Dr Kasturirangan shaped India's space ambitions, educational framework: ISRO chief
ISRO
Chairman V Narayanan has remembered Dr
Kasturirangan
as a transformative figure of the nation, who profoundly shaped
India's space ambitions
, educational framework, and showed the vision for the future. In his condolence message, he said, Kasturirangan's life, marked by an unwavering pursuit of knowledge and its application for the nation's advancement, has left an enduring legacy. Former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan, who was at the helm of the space agency for nearly a decade, passed away in
Bengaluru
on Friday at the age of 84.
#Pahalgam Terrorist Attack
India stares at a 'water bomb' threat as it freezes Indus Treaty
India readies short, mid & long-term Indus River plans
Shehbaz Sharif calls India's stand "worn-out narrative"
His mortal remains were kept at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) on Sunday for the public to pay their last respects, ahead of the last rites with full state honours.
"In the Indian tradition, it is believed that the seeds sown by great individuals blossom into mighty trees, offering shade and sustenance for generations to come, thereby forming a rich ecosystem and legacies down the line. Professor Kasturirangan's visionary work in space and education has indeed grown into such lofty trees, inspiring countless individuals to pursue careers in science and contribute to the nation's progress," Narayanan said.
5
5
Next
Stay
Playback speed
1x Normal
Back
0.25x
0.5x
1x Normal
1.5x
2x
5
5
/
Skip
Ads by
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You
Villas In Dubai | Search Ads
View Deals
His indomitable spirit, characterised by unwavering determination and a relentless pursuit of excellence, will continue to energise future scientific endeavours in the country, he said.
"Let us honour this great inspiration through our own sincere, relentless, and selfless hard work towards building a stronger and more prosperous India," he added.
Live Events
Recalling that during Kasturirangan's tenure at ISRO Satellite Centre (now the U R Rao Satellite Centre), he was the Project Director for India's first two experimental earth observation satellites, BHASKARA-I & II, the Chairman said, one of his landmark contributions was the expansion of India's
remote sensing
(Indian Remote Sensing) programme.
Satellites like IRS-1C and IRS-1D launched during his tenure, provided high-resolution data for use in agriculture, forestry, water resources, and urban planning, he said. His vision helped bridge the gap between advanced technology and development, demonstrating how space science could directly benefit the general public.
Narayanan said that Kasturirangan was ISRO Chairman and Secretary of the Department of Space from 1994 to 2003, and this era witnessed significant progress and several major missions under his insightful guidance.
He spearheaded the successful development and launch of vital satellite series like Indian National Satellite (INSAT) for communication and meteorology, and IRS for Earth observation, he said. The space programme witnessed a successful operationalisation of PSLV and flight testing of GSLV during his leadership, he added.
Notably, India's first lunar mission,
Chandrayaan-1
, was conceived during his leadership, firmly establishing the nation in lunar exploration and yielding invaluable scientific insights.
As an Astrophysicist, Dr. Kasturirangan's interest includes research in high-energy X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy as well as optical astronomy. He actively supported and drove the development and realisation of the multi-wavelength astronomy mission,
AstroSat
, right from the beginning, he highlighted.
Pointing out that Kasturirangan also chaired the committee responsible for drafting the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, a pivotal policy aimed at revolutionising India's education system, the condolence message also stated that that he made a significant contribution to
environmental conservation
through his role as the Chairman of the high level working group on Western ghats, popularly known as Kasturirangan committee.
Kasturirangan's influence extended far beyond space and education. He held significant positions such as Member of the Planning Commission, Member of the Rajya Sabha from 2003-2009 and Chairman of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission.
