India's Space Programme and Astronomy - Class VIII

Aryabhata, the first satellite built by India, was launched on this day April 19, in the year 1975. Aryabhata was built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to conduct experiments in X-ray astronomy, agronomics, and solar physics. The aim of the launching of the Aryabhatta satellite was for conducting scientific experiments for the study of the upper atmosphere.

Dr. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai is considered as the Father of the Indian space program; He was a great institution builder and established or helped to establish a large number of institutions in diverse fields. He was instrumental in establishing the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad

India launched its first satellite, Aryabhatta, in 1975. At that time, it became the 6th country to have launched a satellite using its own launch vehicle (or via international collaboration, depending on the historical context of the question).

On 3 August 1954, India’s Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) was created under the direct charge of the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru through a Presidential Order. Subsequently, following a Government Resolution dated 1 March 1958, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was established in the Department of Atomic Energy. The DAE was headed by Dr. Homi Jagangir Bhabha, widely regarded as the father of Indian nuclear research. The body was formed to accelerate the pace of scientific progress in India, with special emphasis on atomic power.

The Indian Astronomical Observatory, located near Leh in Ladakh, India, has one of the world's highest located sites for optical, infrared and gamma-ray telescopes. It is operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore.

The first telescope was made by Hans Lippershey in the early 1600s. He was a German-Dutch glassmaker, and he managed to reduce the amount of light in his telescope while focusing it. His model inspired other scientists to work on perfecting the telescope.

The Vainu Bappu Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. It is located at Kavaloore in the Javadi Hills, near Vaniyambadi in Tirupattur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur who was also an astronomer built the Jantar Mantar. Jantar Mantar has 19 instruments out of which Samrat Yantra, Jai Prakash Yantra, Ram Yantra, Chakra Yantra, Dakshin Mural Yantra, Digamya Yantra, Disha Yantra, Kanali Yantra are prominent.

• Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre is located at Thiruvananthapuram.
• Satellite Tracking and Ranging Station (STARS) was established and operated by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in collaboration with Academy of Sciences (AS-USSR) at Kavalur, in Jawadi hills near Vaniyambadi, Tamil Nadu, India.
• National remote sensing centre is located at Hyderabad.
• Satellite control Centre is in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

The Indian Space Research Organisation  is the space agency of the Government of India and has its headquarters in the city of Bengaluru .

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) operates through a countrywide network of centres.

1.  Sensors and payloads are developed at the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad. 
2. Satellites are designed, developed, assembled, and tested at the U R Rao Satellite Centre (formerly the ISRO Satellite Centre) in Bangalore. 
3. Launch vehicles are developed at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. 
4. Launches take place at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota Island, near Chennai. 
5. The Master Control Facilities for geostationary satellite station keeping are located at Hassan and Bhopal. 
6. Reception and processing facilities for remote-sensing data are at the National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad.

In physics, escape velocity is the minimum speed needed for a free, non-propelled object to escape from the gravitational influence of a massive body. The escape velocity from Earth is about 11.186 km/s (6.951 mi/s; 40,270 km/h; 36,700 ft/s; 25,020 mph; 21,744 km) at the surface.

ISRO stands for Indian Space Research Organisation, which is the national space agency of India.

A.  MOM (mars orbiter mission)

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), is a space probe orbiting Mars since 24 September 2014. It was launched on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is India's first interplanetary mission and ISRO has become the fourth space agency to reach Mars, after the Soviet space program, NASA, and the European Space Agency. It is the first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit, and the first nation in the world to do so in its first attempt.

A.  The point farthest approach to earth

The point in the orbit of an object (as a satellite) orbiting the earth that is at the greatest distance from the center of the earth also the point farthest from a planet or a satellite (as the moon) reached by an object orbiting it. 

India launched its own navigation satellite system called NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) or IRNSS. This provides independent positioning capability similar to GPS. Space satellites and rockets are categories of satellites, not specific types that India 'recently' launched. NAVIC represents India's achievement in autonomous navigation technology.

Space pollution, or space debris, consists of both natural objects like meteoroids and man-made objects like defunct satellites and spent rocket stages.

Space pollutants include various forms of orbital debris, often referred to as space junk, which consists of non-functional man-made objects.

Satellites act as relays in space, receiving signals from Earth stations and retransmitting them to other locations, serving as the primary medium for space communication.

A.  The point closet approach to earth

The point in the orbit of an object (as a satellite) orbiting the earth that is nearest to the earth.

The Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) is located in Sriharikota, which is in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Sriharikota is the primary spaceport of India and is located in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

India's first satellite, Aryabhatta, was launched on April 19, 1975, using a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket from Kapustin Yar.

The Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) was the first rocket launching station established in India, located near Thiruvananthapuram.

The geoid is a shape like the surface of the Earth. The geoid is the shape that the surface of the oceans would take under the influence of Earth's gravitation and rotation alone, in the absence of other influences such as winds and tides.

Geoid means like shaped.

The Arvi earth station, which is a major satellite communication facility operated by Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL), is situated in the state of Maharashtra, India.

Thumba was chosen because it is located on the geomagnetic equator, which is ideal for studying atmospheric phenomena and conducting sounding rocket experiments.

Technology plays a major role in reducing manpower and increases work efficiency and hence it helps in the process of transformation of resources.

The U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (formerly ISRO Satellite Centre) is the primary center for building satellites in India, located in Bengaluru (Peenya industrial area).

Siddhanta Shiromani (Crown of treatises) is the major treatise of Indian mathematician Bhāskaracharya II. He wrote the Siddhanta Shiromani in 1150 when he was 36 years old. The work is composed in the Sanskrit Language in 1450 verses.

Eratosthenes calculated the actual circumference of the earth in the 3rd century CE. He was a Greek scientific writer, astronomer, and poet. His work is comparable to what is now known as the study of geography, and he introduced some of the terminology still used today.

Aryabhatta born in 476 AD and died in 550 AD, was a great mathematician and an astronomer. In the 5th century, he told that the earth is not stationary.