Cowabunga!

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NASA has inked a deal to launch two scientific instruments on an Indian rocket bound for the moon within the next two years. Even space is being outsourced:

The picture either means ‘satellite’ or ‘no head-in parking’

U.S. space agency NASA entered into an agreement with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday to send two scientific instruments on board Chandrayaan-I, the country’s first unmanned moon mission scheduled for 2008…

[The U.S. instruments include] a mini synthetic aperture radar (miniSAR), developed by the agency’s applied physics laboratory and a moon mineralogy mapper, built by [NASA] Jet Propulsion Laboratory…

Chandrayaan-I will be launched from… Sriharikota on the east coast of Andhra Pradesh, using the new polar satellite launch vehicle… [Link]

The first payload will look for polar ice on the moon and the other will study the moon’s surface mineral composition. [Link]

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NASA won’t be the only hitchhiker in the galaxy — the Europeans are also aboard:

… the Chandrayaan payload… will have 15-20 instruments, including 11 from India and three from the European Space Agency. [Link]

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p>India’s own payload is a lunar surveyor:

The instruments will perform photo-geological mapping of the lunar surface apart from mineral content. [Link]

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p>One of India’s rockets may be converted into an ICBM in the future. Does anyone else find it scary that, worldwide, weapons of mass destruction are under the control of anti-science yahoos who visit astrologers and think condoms are immoral?

India could convert its Polar Space Launch Vehicle into an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile within a year or two of a decision to do so, says a National Intelligence Estimate, representing a consensus of all US intelligence agencies, including the CIA… Most components needed for an ICBM are available from India’s indigenous space programme… [Link]

India will soon develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a flight range of 9,000-12,000 km… The ICBM would probably be a three-stage ballistic missile with solid fuel rockets in the first and second stages, and a liquid propellant rocket in the third stage. [Link]

Interestingly, India’s dual-use space program doesn’t seem to get Uncle Sam’s chuddies in a twist the way that taikonauts do. China wants a space station and deeds to the moon:

China has begun construction of a rocket to carry astronauts into orbit in 2008 for its third manned space launch, state media reported Monday…. the mission probably would include a spacewalk and possible maneuvers meant to practice docking at a planned Chinese space station. [Link]China must overcome U.S. misgivings about the military nature of its space program

More than a decade ago, the United States thwarted efforts by China to join the 16-nation partnership that financed and built the international space station… China must overcome underlying U.S. misgivings about the military nature of its space program… [Link]

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p>I wonder whether the Chandrayaan launch vehicle will be a new design (the chart above suggests it won’t be). First launches of new rocket technology tend to fail at a very high rate. In 2003, a Japanese rocket launch failed and its payloads were lost:

Japan’s beleaguered space programme suffered a blow [in Dec. 2003] when a rocket carrying two spy satellites was forced to self-destruct 10 minutes into flight. The satellites were to… keep tabs on the military machinations of neighbouring North Korea.

Japan’s space programme “is in deep trouble” says John Logsdon, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University in the US. “They’ve had too many failures of this rocket,” he says, referring to two botched launches in the late 1990s. [Link]

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p>For exactly the same reason, NASA is reverting to an older, simpler capsule design for its space shuttle replacement. At least that’s what the SMU gathered from our resident NASA expert’s briefing on publicly-disclosed specs:

NASA is to design a new rocket based on the technology from its ageing shuttles that are to be retired in 2010… the new rocket would be “very Apollo-like, with updated technology. Think of it as Apollo on steroids.” But the new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) will enable astronauts to spend four times longer on the moon than the Apollo astronauts. The new missions will spend up to one week on the moon. [Link]

The next U.S. moon landing is tentatively scheduled for 2018. Since the moon is so Summer of ’69, Dubya’s new stated goal is to put a man on Mars. (The Venn intersection of those who believe ‘the moon landing was faked’ and ‘Kaavya is innocent’ is probably a perfect circle, the Nile of Denial.)

