Professor Satish Dhawan – a Gentle Integrator
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SATISH DHAWAN BIRTH CENTENARY Professor Satish Dhawan – A gentle integrator Pramod Kale* Former Director, Space Applications Centre, ISRO and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO, Bengaluru, India IT is now 18 years since Satish Dhawan passed away and tunnel at IISc. He also suggested a few names of scien- we are close to the starting of the centenary year. I was tists at NAL whom I should be meeting1. fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him I was working as a Satellite Instructional Television for a long time, over 22 years, from 1972 to 1994. Even Experiment (SITE) Resident Representative at the after his retirement as the Chairman of ISRO in 1984, I Goddard Space Flight Centre, NASA, USA when Vikram was constantly in touch with Dhawan till my retirement Sarabhai passed away in end December 1971. After his in 1994. He had taken up the challenge to lead the fled- demise, M. G. K. Menon assumed charge as the Chair- gling organization built by Vikram Sarabhai, nurtured it man of ISRO. It was known that Dhawan would and ensured that it developed and matured into a strong become the Chairman later on his return to India. I met national organization capable of delivering the operational Menon during his visit in March 1972 to USA. I had space systems in a self-reliant manner. Dhawan will briefed him about the work that I was carrying out. It was always be remembered as the person who brought together clear that we were headed towards disagreements with all the different independent ISRO units functioning in NASA regarding the reception and utilization of data Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Sriharikota Island and Thiruva- from Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS 1). nanthapuram and integrated them into a vibrant, forward- Menon told me about the changes he had planned in looking and functioning national organization. ISRO. I always fondly remember my first meeting with I came back to Ahmedabad from USA in August 1972 Dhawan. I had gone from Physical Research Laboratory for the ISRO Seminar on Space Science and Space Ap- (PRL), Ahmedabad to Thumba Equatorial Rocket plications. Earlier, I met Menon and briefed him about Launching Station (TERLS) for a rocket launch and prep- my latest study on INSAT-S, involving five spot beams aration of the tracking system in early December 1965. I for television broadcasting and he had approved my pres- saw a tall, handsome and impressive person there at the entation. I was not certain about the views of Dhawan re- guest house. H. G. S. Murthy (Range Director, TERLS) garding the INSAT system. I got the opportunity to meet introduced him as Satish Dhawan, Director of the Indian him again during the ISRO Seminar in Ahmedabad. By Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He was visiting that time, he had become Chairman of the Space Com- TERLS for the Indian National Committee for Space Re- mission. I requested him and Yash Pal to be there during search (INCOSPAR) meeting. I introduced myself to him my presentation and both of them kindly agreed. After and we started talking about all the facilities at TERLS. my presentation, we worked overnight to develop an He took interest in my work. I told him about my visit to integrated plan for the utilization of the satellite by All IISc and HAL as a student. I also told him that I would be India Radio and the Ministry of Communications, moving from the PRL to the Space Science and Technol- Government of India (GoI). ogy Centre in Thiruvananthapuram in about a month. I briefed Dhawan later about my work at NASA and Apart from the work on the Nike Apache and Centaur the studies being carried out regarding the INSAT satel- rocket payloads, I was able to discuss with him about the lite system. I also briefed him about my participation in comparative performances of our GNAT aircrafts made the first team concerned with remote sensing technology. in India and F-104 aircraft of US origin used by Pakistan I told him about the unsuccessful discussions regarding in a recent conflict. establishment of the ground data reception facility for the When I told him that I would be visiting the National ERTS 1 satellite of NASA. I also told him about our un- Aeronautics Laboratory (NAL), Bangalore on my way successful plans for placing our engineers at Fairchild back to PRL to understand their instrumentation systems, Hiller, where the ATS F satellite was being built for he immediately extended an invitation to me to visit IISc NASA. I briefed him about my discussions with Menon and meet him. After finishing work in TERLS, I went to regarding the changes in ISRO. As we discussed certain Bangalore. Before going to NAL I visited him at IISc. He aspects of the INSAT work, he asked me, ‘Did we meet spent quite some time talking with me and guided me earlier?’ I said yes and narrated to him about the first about the instrumentation requirements for the wind meeting at TERLS and later at IISc in 1965. After dis- cussing about my work in USA, he told me to wind up my work at the Goddard Space Flight Centre and return *e-mail: [email protected] to India. At that time, he indicated his plans for setting up CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 119, NO. 9, 10 NOVEMBER 2020 1461 SPECIAL SECTION: the ISRO Headquarters in Bangalore. M. A. Vellodi as tics of the crude rockets, I was looking for a safe propel- Additional Secretary and T. N. Seshan as Joint Secretary lant for handling by the children. When I met Dhawan, I had already moved to Bangalore when the new Depart- narrated to him about the model rocket programmes in ment of Space (DoS) was formed. I had known and met USA. I also told him about the interest shown by Sarab- both of them on many occasions in the Department of hai, when NASA had brought some of the model rockets Atomic Energy office in Mumbai. to TERLS. After listening to my ideas regarding the During the ISRO Seminar in Ahmedabad, it was clear model rockets, he suggested that I should talk to M. R. that Dhawan was keenly interested in continuing the Kurup (General Manager, Rocket Propellant Plant in work that was started by Sarabhai, but he had his own VSSC). He also spoke to him and later I discussed some ideas about certain aspects of our work. He enquired of my ideas with Kurup, he took up the work with keen about our own personal ideas on certain aims and objec- interest. tives of the SITE programme. Kurup sourced the required propellant from the De- Some ideas were expressed as to how education and in- fence factory at Aravankadu. A complete project was un- struction for the rural population could result in stem- dertaken at VSSC. The rocket casing was made from ming the migration from rural areas to urban areas. He extruded plastic and it resembled our RH300 rocket. A opposed pursuing such ideas and made his opposition simple wire launcher was also developed and the propel- clear to all of us. He was clear that making opportunities lant could be ignited by an electrical pulse. A demonstra- available to the rural population was important and how tion of the entire system was arranged in TERLS. people use these opportunities should be left to them. He Dhawan was happy to see the system. The small rocket wanted us to pursue our ideas regarding education, im- was named ‘Thumbi’. As far as I remember, more than provement of agricultural practices and national integra- 500 such small rockets were made. These small rockets tion. were safe to be handled by children and the propellant After my return from USA in January 1973, there was had low ISP and low total impulse. Later V. R. Gowari- uncertainty about where I would be located. All the ISRO kar (then Director, VSSC), on my request, sent two engi- units in Ahmedabad were brought together and the Space neers with about ten such rockets for demonstration to Applications Centre (SAC) was formed with Yash Pal as hearing and speech-impaired children in a school in the Director. Likewise, all the units in Thiruvananthapu- Bangalore, where my wife was working. These rockets ram were brought together as Vikram Sarabhai Space were highly appreciated as an ‘educational tool’1. Centre (VSSC) with Brahma Prakash as the Director, and Once the INSAT Task Force report was submitted to he wanted me to work in VSSC; Yash Pal in SAC, the Government, a meeting was called by the Planning Ahmedabad and Dhawan in Bangalore at the newly Commission to discuss about the future plans of ISRO. formed ISRO Headquarters. After a meeting of all of us, The time frame was 1974 or early 1975, before the be- it was decided that I should work in Ahmedabad till the ginning of the SITE. We were surprised that Dhawan had completion of the SITE and as soon as GoI approved the decided to make certain that a large number of senior INSAT programme, I should move to Bangalore. persons from ISRO were required to be present in the Once Yash Pal, Dhawan and I were discussing the meeting. From ISRO/DoS, Brahma Prakash, Yash Pal, issue of promoting and encouraging ‘creativity’ in child- Chitnis, Pant, U. R. Rao, P. R. Pisharoty, Vellodi, T. N. ren as part of instructional television programmes being Seshan and I were present in the meeting. The meeting developed for the SITE. Dhawan gave us a fine example.