COLD WELDING

                          Fact: If two pieces of metal touch in space, they become permanently stuck together

This may sound unbelievable, but it is true. Two pieces of metal without any coating on them will form in to one piece in the vacuum of space.

                                      This doesn’t happen on earth because the atmosphere puts a layer of oxidized material between the surfaces.This might seem like it would be a big problem on the space station but as most tools used there have come from earth, they are already coated with material. In fact, the only evidence of this seen so far has been in experiments designed to provoke the reaction.

This process is called cold welding.

Kalpana Chawla's Biography

Kalpana Chawla Position: Flight engineer. Personal data: Born in Karnal, India. Interests: Flying aerobatics, hiking, backpacking, reading. Education: Bachelor's in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College, India. Master's in aerospace engineering from University of Texas. Doctorate in same from University of Colorado. Work experience: Licensed commercial pilot and flight instructor. Has done computational and aerodynamics research. Prime robotic arm operator on STS-87 in 1997. As a youngster in her native Karnal, India, Columbia flight engineer Kalpana Chawla, would join her brother for long bicycle rides that often took them close to a local flying club. She recalled a fascination with the light planes as they took off and landed and credited the experience with eventually leading her into the field of aerospace engineering, her stepping stone to the astronaut corps. Chawla, who earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas, was making her second trip into space. "I'm looking forward to the flight, of course. After you go to space once, you sort of get addicted, you want to have the same experience," she explained to reporters at a Jan. 3 pre-flight news conference. "That's precisely what I feel, especially the part the part about looking at the Earth, looking at the stars. Doing it again is like having a good dream once again." Those bicycle rides with her brother eventually convinced Chawla's father to secure a ride in a plane and glider for his daughter. She combined the experience with an interest in a pioneering Indian aviator. By the time, she was in high school, Chawla was determined to become an aerospace engineer. After earning a bachelor's degree in the field at the Punjab Engineering College, Chawla pursued graduate work in aerospace first at the University of Texas then at the University of Colorado, where she earned a doctorate in 1988. Chawla began her professional career at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffit Field, Calif., where she characterized the air flows around high performance aircraft. Trained as an aerobatic pilot, Chawla was selected by NASA for astronaut training in 1994. Three years later, Chawla participated in her first spaceflight, a lengthy shuttle research mission. Chawla was married to Jean-Pierre Harrison.

China advances Space Program

                              China successfully docked two unmanned spacecraft in orbit above the Earth as the country moves ahead with its plans to launch a manned space station by 2022. The Shenzhou 8 spacecraft docked with the Tiangong 1 space lab module, which was already in orbit. The two craft will orbit the Earth together for 12 days before another docking is attempted.China has become the third nation to complete an unmanned docking, after Russia and the United States.China’s space program has been entirely indigenously developed, by both state-owned and private companies.
                    “The Chinese have an obsession with secrecy when it comes to their space program.”

                                        But what about India, We are still with launch vehicles itself.When will reusable launch vechiles come into picture,When unmanned vehicles,when crew vehicles????? No with me tooooooooo.Just wait. It may take only few decades no problem. 

Chandrayaan-2

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning 2nd moon mission Chandrayaan-2 in 2013. Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) is joining with ISRO for development of Chandrayaan-2 Lander/Rover.

                                   Chandrayaan-2 will consist of the spacecraft and a landing platform with the moon rover.The rover would move on wheels on the lunar surface, pick up samples of soil or rocks, do a chemical analysis and send the data to the spacecraft orbiting above.

                                  Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft weighs about 2,650 kg at lift-off of which the orbiter weight is about 1,400 kg and lander weight is about 1,250 kg. Development of the subsystems of the orbiter and the rover is in progress at ISRO centres in Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram and Ahmedabad.

                                 This time GSLV may launch Chandrayaan.ISRO Chairman Radhakrishanan said that he wanted to make GSLV a reliable launch vechicle.A committe was made to review all the launches of GSLV.The main critical part of GSLV ,Cryogenic engine will be prepared indigeniously.Before the launch of Chandrayaan ,There will be another launch of GSLV so that risk factor can be decreased.The payloads to be flown onboard Chandrayaan2 (orbiter and rover) have been finalised by a National committee of experts.Chandrayaan 2 is proposed to be launched on 2012.

Chandrayaan1

Chandrayaan-1  was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre,SHAR,Sriharikota

by PSLV-C11 on 22 October 2008.It is a lunar satellite.India became one of the few countries which launched a lunar satellite.Acc to sources of  ISRO, it was estimated to work for 2 years.But on 29 August 2009 communication with the spacecraft was suddenly lost. The probe had operated for only 312 days.There was no correct reason with ISRO for the failure but overheating due to radiation is responsible for it upto some extent.
                            Immediately after the press meet our media stated that Chandrayaan was a failure. Its greatest success came to light when NASA appreciated the effort of Chandrayaan team which is responsible for finding water levels on moon.                                                                      "Chandryaan1 ia 110% a great success"-Madhavan Nair

images taken by Chandrayaan1

The Chadrayaan-1 Spacecraft animation