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Recent plans to put an Indian astronaut aboard a NASA flight have been tabled, though desi American astronaut Sunita Williams née Pandya is already scheduled to fly:

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Indian Space Research Organisation have shelved plans to train an Indian astronaut at NASA to be part of a manned mission of the American space shuttle… A total of 17 flights are planned, for which international agreements already exist, he said, adding no seats are available for the next four years. [Link]

India-U.S. canoodling in space dates back to even before the the Summer of Love:

Space cooperation between the two dates back to 1963 when an Indian atmospheric experiment was carried on a U.S.-made rocket. [Link]

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p>Ironically, the launch site for which the U.S. signed the deal is still subject to American sanctions from the bad ol’ days of Indian nuke tests:

On Tuesday India’s space agency urged the US to lift sanctions on three of its operations to allow more high-tech imports… sanctions were still applied to its Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in Kerala state, and the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Andhra Pradesh. [Link]

Historically, India innovated in military rockets, which were copied by the British and ended up in the American national anthem (‘And the rockets’ red glare / the bombs bursting in air…’)

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The one thing I’m sure of when it comes to Indians in space is that the Restaurant at the End of the Universe will not serve cow, and it definitely won’t be out of tea.

Related posts: Will the U.S. participate in an India moon mission?, The Right Stuff, Malaysia’s first astronaut?, Space and Politics, The Final Frontier, “… is worth the risk of life”, How can a flag “blow” on the moon?, The Tao of Abhi

27 thoughts on “Cowabunga!”

  1. I like to play a geeky game called Guess Who Wrote This Post?

    This time, I guessed wrong 😉

  3. I like to play a geeky game called Guess Who Wrote This Post?

    I think we all know I’m the world champion at this. Clues here – length of hyperlink in the opening sentence (too long for Abhi) and I have a habit of looking at pics first – caption = Manish hallmark and funny caption = Manish. However it’s excusable as obviously the subject is Abhinterest and the title isn’t traditional Vij. Exclamation mark: He’s changing up his game.

  4. on the next trip india will send an bharta eating bharatnatyam trained bhartanaut along w/ a luna.

    Regarding rocket being converted to ICBMs. It looks like it can easily be done, but it doesnt buy that much today.

  6. Here are some more give aways. Manish uses two features which I have never used in a post. The first is the way he embellishes the first letter in certain paragraphs. The second feature is where he blows up a particularly relevant quote from a source he cites to the side.

    Also the biggest give-away is that he used puns in a post about space. I would NEVER do that. Some things are too sacred to pun about.

  7. Regarding rocket being converted to ICBMs. It looks like it can easily be done, but it doesnt buy that much today.

    For ICBMs to be effective, you’d have to scatter hundreds of them in secure silos manned by quite a few personnel all over the country. They are very expensive to field and only USA and Russia had enough missles (and money) to strike each other and still have a few left over to lob if those sites got destroyed first (which the would have).

    India can strike China and Pakistan and has a no first use policy. It has more than enough to deter anoyne (and with space technology, people can assume if they piss India off too much, ICBMs would show up soon enough). I wouldn’t be surprised if some day India had sub withs ballistic nukes.

    In a nutshell, it is not economically feasible for India to maintain an ICBM component to its nuclear arsenal, since the device is designed to hit across the globe, where no ‘enemy’ of India exists.

  8. Also the biggest give-away is that he used puns in a post about space. I would NEVER do that.

    That made me laugh more than anything else on here today, I don’t know why. I think it’s the unspoken understanding geeks have between one another, the holiest of holies should not be joked about. Even though space isn’t my holy, I understand its sanctity.

    Wow, that sounded kind of homoerotic with all the unspoken understandings and holies. But Abhi can handle it, he’s the alpha Mutineer.

  9. DubyaÂ’s new stated goal is to put a man on Mars.

    And I hope the next Democratic president puts a man on Venus. That way we can safely say: Conservatives are from Mars, Liberals are from Venus.

