russian intelligence body.

       But one thing needs to be remembered---the Soviets (former) had at one point given up the idea of embarking on a human moon mission because of a series of problems with their rockets. Considering this, therefore, there was no race in the real sense between the US and the USSR to land a man on the moon.

       As a part of the various programmes to commemorate the 50th anniv , a flight to the International Space Station which lifts off from the Baikonaur cosmodrome with three crew members on Monday is being dedicated to Yuri Gagarin. The Soyuz spacecraft which will dock with the ISS has been christened Gagarin and the call sign of this flight is Yuri Gagarin.

      Incidentally, April 12 is important for another reason too---the day marked the first flight of the space shuttle in 1981.

      We spacebuffs are waiting for April 12.
      

Lord Ganesh

      Today is Ganesh Chaturthi and let me start by saying from Pokhran-2 to Chandrayaan 1. These were the two spectacular scientific events which undoubtedly catuplted India into the league of big nations. Infact, I think more than Pokhran-2, it was Chandrayaan-1 which made the world sit up and finally take notice of India, atleast scientifically.

      One may rightly wonder why I have chosen this topic on Ganesh Chaturthi day. After the successful nuclear weapons tests on May 11 and 13 1998 at Pokhran, there was a mood of excitement throughout the country and triggering fierce sense of patriotism. It was reflected in a number of ways--cassettes, t-shirts and so on. Infact I recall seeing a guy wearing a Pokhran t-shirt at a bus stop at VT and I approached him and inquired where he had obtained the t-shirt. He said he was a physics prof at Sophia College and it was made by a group of his friends at Navi Mumbai who had supported the n-test. Seeing my interest in the test, he said he could give me one. I was so excited that the first thing I did the next day was to go to the college--a bit nervously of course since it is a girl's college (!) which is just a stone's throw distance from my house--and got the Pokhran t-shirt. I still wear it occasionally.  

       A few months passed and that year during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations I went around a number of pandals in different parts of Mumbai and found that a few of them were dedicated to the Pokhran n-tests. The organisers said that they were proud that India had displayed its muscle power and strength through the tests. To express their appreciation, they said, they had made the pandals which had been dedicated to the nuclear explosions. At Parel there was even a pandal dedicated to Abdul Kalam. Damn good I said to myself.

       Exactly 10 years later on October 22, 2008, which incidentally happens to be my birthday, India launched a mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-1. This set off more excitement than the Pokhran tests since according to many, the moon mission had greater scientific value and more academic interest which inspired youngsters to study science and maths. Pokhran was after all an one time affair, but Chandrayaan is on going.
Perhaps, after the second flight to the moon in 2013, there could be more missions as a recent book about Chandrayaan called ``Chandrayaan and Beyond'' has hinted.

       But something surprised me. During the last Ganapathy festival in 2009 --the first one after the successful Indian moonshot--- believe it or not there was not a single Ganesh mandal dedicated to the Chandrayaan mission. Why, I wonder. With the help of a Toi colleague, I inquired with the organisers, and they had no answer.

       Who can forget that the Chandrayaan-1 launch was preceded by prayers at the Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirupathi.? Special prayers at the famous Kailasanathar temple at Thinugalur in Tamilnadu were also offered for the success of the lunar mission.

        So keeping this in view maybe in 2011 some Ganesh mandals in Mumbai--a city which played a part in the lunar flight--could be dedicated to the Chandrayaan mission. Think about it.

                                                       ----------------------

        Again on Chandrayaan-1 Thanks to my good friend Pradeep Mohandas, secy of the India chapter of the Moon Society, I came to know today that data from Nasa's Moon Minerology Mapper (M3) one of the 11 payloads on board Chandrayaan-1, had been put on Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Planetary Data System file.

        Among other things it contains a number of images taken by the M3. Some of the images include water being detected at high altitudes (incidentally who discovered it first India MIP or Nasa's M3!!), near side of the moon, craters, building the M3, water around a fresh crater and M3 looking towards the earth. One can also find the optical layout of the M3 imaging spectrometer.

         The first part was released on September 9,2010, the second one will be on January 15,2011 and final instalment is scheduled for release on July 15,2011.

          The software which has been used is essentially for those who wish to understand the format and content of the M3 archive. Typically, these are individuals who would be software engineers, data analysts and planetary scientists.

   ends