Indian Astronauts Under Training: Gaganyaan

In New

In a recent reply in Lok Sabha, it has been highlighted that the four Indian astronaut candidates, under flight training in Russia for the Gaganyaan Mission, are nearing completion.

About the Training

• The astronaut-elects began their course in Moscow in February 2020 and are scheduled to return at the end of March 2021.
  • The basic training is undergoing at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (GCTC) in Russia.
• Major modules such as survival training (snow, water and steppe), parabolic flights, theoretical classes on orbital mechanics, astronavigation and some Soyuz systems have been completed.

Gaganyaan

• Under ISRO’s Gaganyaan Mission, two uncrewed missions would be undertaken prior to the manned mission.
  • The first unmanned mission is planned for December 2021.
  • The second unmanned flight is planned for 2022-23.
  • The human spaceflight module of Gaganyaan will be launched after the second unmanned mission.
    • 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.
• Objective
  • It has the objective of demonstrating human space flight capability to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with three crew members by 2022 when India completes 75 years of Independence.
    • The crew will be sent in orbit and safely recovered after the mission.

                                                                              (Image Courtesy: Gaganyaan, Twitter)

• Budget: Rs. 10,000 crore.
• Launch Vehicle: ISRO’s heavy-lift launch vehicle GSLV MkIII.
  • The high thrust solid propellant strap-on boosters S200 play an important role in the human-rated GSLV MkIII.
    • Human rating is the certification of a spacecraft or launch vehicle as capable of safely transporting humans.
  • The first critical booster segment of the motor case has been indigenously developed by Larsen Toubro Ltd. (L&T).
    • L&T is a technology, engineering, construction and manufacturing company and one of the largest and most respected companies in India’s private sector.
  • The launch vehicle will place the Orbital module into space, and once positioned as per required orientation, the service part of the module shall be separated from the crew module.
• Duration
  • It will be a week-long mission and at the end of flight completion, the crew module shall land back into the ocean touch down with the assistance of the parachutes.
  • The touch down is planned within Indian waters closer to a coastal region for ease of recovery.
• Significance
  • It will help India in achieving self-reliance, in line with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and also boost the capacity development in launching satellites under the Make in India Initiative.
  • It will reduce India’s dependence on foreign cooperation in this direction.
  • It will also enhance the research and development (R&D) at science and technology levels especially in the space sector.
  • Gaganyaan will focus on regional needs because one International Space Station (ISS) may not be enough to cater to global requirements.
• Challenges
  • Environmental Hazards: Hostile space environment with a lack of gravity and atmosphere and danger of radiation. Astronauts may have medical issues due to that.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Artificial Atmosphere: There are two choices for an artificial atmosphere, either an Earth-like mixture of oxygen in an inert gas or pure oxygen. A pure or concentrated oxygen atmosphere is toxic and has fire risk, especially in ground operations.
  • Aerospace Technology Challenges
    • Launch Escape System: Space flight requires much higher velocities than air transportation. Travelling in a rocket is like sitting on an exploding bomb with speed increasing from 0 to over 25,000 km per hour in a few minutes. Anything may go wrong during the launch and pre and post phases, including the explosion of the rocket.
    • Re-entry and Recovery: Any human space flight, however, has to come back safely to Earth which involves mastering the highly complicated re-entry and recovery technology.
• Suggestions
  • To tackle microgravity inside the crew acceptable atmospheric pressure has to be maintained.
  • All the things necessary for supporting physiological need of astronauts, like food, water, medicine, and human waste removal have to be addressed.
  • A well developed Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) is needed to supply the essentials, maintain the acceptable environment and to deal with the management of waste products.
    • The ECLSS maintains a steady cabin pressure and air composition, removes carbon dioxide and other harmful gases, controls temperature and humidity and also manages the other important parameters like fire detection and suppression, food and water management and emergency support.
  • Shielding against harmful external influences such as radiation and micro-meteorites is also ensured.
  • Use of nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere before launch and low-pressure pure oxygen only in space is considered a safer option. Ground testing will have to be followed by tests in the space orbit while simulating zero gravity and deep vacuum.
  • Launch escape system safety features have to be built to minimize the loss and advance warning of anything abnormal.
  • The crew and mission control team require extensive training to prepare. They also need to familiarize themselves with panel buttons and other man-machine interfaces within the crew module and various safety drills.
  • ISRO has called out to global suppliers to support the design development and delivery of some of the critical items for human spaceflight.

Source: PIB