Number of words: 229 Everybody working in rocketry knows of von Braun, who made the V2 missiles that devastated London in the second world war. In the final stages of the war von Braun was captured by the allied forces. As a tribute to his genius, von Braun was given the top position in the … Read more

Number of words: 183 Gradually, I became aware of the difference between science and technology, between research and development. Science is inherently open ended and exploratory. Development is a closed loop. Mistakes are imperative in development and are made every day to but each mistake is used for modification, upgradation or betterment. Probably the creator … Read more

Number of words: 130 My day would start with a stroll of about 2 kilometres around the lodge I was living in. I used to prepare a general schedule during my morning walk, and emphasize two or three things I would definitely like to accomplish during the day, including at least one thing that would … Read more

Number of words: 138 During his frequent visits to Thumba, Professor Sarabhai would often review the progress of work with the entire team. He never gave directions. Rather, through a free exchange of views, he led us forward into a new terrain, which often revealed an unforeseen solution. Perhaps he was aware that though a … Read more

Number of words: 116 The development of Indian rockets in the 20th century can be seen as a revival of the eighteenth century dream of Tipu Sultan. When Tipu Sultan was killed, the British captured more than 700 rockets and subsystems of 900 rockets in the battle of Turukhanahally in 1799. His army had 27 … Read more

Number of words: 172 Towards the end of my visit, I went to the Wallops flight facility at Wallops Island in East coast, Virginia. This place was the base for NASA’s sounding rocket program. Here I saw a painting prominently displayed in the reception lobby. It depicted a battle scene with a few rockets flying … Read more