Source:-ISRO pads up to make India’s manned mission into space a reality
India is yet to lead a manned mission into space and it seems that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up to make it happen. On Thursday, 5 July 2018, the Indian space agency successfully executed their Crew Escape System as a part of the their Indian Human Spaceflight Programme (HSP).
“The system is an emergency escape measure designed to quickly pull the crew to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of a launch abort. The first test (Pad Abort Test) demonstrated the safe recovery of the crew module in case of any exigency at the launch pad,” the ISRO said in a statement.
The five-hour countdown was smooth, the space agency said. It shared that the crew escape system along with the simulated crew module with a mass of 12.6 tonne, lifted off at 7 this morning at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.
The test was over in 259 seconds, during which the crew escape system along with crew module soared skyward, reached an altitude of nearly 2.7 km, swerved over the Bay of Bengal and floated back to Earth under its parachutes about 2.9 km from Sriharikota.
Three recovery boats are being exercised to retrieve the module as part of the recovery protocol. Nearly 300 sensors recorded its performance parameters during the test flight.
What is it?
The Crew Escape System is what comes before actual human flight and the launch pads that facilitate reaching outer space.
It’s an integral safety measure put in place as an emergency escape option. Basically, it pulls the whole astronaut cabin out of the launch vehicle in case something goes wrong while taking off.
More than just an eject button, the aim is to also ensure that the crew can get a safe distance away.
This particular pad abort test (PAT) was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the island of Sriharikota off the coast of Andhra Pradesh.
Why is it important?
This test was the first in a series that ISRO has planned. These PATs will determine the quality of the system and hence, serve as a benchmark for the feasibility of a human mission.
The success of this test, which lasted a little over three minutes, signifies that at least one requirement for a manned space mission has been fulfilled.
What’s next?
After the PAT, the next step for ISRO will be aborting the capsule at flight mode. The application of aborts in space allows astronauts to turn around and return home if mission threatening failures occur.
Source:- Business Insider
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