GAGANYAAN
HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT – SCI & TECH
News: Gaganyaan mission: Second phase of
harbour trials begin
What's
in the news?
● The
Gaganyaan Human Spaceflight Mission was successfully tested by ISRO at the ISRO
Propulsion Complex (IPRC) in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.
Gaganyaan
Mission:
● Three
people from the crew will be sent into a 400kilometer
orbit for a three-day mission, and they will be brought safely down to
Earth with a landing in the Indian Ocean planned.
● This manned mission will be the first
of ISRO’s human spaceflight missions.
● The
US, Russia and China are the only three countries to have conducted human
spaceflights yet.
● It
is launched by ISRO's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV Mk III (3 stages heavy-lift
vehicle).
Significance
of Gaganyaan Mission:
1.
India's goal of attaining self-reliance:
● It
will support the Make in India Initiative's capacity development for satellite
launches as well as India's goal of achieving self-reliance in accordance with Atma Nirbhar Bharat's vision.
● It
will lessen India's reliance on outside assistance in this area.
2.
R&D and robotics program:
● It
will also advance scientific and technological research and development,
particularly in the field of space.
● It
is consistent with India's advancements toward a long-term, reasonably priced
program for robotic and human exploration of the solar system and beyond.
3.
Focus on regional needs:
● Gaganyaan
will concentrate on regional demands because there may not be enough
International Space Stations (ISS) to meet all of the world's needs.
4.
Strengthening international ties:
● Through
the exchange of ambitious yet peaceful goals, the initiative will promote
international partnerships and global security.
Challenges
of Gaganyaan Astronauts
1.
Environmental dangers:
● It
includes radiation risk and a hostile
space environment devoid of gravity and atmosphere.
2.
Artificial Atmosphere:
● Pure
oxygen or an atmosphere composed of an Earth-like combination of oxygen and an
inert gas such as nitrogen, helium, or argon are the two fundamental options.
3.
Microgravity:
● Transition
from one gravity field to another affects hand-eye and head-eye coordination
leading to orientation-loss, vision, muscle strength, aerobic capacity, etc.
4.
Isolation:
● Behavioural
issues are likely to crop up when astronauts are confined into small spaces and
have to rely on limited resources.
● They
may encounter depression, cabin fever, fatigue, sleep disorder and other
psychiatric disorders.
5.
Aerospace Technology Challenges:
● Space
travel demands far faster speeds than regular air travel.
● A
rocket's speed may go from zero to nearly 25,000 km per hour in a matter of
minutes, making space travel similar to sitting atop an exploding bomb.
● During
the launch, pre-launch, and post-launch periods, anything can go wrong,
including the rocket exploding.