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#520 by K210 on 12 May, 2019 20:55
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Quote
Let's not quibble quibble over straw men - any private space entity is obviously going to need govt contracts to be viable in the current technology era, and that includes pre-SpaceX companies like ULA.
That is my point exactly. If a private company is receiving assistance from the government then they are not really private are they? Private means you use your own resources not rely on government even if it is only for contracts. -
#521 by Lar on 13 May, 2019 00:22
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So when SpaceX launches SS/SH will that then mean they were the first fully private human capable launcher company? So far there's been essentially zero dollars from any government agency funding SS/SH...
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#522 by K210 on 13 May, 2019 01:08
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So when SpaceX launches SS/SH will that then mean they were the first fully private human capable launcher company? So far there's been essentially zero dollars from any government agency funding SS/SH...
As long as their is zero government support then yes. -
#523 by Steven Pietrobon on 13 May, 2019 06:14
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So when SpaceX launches SS/SH will that then mean they were the first fully private human capable launcher company? So far there's been essentially zero dollars from any government agency funding SS/SH...
Not quite. SpaceX has received at least $91.2M in funding from the USAF for Raptor.
https://spacenews.com/air-force-adds-more-than-40-million-to-spacex-engine-contract/ -
#524 by russianhalo117 on 13 May, 2019 23:40
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NASA SSC/MSFC involvement.So when SpaceX launches SS/SH will that then mean they were the first fully private human capable launcher company? So far there's been essentially zero dollars from any government agency funding SS/SH...
Not quite. SpaceX has received at least $91.2M in funding from the USAF for Raptor.
https://spacenews.com/air-force-adds-more-than-40-million-to-spacex-engine-contract/ -
#525 by PM3 on 29 May, 2019 12:47
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/isro-iaf-ink-pact-for-astronaut-selection-training/articleshow/69563662.cmsQuote
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) said on Wednesday that they’ve signed an MoU for astronaut selection and training for the ambitious Gaganyaan mission, scheduled for 2022.
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This will kick-start the process of selection, which will take 12-14 months, following which the training will begin.
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“...We’ll need a pool of 30 aspirants, of whom, 15 will be picked and given basic training. If the plan is to send three, we’ll shortlist three sets of three (nine) and let one set go about three months before the launch with the others remaining in the programme till launch date. ...” -
#526 by Chris Bergin on 08 Jun, 2019 14:51
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#527 by sanjaykumar on 08 Jun, 2019 18:37
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https://www.isro.gov.in/update/08-jun-2019/first-meeting-of-gaganyaan-national-advisory-council
First Meeting of Gaganyaan National Advisory Council
Today, June 8, 2019, the first meeting of Gaganyaan National Advisory Council was held at ISRO Headquarters, Bengaluru chaired by Dr. K Sivan, Secretary, Department of Space.
The meeting was attended by Dr K Kasturirangan, Honorary Distinguished Advisor, ISRO, Prof K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India,Dr B N Suresh, Honorary Distinguished Professor, ISRO, Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary Defence R&D, Chairman, DRDO, Dr Shekhar C Mande, Secretary DSIR, Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Prof Anurag Kumar, Director, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Shri R Madhavan, Chairman and Managing Director, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Wing Cdr. (Rtd) Rakesh Sharma, Former Indian Astronaut, Air Vice Marshal R G K Kapoor, Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Space), Rear Admiral D S Gujarl, Asst Chief of Naval Staff, Indian Navy, Inspector General KR Suresh TM, Deputy Director General (Operations and Coastal Security) Indian Coast Guard.
During the meeting, Dr Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC), ISRO, made a presentation on the overall project status of Gaganyaan, covering technical details as well as collaboration with various national stake holders.
