Educational tour to Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR at Sriharikota
17.08.2017
The space race of a
Nation shows the supremacy in spaceflight capability and has become the symbolic
of ideological superiority over other Nations. It is becoming more and more
competitive year after year. Educating and inducing motivation in students is
therefore very essential for future space explorations and is the
responsibility of each educational institution as potential younger generations
could make tremendous contribution to India’s space programme. In view of exercising this
responsibility, the department of Physics, Maris Stella College had arranged an
educational tour to Sriharikota Higher Altitude Range (SHAR), Andhra Pradesh on
17.08.2017.
Goal
To visit and tour the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre SHAR, the fulcrum of the Indian space programme at Sriharikota so as to
provide additional knowledge to what students had studied about variable mass
systems and multistage rocket launching techniques in the course “Mechanics and
properties of Matter” during I semester.
Objectives
·
To learn more about
variable mass systems, different launching methods of rockets into space and
the process involved
·
To learn about the final
stage checking in Mission Control Centre (MCC), just prior to rocket launching
·
To learn about the
tracking techniques of a launched rocket using RADARs
·
To learn about the
purpose of launching rockets
Learning outcomes
Students learnt
about:
·
types of fuels enclosed
in various stages of rockets
·
the need of heat sink
coverage of the rocket
·
launching techniques
·
functioning of Mission
Control Centre just before the launching
·
tracking techniques of
launched rockets using RADARS
·
purpose of launching
rockets and parameters studied and
·
job opportunities in Indian
space programme at Sriharikota
Plan in arranging and execution of this tour
After
getting permission from our Principal, a request letter was sent to the
Director, Public Outreach and Space Museum, SHAR, Sriharikotta on 10.07.2017.
We received permission letter on 08.08.2017 and were permitted to visit SHAR on
17.08.2017. We hired two forty seater non-ac buses from DURGA travels. Four
staff members Dr.G.Little Flower, Mrs.T.Grace Eunice, Miss.T.Bhagyalakshmi and
Miss.D.Ujwala Bharathy from the department of Physics, 78 students from B.Sc
MPC, MPCS and MECS, three drivers, two bus cleaners and the travel agent Mr.T.Pradeep accompanied us.
A brief report of the
visit to Sriharikota
SHAR is located on the
spindle-shaped island of Sriharikota in the East coast of Andhra Pradesh,
surrounded by the Bay of Bengal and Pulicat Lake that captivates the eyes of
visitors. Every year, Pulicat Lake witnesses the annual migration of thousands
of birds during winter. An ornithologist and nature lover’s paradise, the
little island is in many ways an inspiration to scientists working in SHAR. After
learning the science behind flying, launching of rockets to outer space in
order to explore the possibilities of moving beyond Earth’s gravitational
influence and study various parameters became the fascination and passion of
many scientists.
The Sriharikota range is
the second-best located spaceport in the world, next to the Kennedy space
centre in the U.S. Located near the equator, it is the ideal launch site for
geo-stationary satellites. SHAR’s location on the east coast ensures that it
gains an additional velocity of 0.4 km/s due to Earth’s rotation to easily
launch rockets and being a coastal area with no habitation provides additional
advantage.
Sri K. Yacob, B.
SCF/TOMD, Sriharikota, who is the father of one of our students received us at
the main gate and helped us to undergo smooth security check ups and extended
all the needed support. Sri P.Viswanadha Sarma, Head, PO & SM, Satish
Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, SRIHARIKOTA welcomed us at the library and we were
directed to the auditorium situated above the Library by Mr. V. Janardhan,
Technician–D where an half-an hour video about the history of launching rockets
from SHAR was shown to us. Sri Anil Moora Library Assistant-A, LDF/MSA, SDSC
SHAR was our tour guide and he explained wonderfully about the overall
functioning of SHAR.
After series of security
checks, we were taken to Mission Control Centre (MCC) a DOME Structure
(Spaceship-shaped) with plinth area of 7000 sqm with 1+3 floors building. This
centre is the hub of SHAR during its rocket launching operations. It becomes
the home to SHAR’s scientists and the launch vehicle is monitored from here
during the countdown phase till the injection of the satellite into the orbit. It
is equipped with giant screens, hundreds of computers, large digital countdown
timers, an array of electrical switches, knobs and coloured buttons on panels.