    M. Nam

  11. Expect the rocket to likely fail

    well isros record hasnt been that bad, considering its not that well funded. But on the other hand it hasnt really being doing fundamental research, and they dont deviate from spec. Contrast it w/ nasa w/ a budget officialy north of 15billion and there is a gray area budget for military oriented things; Its pairing is very funny considering the oddity.

    ps In the 90’s time isro was asking indonesians for a launch site on the equator wonder what happened to that.

  12. Heheh, BongBreaker, I read the title, thought, Abhi, read the picture, read the caption, and immediately skipped the rest to check–yes, Manish.

  13. To keep harping on one aspect of this issue, I find some inconsistencies with this Deccan Herald article. I went over to wikipedia and saw a report from the Carniege Endowment was also referenced along with this article. I flipped through Globalsecurity and FAS for cross reference.

    The launch weight of the missile may reach 270-275 tonnes

    Although reports out there suggest India is developing this behemoth of a missle, just based upon numbers, is far larger than anything in the USA’s current inventory. Hell, it’s even larger than the Russian SS-18. The old US Titan probably would come close though.

    The same launchers could be used for the launch of ICBMs, the sources added.

    At this weight, I doubt the ICBM (Surya) would be mobile launched, as the article claims from something similar to Prithvi’s launcher. Prithvi is a short range ballistic missle that is definitely NOT 250-275 tonnes. It is launched from a Truck. Agni, the IRBM is launched from a railway based mobile launcher.

    Also, UK and France do not maintain a land based ballistic nuclear arsenal anymore. UK has Trident SLBMs, which are intercontinental in range. Published range is 7360km (FAS.org) and weight is 58 tonnes.

    India may have the technology, but I seriously doubt they’ll make (easier part) then deploy and maintain (lifecycle and maintaince costs are the bulk of ANY weapon systems cost) a missle 250-275 tonnes big.

    From what I’ve seen, this could be simply telling people to ‘think twice’ since India can do it. But I could be wrong. Anyone else read/heard anything that would contradict that? I’m just having a tough time imagining India throwing cash to maintain something so expensive and strategically unnecessary. Subs make sense (as the UK has done), but not land based expensive ICBMs.

  15. The development of a launch vehicle is $$$. The reason the U.S. phased out the Saturn V (the mother of all rockets) is because the government was the only customer (Apollo). Boeing’s Delta IV Heavy is the largest commercially viable LV. The only reason to build a launch vehicle larger than a Delta IV-H in this age is for a Moonshot. Any other reason makes it finacially irresponsible as there will be no customers except for the government and the government can do everything it needs to with smaller rockets.

  16. Interpreting the logo for a second, it looks like a person straddling a line. As in, our politicians waffle between red and blue.

  17. And I hope the next Democratic president puts a man on Venus. That way we can safely say: Conservatives are from Mars, Liberals are from Venus.

    Honestly MoorNam, how long have you been waiting to use that? 😉

  20. Actually, Ennis, I think it looks like a disunited line of blue being easily parted by a sharp arrowhead of red. 🙁

  21. Interpreting the logo for a second, it looks like a person straddling a line. As in, our politicians waffle between red and blue.

    or a “<” trying to cross over to be something “>” before

  22. funny html tag showed up… I meant to write a “&lt” thats trying to cross over to be “&gt” before

  23. Wow, that sounded kind of homoerotic with all the unspoken understandings and holies.

    Brokeback Space-Mountain: Voyage to Uranus

  25. Brokeback Space-Mountain: Voyage to Uranus

    The Forbidden Final Frontier: Close Encounters in Space

  26. This will be very good news if india get to build the ICBM Missile . This because China has it and many in number india has the right to possess the technology. Any atempt to disarm will lead disastor . I am proud be call i am living in Neuclear . Bleady chinese beware of Indian’s we are coming