The council deliberated in detail on various aspects of Gaganyaan and appreciated the efforts made in this regard in the fast track mode and Institutional mechanisms put in place by ISRO. It stressed the need for setting priorities at various National Institutions including Industries to accomplish Gaganyaan. Many essential aspects of Gaganyaan, especially the life support systems and crew selection and training, were discussed in detail. In the end, the council emphasised the urgent need for further accelerating the efforts to realise Gaganyaan in a very demanding time frame of December 2021
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#528 by sanman on 14 Jun, 2019 10:06
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In the June 13, 2019 press conference for the Chandrayaan-2 mission, ISRO chairman Dr K Sivan spoke of an additional new mission/charter for the organization, beyond its original vision framed by founder Dr Vikram Sarabhai of using space technology to address the basic needs of the people.
Dr Sivan (starts speaking @14:22) spoke of an additional new mission of exploring the inner solar system, including through human spaceflight, to serve the Indian and global scientific communities. He also spoke of providing the technological seeds and laying groundwork for the future of Indian society.
@30:49 while speaking about the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, Sivan announces that India would seek to build its own space station in orbit, and further mentions manned missions to the Moon and to the asteroids (even "space colonization") as part of a longer term agenda for human spaceflight. He says that a clear-cut roadmap plan is being laid out to achieve these things.
So we're now seeing from the new words being spoken, that human spaceflight and all its follow-on objectives are being made a part of ISRO's mandate and long-term vision. -
#529 by sanman on 16 Jun, 2019 14:11
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Here's an interesting presentation slide from the June 13, 2019 press conference:
So as we can see from the title of the slide, Gaganyaan is not a one-off, and has now become the opener for a "Sustained Human Spaceflight Program". The slide shows 3 distinct sections:
First third of the slide
* Technology development phase
* Two unmanned and one manned flights
* Launch and stay of humans in space for 3-7 days
flight 1 (unmanned) is shown with the year date of 2020, flight 2 (unmanned) shows a date of 7/2021, while the 3rd (crewed) flight shows a date of 12/2021 (presumably ISRO's internal date for readiness)
this first third is about establishing "capability for human space flight"
Middle Third of the Slide
Indian Space Station
Robotic Lunar/Mars Mission
Long duration stay
Docking, EVA and space structure assembly
this middle third is about establishing "long duration stay in space"
Last Third of the Slide
Sample Return Mission to Moon/Mars/Asteroid
Colonies in Moon/Mars
* Interplanetary/manned missions
* Mining
* Colonization
that last third of the slide is about "interplanetary missions" and seems to be the longer term open-ended vision without any specific timeline
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That first third of the slide only seems to show up to the first maiden crewed flight, and no further capsule-only flights are shown. There's no Alexei Leonov-style capsule-spacewalk flight, etc mentioned. EVA will be demonstrated as part of the middle third of the slide, presumably in connection with the planned Indian space station.
In the middle third of the slide we see a graphic meant to represent the Indian space station, which looks like 2 modules joined together. While it may be just a placeholder/filler image, it may still have some basis to it. Dr Sivan said that the Indian space station would be ~20 tons, which could conceivably correspond to 2 modules of ~10 tons each, consistent with what we see in the image. Meanwhile, ISRO is readying the SC-200 stage for integration into the GSLV-Mk3 launch stack, which could provide a lift capacity of ~12 tons to LEO. That could allow for a space station like the one shown in the graphic to be lofted with a couple of launches.
The last third of the slide mentions sample return missions from the Moon, Mars and asteroids. These seem to be logical precursors to future manned missions to these places, for which return capability would first have to be demonstrated for bringing people back safely.
But we now see that "sustained human spaceflight" is being declared a long-term integral part of India's space program. This seems to be an early high-level roadmap for it. -
#530 by sanman on 16 Jun, 2019 21:45
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Apparently, ISRO is now calling for proposals for docking experiments to be done using the PS4 upper stage:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/2-days-after-space-station-news-isro-calls-for-docking-experiments-on-pslv-stage-4/articleshow/69800354.cms
So my previous understanding was that there was to be a dedicated SPADEX mission (SPAce Docking EXperiment) to demonstrate orbital rendezvous and docking, using 2 satellites dubbed Target and Chaser. But now it sounds like making use of PS4 is being seen as the quickest route. So does that mean that SPADEX is now deprecated/obsolete?
