Space Aspirations - A Silent Witness|Personal Experiences of ISRO Scientist V Vijayalekshmy|Paridhi Publications

Rocket engines using liquid propellants have become mainstay forspace transportation system. Starting from the V 2 rockets Atlas centaurrockets to GSLV- Mk3 space shuttle and recent reusable launcherSpace- X make use of hypergolic semi cryogenic or cryogenicpropellants. These propellants provide better performance efficiency comparedto the solid propellants.In ISRO rocket development started with solid propellants and maturedinto S200 world's third largest solid propellant booster carrying200 tons fuel. Initially small rocket engines using liquid propellants wasdeveloped for attitude control of SLV-3 and satellites. It is after 15 yearsof rocket development in ISRO concerted efforts for development of largeliquid engine was started. The splinter activities at VSSC propulsion divisionand Bangalore satellite thruster development activities were integratedwith the major development programme of the 60 ton thrust Vikasengine to form the nucleus of the Liquid PropulsionSystems Center (LPSC) in 1987. Pioneers like Dr. A. E. MuthunayagamS. Nambinarayanan V. Gnana Gandhi N. Sridharan Dhas M.K.G. NairC. G. Balan etc. have given shape to establishment of facilities developmentof technology and realization of rocket engines using hypergolic aswell as cryogenic propellants. The tale of challenges in mastering newtechnologies and untiring efforts of nearly a thousand personnel in LPSCwhose headquarters at Valiamala and facilities at Mahendragiri and Bangaloreis fascinating. The net result is that now ISRO has 60 ton Vikas engine 7.5 ton and 20 ton cryogenic engines and top class satellite thrustersincluding electric propulsion modules. To think of such achievements comparableto global standards within a short span of twenty five years iscommendable.Smt. Vijayalekshmy was part of this team right from the beginning; aschief of documentation in LPSC she was the custodian of almost all thetechnical documents. She was a silent witness to the successes and failuresof liquid propulsion development in ISRO. With her 25 years ofexperience as an external observer she has narrated the story of liquidpropulsion systems development in ISRO. The contents of the book SpaceAspirations'' is highly readable and unbiased. She has also brought outsome of the unfortunate incidents which have done severe damage to theprogramme as well as to certain individuals. Several volumes could bewritten on the birth pangs of this sophisticated technology. This book isonly a concise document on the overall activities. I am sure it will be agood reference to students and researchers on Indian Space Programme.I wish Smt. Vijayalekshmy all success in her future endeavours and bringout more and more such books which will benefit the next generation ofspace scientists.G. Madhavan NairFormer Chairman ISRO