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. 

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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

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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. 

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NASA Crew Transportation possibilities 

ISRO Air Breathing Propulsion 

NAL India performs Dynamic testing of RLV-TD models

RLV Concept (Credit ISRO)

Reusable Launch Vehicle is envisioned by ISRO as an alternative to expendable launch vehicles to cut down the cost of space transportation. To achieve this goal, ISRO is currently developing a Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) to act as a platform to demonstrate various technologies like

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SpaceX resuable rocket fin test

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LVM-3/GSLV MK3 S200 Solid booster static test (Credits ISRO)

Arthur Captured by International Space Station

Njoy Arthur!

Credit NASA

NASA text: 

Looking out the window of the International Space Station, astronauts spotted a sprawling mass of clouds. The clouds were just beginning to take shape as the first tropical storm of the 2014 season built over the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Arthur formed off southern Florida on July 1, 2014. By morning of July 2, when an astronaut took this photo with a wide-angle lens, the storm was moving north along the Florida coast. Surrounded by bright green waters, the Bahamas Islands are south of the storm in the lower right corner of the photo. The U.S. coastline stretches along the left side of the photo.

Why India needs Space Research?

In PM Modi's words 

Many misunderstand space technology to be for the elite. That it has nothing to do with the common man. I however believe such technology is fundamentally connected with the common man. As a change agent, it can empower and connect, to transform his life.

 It drives our modern communication, connecting even the remotest family to the mainstream. It empowers the child in the farthest village with quality education, through Long-distance Learning. It ensures quality healthcare to the most distant person, through Tele-medicine. It enables the youth in a small town, with various new job opportunities.

MOM Update

Credit ISRO.

Current position

Credits JPL Solar System Simulator.

ISRO discovers Alien Pyramid on a Space rock? 

Believe it or Not?

ULA Delta II Successfully Launches OCO-2 for NASA

Delta 2 launch with OCO-2.

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) payload for NASA lifted off from Space Launch Complex-2 at 2:56 a.m. PDT July 2 2014. 56 minutes into the mission, the launcher successfully put the satellite into its intended orbit. 

PSLV-C23 Text Book Launch!

PSLV C23 & mission payloads.

Adding yet another feather to its cap, PSLV (C23) rose majestically from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 9.52 am on Monday. 20 minutes later, it successfully and with precision deployed its five mission payloads into their respective orbits. 

ISRO Modified!

Video of PM Modi having a tour of various ISRO facilities on the night of 31st June. He was given presentation on PSLV, GSLV Mk2 and LVM3 launchers. He also visited the Vehicle assembly building where the LVM3 is getting assembled for its upcoming LVM3-X mission in August. 

LVM3-X mission update

One can also see LVM3 launcher getting integrated at around 8 mins into the video. Below are screen grabs of the same from the video. So far, two S200 solid boosters have been integrated on the mobile launch pedestal.  At this stage, we can hope for a LVM3-X mission by mid-to-end of August.