ISRO Human Spaceflight Program: Prospective Human Rated TSTO Launch Vehicle

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ISRO TSTO Heavy Lift Launcher

As regards heavy-lift vehicles, we are in the process of discussion. It will be a TSTO vehicle whose first stage, like SpaceX’s, will be a five-engine semi-cryo cluster. This will have a modular structure. With one core semi-cryo stage, we can simply go on adding any number of strap-ons, and different payload requirements can be met. The second stage will be a cryo-stage. After the first stage is separated, it can be recovered in sea, like SpaceX has done. 

                     Dr. Sivan, Director, VSSC 

Producing Hydrogen for Future Transportation Needs of India

Indian High Temperature Reactor Programme

India has a transport sector that is growing very rapidly, particularly the fossil fuel dependent road transport sector. This directly implies a continuing dependence on imported crude and an exposure of the economy to the fluctuations in crude oil prices in the international markets. From an energy security, environment and economic point of view, a gradual yet certain transition to hydrogen as alternate energy carrier is desirable. Besides the direct use of hydrogen as energy carrier, there is additional option of producing a synthetic fuel, which can be directly used as fuel in IC engines. As a preliminary goal, we could target 25% of our fossil fuel requirement to be met through the use of hydrogen. 

SOFIA airborne observatory declared operational by NASA

The door to the SOFIA observatory's 2.5-meter telescope is wide open during a developmental test flight in 2010. (Credits NASA)

SOFIA has been declared operational by NASA on 2nd July 2014.  To achieve operational status, SOFIA demonstrated science operations in April and May by flying 14 flights, encompassing more than 100 successful science mission hours, in 30 days. 

Featured Video

ISRO's RLV-TD Demonstrator (Credits ISRO)

This is animation of how the RLV-TD REX (Return experiment) mission will take place. The design of the demonstrator vehicle will be slightly different from shown in the animation and will look like this

Featured Tweet

Red, white & blue from the space station to you! #ISS image from 2011 of Earth's atmospheric layers:   #4thofjuly pic.twitter.com/JmBxefZz7X
— NASA (@NASA) July 4, 2014

Fire Works Light Years Away!!

Brought to you by NASA

Galactic Pyrotechnics (Credits NASA)

This could never get better for those who enjoy fire works, a Galactic firework, albeit not visible to naked eyes.