VSSC director K. Sivan has said that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will set up an Abdul Kalam Knowledge Centre at Thiruvananthapuram, a city that was close to the departed scientist’s heart.
Talking at the Space Expo organised by Thiruvananthapuram-based ISRO Centres such as VSSC, LPSC and IISU as part of the World Space Week at Ernakulathappan Ground here on Tuesday, he said that it formed part of the measures taken by the space agency to create awareness among the youth on the advancements India made in space exploration and the benefits the technologies thus developed granted to the people. A major outreach programme was on the anvil for the entire State, he said.
Former chairman of ISRO K. Radhakrishnan maintained that the technologies developed by ISRO were on a par with the best in the world. “While there was criticism about ISRO spending Rs.450 crore for Mangalyaan, the orbiter mission to Mars, the advantages of space science came to the fore in the run-up to its launch when satellites of ISRO forewarned of the imminent arrival of super cyclone Hudhud.
Disaster management
ISRO plays a major role in disaster management in the country by providing early warning and facilitating communication,” he said. The expo, arriving in town for the first time, will be a major draw as the first recovered crew module (CARE) for a future manned mission to space, test-flown using a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV)-Technology Demonstrator, has been put up on public display.
The expo is open to the public between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily till October 10.
