Science and technology in the service of the Nation
- Part 2 -

Dr H H Mate *

33rd State Level Science Exhibition for children, 2012-13 at Lamyanba Shanglen on January 04 2013
Pix - Deepak Oinam

INDIA'S DEVELOPMENT IN SPACE RESEARCH.

Indian space programme is driven by the vision of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, Setting up of the Indian National Committee for Space Research ( INCOSPAR) in 1962 marked its beginning. Establishment of a rocket launching station at Thumba on the Kerela coast also started the same year. The first rocket was launched from Thumba on 21 November 1963. The Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO) was set up in 1969, and the department of space was created in June 1972 to promote development of space Science and technology in the Country. Indian space research Organisation (ISRO) was set up in 1969 and department of space was created in June 1972 to promote development of space science and technology in the country.

Indian Space research Organisation has also pioneered satellite television in India and also catalyzed the telecom boon. On 9 September 2012, India successfully launched its 100th space mission with the indigenous Polar Satellite Launched Vehicle - C21 ( PSLV-C21) rocket from Satish Dhawam Space Centre. In the early 1960's India was slowly awakening to the space age.

A small rocket took of from Thumba on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, announcing the birth of the modern space age in the country. In 2012 India successfully launched its 100th space mission. The first one began with the launch of Aryabhata, India's first Satellite, by a Russian rocket on 19 April, 1975. Till date, ISRO has to its credit 64 satellites and 37 indigenous rocket. Chandrayaan - 1 was India's first unmanned lunar probe, launched by ISRO in October 2008.

The space craft was launched with a modified version of the PSLV, PSLVS 11 on 22 October 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

INDIA IN THE SUPERCOMPUTER AGE.

The Indian Space Research Organisation has built the country's fastest super computer in terms of theoretical peak performance of 220 tera FLOPS. Named SAGA - 220 (Super computer for Aerospace with GPU Architecture). The super computer was fully designed and built by ISRO using commercially available hardware and open - source software components.

A still faster super computer with a speed of 250 tera FLOPS is to be set up at the Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation ( C-MMACS), a unit of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research ( CSIR), in Bangalore, When operational, it will be India's fastest super computer, Super computers are high - performance computing machines, designed to have extremely fast processing speed - measured in trillions of floating point operations per second or Tera FLOPS, Super computers are used in areas where fast processing of a huge amount of variable data is required, as in weather forecasting, nuclear research, missile design, and 3-D graphics.

In 1988, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing ( C-DAC) was set up to develop indigenous super computers. PARAM 8000 was the first Indian supercomputer, which was unveiled in 1991. Six variants of the PARAM were subsequently developed, the latest being PARAM Juva, unveiled in 2008. It has a processing speed of 38.1 Tera FLOPS. PARAM super computers are used by both public and private operators for various purposes. In the 12th Five- Year plan ( 2012 -2017), the Central Government has decided to allocate Rs. 6,000 crores to propel India into the elite super computing club.

Over the next few years, CSIR plans to upgrade its super computing capacity to 10 petal FLOPS ( 10 X 10 15 FLOPS). Today, all 40 CSIR labs in India are interconnected using the National Knowledge Network, which enables all scientists to access the supercomputing facility remotely.

CULTIVATION OF SCIENCE IN INDIA

Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science ( IACS ) is the oldest institution in India devoted to the pursuit of fundamental research in the frontier areas of basic sciences. This association was founded by Mahendra Lal Sircar and the facilities were supported by generous public contributions in the very early years. The original objective of the association, which continues even today, was to cultivate science in all its departments both with a view to its advancement by original research and to its varied applications to the arts and comforts of life.

Many distinguished scientists of modern India had carried out research here. Notable among them was C.V Raman, who did his monumental work on physical optics leading to the discovery of the celebrated Effect that bears his name and won for him and Indian the first Nobel prize in Science.

The modern era of Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science began in 1946 just before Indian Independence when as President of IACS, professor M.N. Saha developed it into a full-fledged research institute with various departments and full time positions. Under his leadership IACS was shifted from its original premises at 210 Bowbazar street to the present spacious campus at Jadavpur in 1951. The institute has dynamic programmes for the pursuit of research leading to the doctoral degree and post-doctoral work and has Visiting Scientists Schemes. It was in the laboratory of Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science ( IACS), Raman effect was discovered on February 28, 1928 for which Raman received the Nobel prize in 1930.

KNOW THE PIONEER OF EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE.

Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose was among the pioneers whose work placed Indian science on the world map. He was the first to produce and study short ( 5mm) radio- waves known as microwaves, using the earliest waveguide. He conducted his first wireless communication experiments in 1895 in Kolkata.

His galena detector was the first semiconductor device and the earliest photovoltaic cell ( U.S. patent No. 755940 ). Recently, he has been acknowledged by IEEE (USA) as one of the pioneers in the invention of radio. J.C. Bose was the pioneer of experimental science in India. He was an inventor of the first order. He devised many sensitive instruments for his research both in Physics and Physiology.

Jagadish Chandra Bose did pioneering research, first in physics and then in physiology. He established the Bose Institute in 1917 to carry out his own research. He was the first to produce millimetre - length radio waves and study their properties. He perfected the method of transmission and of reception of electromagnetic waves and showed that semiconductor rectifiers could detect radio waves.

Bose's galena receiver was among the earliest examples of a lead sulphide photo conducting device. He was the pioneer of experimental science in our Country. He was also an inventor of the first order. He devised many Sensitive instruments for his own research both in physics and Physiology. Today students in the early age are encouraged with Inspire Award by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.

The basic objective of Inspire is to communicate to the youth of the country for the excitements of creative pursuit of science, attract talent to the study of science at an early age and thus build the required critical human resource pool for strengthening and expanding the science and technology system and Research and Development (RD) base in India.

(Concluded)

Note :- The writer of this Article is an eminent educationist and erudite scholar and founder of Dr S Radha-krishnan Foundation School, Churachandpur, Manipur. He is the recipient of Global Achievement Award, Global Achievers Award, Global Achievers Development Award, International Education Excellence Award, Global Education Excellence Award, Pride of India Award, Glory of India Award, Noble Son of India Award, Bharat Nav Nirman Ratan Award, Bharat Vibhu-shan Samman Puraskar, Jewel of India Award, Bharat Shiksha Ratan Award, Rashtriya Shiksha Ratan Award, Rashtriya Shiromani Award, Rashtriya Pragati Award, National Education Leadership Award, National Social Development Award, National Eminence Award, Asia Pacific Gold Star Award etc.