It might make the chest swell with pride, but is ISRO’s decision to build a winged space shuttle equivalent to re-inventing the wheel? A test flight of a scaled-down version is expected to take to the skies, perhaps, later this month if weather conditions permit. The spacecraft will be launched and then glided to a virtual landing path in the Bay of Bengal. The idea isn’t new. NASA has used space shuttles for 30 years and the last one was retired in 2011, bringing the programme to a close. The US, which is a technological leader built the shuttle in five years and ISRO is expected to take 10 to 15 years. The idea here is to reduce the cost of lifting payloads into orbit and enter the competitive market of satellite launch and recovery. India achieved the impossible when it sent a rocket to study Mars and succeeded in the first attempt. India is not way behind on the technology curve and every step forward brings it closer to the leaders. On the other hand, does it make sense to invest in a launch vehicle which has been discarded by the rest of the world as too expensive? The ISRO budget for 2016-17 is Rs 7,509 crore, an increase of Rs 550 crore over the last financial year, which is not as astronomical as one would expect. As long as a check is kept on the budget, there should be enough room for experiments.
Choosing appropriate career paths
We have reached that time of year when we await monsoons and exam results, both with a similar dreaded sense of anticipation. Well, the summer does not give respite and for some, neither do the results. It’s the long awaited suspense that either bears good news or seems to crush all hopes for a bright future. ‘Expectation’ can be an ugly word, especially when it is filled with anxiety. For many youngsters, above 80 percent implies head held high and for others it’s a head…
