Context:
Vikram Sarabhai’s 52nd death anniversary
Vikram Sarabhai:
- A visionary scientist, space physicist, and astronomer
- Often referred to as the “Father of the Indian Space Program”
- Called the ‘Mahatma Gandhi of Indian Science’ by late President APJ Abdul Kalam
- Born on – August 12, 1919.
- His father, Ambalal Sarabhai, was an industrialist and was associated with the Ahmedabad mill strike of 1918.
- Passed away on December 30, 1971.
Key Contributions:
- Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR): Persuaded the Indian government to set up INCOSPAR in 1962.
- He was the 1st chairman of the committee.
- INCOSPAR was restructured and renamed as ISRO in 1969.
- Physical Research Laboratory (PRL): Founded PRL in Ahmedabad in 1947.
- Rocket Launch Site: Set up India’s 1st rocket launch site in Thumba, near the Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala.
- Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE): Facilitated the establishment of SITE in 1975 through his contact with NASA.
- Aryabhata Satellite: Played a key role in building India’s 1st satellite, Aryabhata.
- Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA): One of the founding members of IIMA.
Awards and Honors:
- Padma Bhushan: Received in 1966 for his contributions to India’s progress.
- Padma Vibhushan: Awarded posthumously in 1972.
- Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, is named in his honour.
- In 1974, the International Astronomical Union in Sydney decided to name a Moon Crater BESSEL in the Sea of Serenity, as the Sarabhai Crater.
- ISRO named the lander of Chandrayaan 2 and Chandrayaan 3, ‘Vikram’ in honour of Vikram Sarabhai.
Source: IE
Previous Year Question
A recent movie titled The Man Who Knew Infinity is based on the biography of:
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2016 Prelims]
(a) S. Ramanujan
(b) S. Chandrasekhar
(c) S. N. Bose
(d) C. V. Raman
Answer: (a)