I realize that PS4 experiments are about making use of hardware already being sent to orbit, but I wonder why PS4 would be seen as a better way to do rendezvous & docking as compared to SPADEX? Is it because PS4 has approximately the same diameter as an Indian crew capsule or potential space station module? -
#531 by sanman on 24 Jun, 2019 03:37
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Own space station is crucial to India, says Isro chairman K SivanQuote
On Saturday, the Indian Space Research Organisation, Isro, asked researchers to use the fourth stage of its workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle to find ways to dock a robotic arm with the spacecraft, just two days after it said it was looking to build a space station within a decade.
The significance is that the fourth stage of the vehicle can be used for the experiments that will be conducted in the space station. If successful in building its own space station, India will be the fourth country, after Russia, the US, and China, to set up a space station.
In recent years, India’s space ambitions have been expanding beyond having planetary missions to talking about anti-satellite missile tests, creating a Defence Space Agency, and now its own space station by 2030.
But what will a space station mean to India and is it worth spending vast sums of money on it? It’s important to understand that space technology impacts our lives in myriad ways, from communications, agriculture management, disaster management, land management, and national security. Isro’s former chairman G Madhavan Nair said establishing a space station is a must for ‘keeping the leadership in the space arena’. -
#532 by sanman on 24 Jun, 2019 23:24
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India's Institute of Aerospace Medicine has issued a mission patch to the doctors who will be evaluating the astronaut candidates for the Gaganyaan initial human spaceflight mission:
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#533 by sanjaykumar on 01 Jul, 2019 22:09
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#534 by ravi_ram on 04 Jul, 2019 14:36
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Neurology India Journal starts human spaceflight articles
Challenges to human spaceflight program: The emerging role of Bioastronautics
S Unnikrishnan Nair
(http://www.neurologyindia.com/article.asp?issn=0028-3886;year=2019;volume=67;issue=8;spage=167;epage=168;aulast=Nair)
Human spaceflight from one's own soil
Anupam Agarwal
(http://www.neurologyindia.com/article.asp?issn=0028-3886;year=2019;volume=67;issue=8;spage=169;epage=169;aulast=Agarwal)
Likely challenges facing future astronauts assigned to long duration space flights
Rakesh Sharma
(http://www.neurologyindia.com/article.asp?issn=0028-3886;year=2019;volume=67;issue=8;spage=170;epage=171;aulast=Sharma)
Human health during space travel: An overview
Krishna Kandarpa, Victor Schneider, Krishnan Ganapathy
(http://www.neurologyindia.com/article.asp?issn=0028-3886;year=2019;volume=67;issue=8;spage=176;epage=181;aulast=Kandarpa)
Effects of microgravity and other space stressors in immunosuppression and viral reactivation with potential nervous system involvement
Vivek Mann, Alamelu Sundaresan, Satish K Mehta, Brian Crucian, Marie F Doursout, Sundar Devakottai
(http://www.neurologyindia.com/article.asp?issn=0028-3886;year=2019;volume=67;issue=8;spage=198;epage=203;aulast=Mann)
An overview of spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS)
Thomas H Mader, C Robert Gibson, Neil R Miller, Prem S Subramanian, Nimesh B Patel, Andrew G Lee
(http://www.neurologyindia.com/article.asp?issn=0028-3886;year=2019;volume=67;issue=8;spage=206;epage=211;aulast=Mader) -
#535 by A.K. on 31 Jul, 2019 15:55
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http://www.pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1580829Quote
Cabinet approves ISRO Technical Liaison Unit at Moscow
Posted On: 31 JUL 2019 3:39PM by PIB Delhi
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved thesetting up of ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) at Moscow, Russia.