MCC becomes the home to SHAR’s scientists during the crucial launch phase. Equipped
with two galleries VVIP and VIP, Elite persons like our Prime Minister, Chief
Minister and other VIIP’s will be witnessing from VVIP gallery and other
Eminent Scientists and foreigners would be seated in the MCC’s gallery room to
watch the entire launching process from preliminary checks on operational
systems onboard to the countdown and tracking of the rocket till it places the
satellite in orbit. A video about thirty ninth flight (PSLV-C37), ISRO's Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle successfully launching the 714 kg Cartosat-2 Series
Satellite along with 103 co-passenger satellites on February 15, 2017 from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota was shown to us. This huge room
thus brought a revered hush to the excited students. They felt it as their
privilege to stand in such a reputed hall and observe the giant screens.
A
DOME Structure Mission Control Centre (MCC)
Next we visited the
Second Launch pad (SLP) situated at the border of the ocean located 6 kms from
the MCC. During launch time, air, sea and land area within nearly 6 kms in the
radius of SHAR is cordoned off. We were informed that entire stages of the launch
vehicle is assembled and checked-out on a mobile pedestal in a dedicated
Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and then moved in vertical position to the Launch
Pad. This concept reduces the pad occupancy and enables the vehicle to move
back to VAB for protection, in event of any cyclone warning.
The important facilities under SLP
·
Launch Pad with an
umbilical tower of 70 m tall and a jet deflector.
·
A Vehicle assembly building
which is 83 m tall 40m long and 32m broad. The VAB has two overhead cranes that
move on rails.
·
A twin rail tracks of a
kilo meter length connecting the VAB with Launch Pad
·
Mobile Launch Pedestal
over which the vehicle in integrated, moves on a 16-whelled Bogie. The Bogie
positions the pedestal and drives it with the vehicle standing on it.
The UT feeds the propellants
to the vehicle before the Lift-off. We could see a 12-meter deep (JET DEFLECTOR
DUCT) well-trough at the launch site that deflects the exhaust from the rocket
during launch. Huge amount of water would be sprayed through water sprinklers
to control the Vibration and acoustic levels and reduces the impact of exhaust
from the rocket and safe guard the building and the launch pad. Students were
excited to peep into the trough and giant umbilical tower. This umbilical tower
is 68.5 meter tall and has the foundation of almost same depth so as to have a strong
and a stable structure. Thus, the assembling building is stationary and the
assembled rocket is moved to launching pad.
A twin rail
tracks of a kilo meter length connecting the VAB with Launch Pad
Next we, visited first
Launch Pad FLP, called IOP – Integration on pad facilitates. The vertical
integration of the stages of the PSLV and GSLV are assembled here. Working
platforms provide access to the vehicle at various levels. Mobile Service Tower
(MST) acts as a shelter to the vehicle and personnel during integration. After
integration, 32 Hydraulic Wheels will be moving the MST about 200 m away from
the Launch Pad leaving the rocket on the Launch Pedestal. The charred shrubs
and trees in that area are the signs of the launchings that takes place here
which put India into an elite league of countries having the capability to
indigenously build cryogenic engines.
First
Launch Pad FLP, called IOP (Integration on pad facilitates)
We also visited Telemetry,
Tracking and command network unit with Radar I and II stations where scientists
Mr. Narayana and Mrs. Sabina briefed us about how three RADARs track the
launched rocket from the instant of launching. Initially, radar situated at
SHAR tracks it followed by the second radar situated at Trivandrum and then
followed by the third radar situated at Morisius for the rest of the rocket
travel time. The entire data gathered will be transmitted to the scientists of
satellite team. From the tracking record, one can accurately predict the range
of the rocket. They also explained about polar satellites and geostationary
satellites and how they can be tracked with the help of RADARS. The position of
the satellite can be raised or lowered or can be speeded up or destroyed
whenever any deviation takes place in the path of the rocket from the launched
orbit using electronics systems placed inside the satellite which can be
remotely handled. Geo stationary satelittes are useful in TV, radio,
telecommunication, video conferences, meteorological studies etc.
Students
got amused at the space museum. The information regarding the past, present and
future rocket launches, the exhibits and models enlightened the young minds.
Our guide Sri Anil Moora also addressed the students about various job
opportunities in Indian space programme at Sriharikota. Our entire team
acknowledges our gratitude to Sri P.ViswanadhaSarma, Head, PO & SM,
SatishDhawan Space Centre SHAR for granting permission to visit SHAR, Sri
K.Yacob for his kind support throughout the tour and Sri Anil Moora for his
eminent explanation about the functions of various units of SHAR. Thus, this
tour to Sriharikota was very educative and very much inspiring.
Faculty members