His dedication and accomplishments earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan, as well as international recognition for his scientific and technological contributions, Narayanan said, adding that these accolades underscore the profound impact he had on India and the world.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
Mission space: Isro to gain immensely from Axiom-4 with Gaganaut experience
Isro trained Group Captain Shukla for the ISS mission and this is important since it has never run a manned mission (India's first man in space, back in 1984, was trained in the Soviet cosmonaut prog) Business Standard Editorial Comment Mumbai Listen to This Article Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's piloting of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will enable India's first Gaganaut to gain hands-on experience of handling a spacecraft and spending a long sojourn in space. Group Captain Shukla will pilot the Falcon spacecraft, which has been designed and built by SpaceX. Axiom-4, which runs under the aegis of the foundation Axiom Space, features a four-person team from India, Poland, Hungary, and the United States (US). It will carry out over 60 scientific experiments, devised by scientists from 31 countries, including the US, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, and several European
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Scientists uncover molecular clue to slow down reproductive aging
Researchers at the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB) have made a significant discovery that could pave the way for new strategies to extend female fertility. Led by Prasad Rao from NIAB's Laboratory of Molecular Reproduction and Aging, the team has uncovered a molecular clue that appears to slow down reproductive aging. The scientific team, using both live mouse models and cultured goat ovaries, found that reducing the activity of a cellular protein called 'Cathepsin B' (Cat B) helps preserve the ovarian reserve. This ovarian reserve is the finite pool of egg cells (oocytes) that female mammals are born with. Unlike sperm, these crucial egg cells cannot be regenerated. The findings are important since, unlike sperm, oocytes cannot be regenerated. 'Over time, the quantity and quality of these eggs naturally decline due to factors like oxidative stress, inflammation and general cellular wear. This process accelerates with age. 'Cat B,' a protein-degrading enzyme, seems to be a key driver of this decline. By lowering its levels, we may be able to delay egg loss, effectively extending fertility naturally,' said The scientist team, which includes Aradhana Mohanty, Anjali Kumari, Lava Kumar S., Ajith Kumar, Pravin Birajdar, Rohit Beniwal, Mohd Athar and Kiran Kumar P., pointed out that the implications go far beyond the laboratory. It is because across India's rural heartlands and urban hospitals, fertility is quietly becoming a shared crisis. As both livestock and women age, their ability to reproduce declines, with significant biological and economic consequences, said researchers. In humans, fertility begins to decline in the early 30s, with a sharper drop in the 40s, reducing chances of conception and increasing the risk of miscarriage or chromosomal disorders. While assisted reproductive technologies like IVF provide options, they are often costly, invasive and less effective in older women. A safe, biological method to slow ovarian ageing could revolutionise fertility preservation for millions. For farmers, a simple intervention to extend reproductive lifespan of livestock could improve herd productivity, reduce stray cattle populations, and support the incomes of smallholder farmers who form the backbone of Indian agriculture. This is a rare moment where science serves both the farm and the family. From barns to birthing rooms, this discovery bridges animal science and human medicine, promising a future where age is no longer a barrier to reproduction, said researchers. For a country navigating the twin challenges of rural sustainability and reproductive health, the implications are profound and hopeful, said NIAB director G. Taru Sharma. The research results were published in the latest issue of 'Aging Cell'.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Could a giant nuclear bomb save the climate? One engineer thinks so, sparks viral debate
In a move that has startled both scientists and policy thinkers, a young software engineer with no formal background in climate or nuclear science has proposed using a massive nuclear explosion to fight climate change. Andy Haverly , 25, published the paper in January this year on the open-access platform arXiv, describing a plan to bury and detonate the largest nuclear device ever conceived deep under the seafloor to boost global carbon capture. 'By precisely locating the explosion beneath the seabed, we aim to confine debris, radiation, and energy while ensuring rapid rock weathering at a scale substantial enough to make a meaningful dent in atmospheric carbon levels,' the study says. How the method works: Blasting basalt for carbon sequestration At the core of Haverly's proposal is a natural process called Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), which binds carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere into solid minerals. The idea is to accelerate this process dramatically by using nuclear force to pulverise enormous quantities of basalt rock, which is abundant beneath the ocean floor. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Anvisa aprova solução para ajudar a reduzir gordura visceral da barriga em 7 dias! Você Mais Saudável Hoje Saiba Mais Undo The proposed detonation would take place on the Kerguelen Plateau in the remote Southern Ocean. Here, the ocean floor lies 6 to 8 kilometres below sea level. Haverly suggests burying the nuclear device a further 3 to 5 kilometres into the basalt rock. The extreme depth and water pressure — around 800 atmospheres — would act as a natural containment, trapping most of the explosion's energy and fallout. 'By burying the nuclear device kilometers underground under kilometers of water, we can be certain that the explosion will first pulverise the rock then be contained by the water,' the paper claims. Live Events The scale of the proposal: 1,600 times Tsar bomba The proposed nuclear yield is staggering: 81 gigatonnes. For comparison, this is more than 1,600 times the force of the Soviet Union's 1961 Tsar Bomba , the largest nuclear bomb ever detonated at 50 megatons. The paper estimates this would pulverise approximately 3.86 trillion tonnes of basalt, which in turn could sequester about 1.08 trillion tonnes of CO₂ — roughly 30 years of global emissions, assuming 36 gigatonnes emitted annually. The model assumes the detonation would have a 90% efficiency rate in pulverising basalt, based on historical modelling of nuclear impacts on rock formations. A nod to the past: Echoes of project plowshare Haverly's proposal draws conceptual inspiration from Project Plowshare , a Cold War-era U.S. initiative (1957–1977) aimed at exploring peaceful uses of nuclear explosions. Tests like the 1962 'Sedan' explosion created massive craters and scattered radioactive fallout across multiple states. Although Project Plowshare envisioned using nuclear blasts for engineering tasks like building canals or harbours, Haverly's concept aims for climate repair — not infrastructure development. 'Seeing the movie Oppenheimer really brought nuclear power to the front of my mind,' Haverly told Vice. 'There are elements of this idea that are already well known, like Enhanced Rock Weathering, and detonating nuclear weapons underground but combining all of these ideas has not been considered seriously before. And that's the reason I posted this paper.' Fallout or future? Assessing safety risks While the scale of the detonation would dwarf all previous tests, Haverly insists that the danger to life and ecosystems would be minimal. The study argues: 'Few or no loss of life due to the immediate effects of radiation.' However, it also acknowledges that the plan would 'impact people and cause losses.' Haverly addresses the likely radioactive fallout by stating it would be: 'Just a drop in the ocean.' He adds, 'Each year we emit more radiation from coal-fired power plants and have already detonated over 2,000 nuclear devices.' To minimise long-term contamination, the study recommends a standard fission-fusion hydrogen bomb, optimised to lower radioactive residue. The surrounding basalt would trap radiation locally, though the site would become uninhabitable for several decades. The affected zone is projected to be only a few dozen square kilometres — relatively small compared to the global impact of unchecked climate change. Cost, timeline, and trade-offs Haverly estimates the total cost of the project at $10 billion. In contrast, he cites climate-related damage projections from economists like Nicholas Stern and the IPCC , which exceed $100 trillion by 2100. The study claims: 'This is a 10,000x return on investment.' The paper sets a decade-long timeline for deployment, accounting for engineering design, political approval, and field testing. Conditions for Success The proposal's success rests on several crucial assumptions: That the explosion can sequester 30 years of CO₂. That the detonation does not spark global catastrophe. That the device is too large to be militarised, thus avoiding geopolitical escalation. That decarbonisation efforts will not dramatically improve in the meantime. Haverly frames the plan not as desperation, but as a bold but rational intervention. 'This is not to be taken lightly,' he writes in the study. 'By specifying the necessary parameters, we demonstrate the potential for effective carbon sequestration while minimising adverse side effects.' A climate crisis that demands unusual thinking The paper arrives at a time when governments and scientists are increasingly open to controversial geoengineering methods. In the UK, the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) is backing a £50 million programme to explore sunlight-dimming techniques. These include stratospheric aerosol injections and marine cloud brightening — both aimed at temporarily reducing the Earth's temperature. These strategies, while untested on large scales, signal growing willingness to explore radical interventions. In that context, Haverly's nuclear detonation idea, however extreme, may represent the logical end of this trend — where risk is weighed against a collapsing climate. Whether the world is ready for such a trade-off is a question that now hangs in the air.