Financial Implications:
An average annual expenditure of about Rs. 1.50 crore per annum is anticipated to be incurred at ITLU in Moscow, Russia towards salary, office expenses, rent, taxes etc.
Details:
The ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) at Moscow will enable effective technical coordination for timely interventions on diversified matters with Russia and neighbouring countries for realization of the programmatic targets of ISRO. The Liaison Officer, deputed at ITLU from ISRO provides technical information about the developments in research and technology and inputs arising from their meetings with researchers, government agencies and industries in the respective countries. They also support the ongoing bilateral programmes of cooperation in space technology and act on behalf of ISRO on the matters referred.
Benefits:
ISRO will be able to collaborate with Space agencies/industries in Russia and neighbouring countries for mutually synergetic outcomes.
ISRO’s Gaganyaan programme requires development of some of the key technologies and establishment of specialized facilities, which are essential to support life in space.
Keeping in view the 15th August, 2022 timeline for realization of the Gaganyaan human space programme, it is prudent to avail technical cooperation from International space agencies, who have already demonstrated their technical capabilities in specific areas. Russia, being one of the space faring nations, it is envisaged to collaborate with Russia extensively in various fields of relevance.
Implementation Strategy:
The ITLU Moscow office would be managed by an ISRO Scientist/Engineer designated as “Counsellor (Space)” on deputation, deputed from ISRO and supported by astaff locally sourced. The process is planned to be completed within six months from the date of approval.
Impact:
The Liaison Officers provides technical information about the developments in research and technology and inputs arising from their meetings with researchers, government agencies and industries in the respective countries. They also support the ongoing bilateral programmes of cooperation in space technology and act on behalf of ISRO on the matters referred.
Background:
Department of Space has instituted technical Liaison Units, namely ISRO Technical Liaison Units (ITLU) at Washington, USA and Paris, France with the prime objective to liaise with various Government and space agencies in USA and Europe, respectively. Space cooperation has been one of the major links between India and Russia almost from the beginning of the space era and currently both sides are actively pursuing interactions in diversified areas of space programme. Apart from intensifying cooperation with Russia, India has expanded its space cooperation with countries near to Russia.This calls for extensive uninterrupted coordination & interface support for increased level international technical collaboration.
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VRRK/PK/SH -
#536 by Olaf on 22 Aug, 2019 12:46
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https://tass.com/science/1074446
Russian space agency to select and train four Indian cosmonauts -
#537 by tonyq on 22 Aug, 2019 21:05
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https://tass.com/science/1074446
Russian space agency to select and train four Indian cosmonauts
There really is so much contradictory information coming out about the selection of Indian astronauts and the role of Russia in training them. I've seen reports suggesting a selection pools of 30, 10 and now 4. Then, we need to consider the consistent messages from India that the Gaganyaan mission will carry a crew of 3, including a woman, although recent reports seem to have cooled to this aspect.
Does a pool of 4 imply that they've now settled on a crew of 2 with the 4 being prime and back-up crews?
If they can't settle on a crew size, it really does make you wonder how credible the whole Gaganyaan mission, and timeline are. -
#538 by sanman on 23 Aug, 2019 16:38
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No idea - but is Russia the only one doing the training?
France seems to be training medical personnel to support the astronauts:
https://zeenews.india.com/india/russia-and-france-to-train-indian-astronauts-medical-support-staff-for-isros-gaganyaan-manned-space-mission-2229297.html -
#539 by abhishek on 23 Aug, 2019 17:32
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No idea - but is Russia the only one doing the training?
France seems to be training medical personnel to support the astronauts:
https://zeenews.india.com/india/russia-and-france-to-train-indian-astronauts-medical-support-staff-for-isros-gaganyaan-manned-space-mission-2229297.html
Moreover, Russia and India are expecting to negotiate the contracts to supply windows, crew seats and spacesuits for the Indian crewed mission.
http://en.roscosmos.ru/20881/
If the above is true then what is the point of having a HSF program .........
