India officially entered the space age following the successful launch of Rohini-1 (Rohini Satellite 1 or RS-1), July 18, 1980. It was manufactured by the Indian Space Research Organization. India became the seventh country with its own ability to launch satellites. It was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Center. It carried instruments such as a sun sensor, magnetometer, and temperature sensors.
It was planned to have a lifespan of 100 days, but it remained in orbit for 20 months.
Gobind Behari Lal, born April 1, 1889 in Delhi, British India, became the first Indian to win the Pulitzer Prize. He attended the University of California, Berkeley in 1912 and served as Science Editor for the San Francisco Examiner from 1925-1930.
He shared the Pulitzer Prize for Reporting in 1937 with John O'Neill, William Laurence, Howard Blakeslee and David Dietz for their coverage of science at Harvard University.
He was one of the founding members of the National Association of Science Writers.
He passed away of cancer in October 1982 of cancer.
Soyuz T-11, launched April 3, 1984, carried the first Indian cosmonaut into space. The spacecraft docked with Salyut 7. Its crew consisted of Commander Yuri Malyshev, Gennady Strekalov, and Rakesh Sharma.
Soyuz T-11 remained docked with the space station until October. Its landing crew consisted of Commander Leonid Kizim, Vladimir Solovyov, and Oleg Atkov.
Kalpana Chawla, born March 19, 1962 in India, was the first female Indian astronaut. Her official birth date was changed to July 1, 1961 so she could become eligible for the "matriculation exam", which is why I have a blog post also celebrating her "new" birth date. After obtaining her Bachelor's, she moved to the US and completed her Master's Degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Her first trip into space was aboard Columbia (STS-87) as mission specialist in November-December 1997. The mission continued experiments with the Microgravity Laboratory program.
Her second trip into space was aboard Columbia (STS-107) as mission specialist in January-February 2003. Unfortunately, the shuttle disintegrated upon re-entry and broke up over north Texas, killing all crew members.
Chawla is remembered in a number of ways. An asteroid has been named after her, as one of seven named after the Columbia's crew. A studen apartment complex at Florida Institute of Technology here in Melbourne is named for her. UTA opened a dorm named in her honor in 2004.
Seated (L-R): Daniel C. Brandenstein, Richard H. Truly, Guion S. Bluford, Jr.,
Standing (L-R): Dale A. Gardner, William E. Thornton
Mission patch
Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-8), launched August 30, 1983, was the first night lift-off and night landing of the shuttle program. Its crew consisted of Commander Richard Truly, Pilot Daniel Brandenstein, Guion Bluford, Dale Gardner, and William Thornton.
They deployed an Indian satellite INSAT-1B and it was the first flight for an African-American astronaut, Guy Bluford.
Rakesh Sharma, born January 13, 1949 in India, is the first Indian cosmonaut, who went into space aboard Soyuz TM-11, April 3, 1984. He is the only Indian citizen to travel in space. He spent over 7 days in space and returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-10 April 11, 1984.
India's first lunar probe, Chandrayaan 1, was launched October 22, 2008 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center north of Chennai. The spacecraft consisted of an orbiter and a lander. Chandrayaan 1 entered lunar orbit on November 8 and the Moon Impact Probe separated from the orbiter on November 14.
The Moon Impact Probe landed near the Shackleton crater on the south pole, making India the fourth country to reach the moon.
Two months shy of its first anniversary, the orbiter stopped sending signals on August 28, 2009. Indian Space Research Organization expected it to crash onto the lunar surface in 2012 but as of 2016, it is still in orbit.
Kalpana Chawla, born July 1, 1961 in India, was the first Indian woman astronaut. She
flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist. She also served as the primary robotic arm operator.
Her second voyage, also on the Columbia, ended in disaster as the shuttle disintegrated upon re-entry February 1, 2003.
