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Launch Vehicle
PSLV
Polar satellite launch vehicle
Can carry upto 1600 kg satellite

GSLV
Geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle
2500kg

MoM/Mangalyaan= first Indian spacecraft to cross Earths escape velocity of 11.2 km per
second.

Mangalyaan will travel for almost 300 days, covering 680 million kilometres, and reach
Martian orbit in September 2014.

ISRO used PSLV XL (C25) launch vehicle to launch the Mangalyaan (Mars spacecraft). Why?
1. GSLV tests are not yet successful. Last time they tried GSLV to launch GSAT-14 satellite
and failed because of fuel leak. (Aug 2013)
2. Mangalyaan weighs ~1300 kg. PSLV can easily carry this weight.
3. PSLV is tried and tested technology.

Payloads
ISROs Mangalyaan wants to gather data about Mars SAM (Surface Atmosphere Minerals)
using five payloads/instruments:
Study Mars S-E-A

Payload

1. Color Camera

I.

Surface

(Particle)
Environment

Mars Color camera.

Study surface, dust storms etc.

also taking photos of Mars satellites:

Phobos and Deimos.

Thermal Infrared Imaging

spectrometer (TIS). To study mineral
resources of Mars

and to help UPSC update its Mains

GS1 syllabus: Distribution of key
natural resources across the Earth
AND Mars.

Spectrometer

Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition

MENCA Gandhi Analyzer.To study neutral gas atoms in the
Martian atmosphere.

detail

Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM).If methane

Methane Sensor + water detected=possible that at some point
of time, Mars had supported life form.
Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP). Measure
hydrogen and deuterium.Deuterium =
heavier than hydrogen.

Atmosphere
1

Photometer

Water made from heavy hydrogen is heavier

and hence it evaporates differently.
Knowing Hydrogen : Deuterium ratio will
help answer how did water vanish from
Mars?

The combined weight of these five instruments =just ~25 kg.

ISTRAC

ISRO Telemetry, Tracking & Command Network @Banglore.

Previously tracked and commanded Chandrayaan-1

Now doing the same for Mars orbiter.

Do we need Mars Mission?

(for Group Discussion GD/Interview)

Anti-Arguments
1. Crores of rupee wasted- could be used to feed millions of hungry people in India.
Millions of children suffering from malnutrition, half the junta doesnt have toilets. Better
get those thousands of ISRO scientists and engineers to comeup with new technology to
fix malnutrition and malnutrition.
2. ISROs budget is better spent to meet Indias communication needs and bring down
digital divide.
3. Even Airtel has sued ISRO for not meeting its contract obligations. So, ISRO better focus
on present rather than doing some mars research whose benefits can materialize may be
after 100-200 years.
4. ISRO has installed a fancy methane detector in this spacecraft. But NASAs curiosity
rover data has already concluded that Mars environment doesnt contain methane. ISRO
is only doing gaddha majoori (donkey labour). Counter argument: NASAs Curiosity
rover measured presence of methane in a small area. But ISRO will scan entire Martian
environment to detect Methane.
5. GSLV testing has not giving positive result yet. Had they waited for GSLV testing to
finish- Mars Mission could be done in 2016. (Even Chandrayan-2 project is stalled due to
this GSLV problem). But it seems ISRO chairman wants media publicity before retiring,
so made he all the haste to launch Mars Mission in 2013 using PSLV (instead of GSLV).
6. Less of a scientific pursuit and more of a space race with China- me too going on Mars.
First India should overtake China in terms of GDP and poverty removal.
7. Britain, Japan, World Bank etc. reduce the donation to India thinking since India has lot
of money of run such Mars adventures, they must have money to take care of their poors
as well.
(to drag the argument further non-seriously)
1

This is just publicity stunt to divert attention from real issues. Earlier Chandryaan found
traces of water on Moon, then Aaj-tak etc. Hindi channels ran 24/7 reports for weeks= in
the meantime government can go scot free with bigger scams.

And most importantly, the youngsters have to mugup one more stupid topic for the
competitive exams. The financial cost of combined man-hours wasted in studying such
topics= alone worth 13% of GDP.

Pro-arguments

#1: cash will be recovered

At the core of Anti arguments= Ca$H that ISRO has wasted in this Mars project. But in reality
its an investment that will be recovered within a few decades, How?
1. Many countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America are seeing good economic growth. But
they lack skilled manpower, technology and budget to setup their own launch vehicles
and premier space agencies.
2. But they too need satellites for communication and military. So, they outsource the
satellite launch/survey work to established players.
3. ISROs commercial Arm ANTRIX makes annual profit of ~100 crore rupees from such
outsourced contracts.
4. ISRO spent only 450 crore rupees. NASA has spent billions of dollars on Mars. This
Makes ISRO world-famous as a prudent cost saving space agency= more clients via its
commercial arm ANTRIX = more money incoming.
So, we can see this Mars mission as ISROs 450 crore rupees advertisement / PR campaign- to
impress those potential clients and get more contracts=> money will be recovered and profit
will be made.

#2: Soft Power

As ISRO establishes reputation, gets more contracts from third world- it can be used as a tool to
exercise soft power. How?
give

take

personnel /technology exchange

programs with developing countries
giving discounts on their space
projects/infrastructure

their support for Indias claim to Permanent

seat in UNSC

their votes in our favour whenever

Kashmir/Arunachal issues popup in UN
General Assembly

Oil-gas exploration contracts in their

territory and so on.

In short, there is more to international relations than what meets the eyes. 450 crore is a very
petty amount to accomplish many diplomatic victories- [compared to the thousands of crore

rupees weve given to Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan via soft loans so they dont
shelter terrorists and secessionists on their soil.]

#3: Did not steal from poors month

1. Government spends barely ~0.35% of budget on space programs. And even out of that
~0.35% allocation, ISRO spent only 8% on Mars Missions. There are plenty of
government schemes with way bigger budgetary allotments for poor people. So its not
like government stopped/reduced expenditure on some xyz scheme for poors to fund
ISROs Mars adventure.
2. Agreed, poverty should be removed, and everyone must get food security. But the
proposed food security bill will need ~1-2 lakh crores rupees every year. Even If ISRO
didnt spend 450 crores on Mars, the money thus saved- wont make a big contribution to
food security anyways.

#4: Making History

So far only three agencies have succeeded in Mars Mission

1. European Space Agency (ESA) of European consortium,
2. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the US
3. Roscosmos of Russia

Even USA, Japan and China failed to reach mars in their first attempt.

So, if ISROs Mars mission succeeds in first attempt (that too without coaching), itd be a
milestone in the history of space explorations.

#5: Misc.
1. Will attract talented desi scientist/engineers to join ISRO=braindrain prevented.
2. Data gathered from ISROs mission, can be used to send manned mission (astronauts) on
Mars later, with collaboration of NASA etc.
3. The technology used in this mission has potential application in weather forecast,
computer tech, health-medicine etc. in future.
4. Space research is not waste of time. 1990 Odisha cyclone killed >10000 people. But 2013
cyclone Phalin killed very few, because Indian satellite gave accurate weather prediction
about where and when the storm would hit. Space research has given immense benefits to

Agriculture, education, fisheries and defense. (Counter argument: then send more
weather/education satellites- not spacecrafts to Moon and Mars!)

MAVEN (NASA)
ISROs MoM
Mars Orbitor Mission
launch vehicle=PSLV
launched on 5th Nov 2013
from Sriharikota, Andhra
Rs.450 crore
~1,350 kg
will enter Mars Orbit ~Sept. 24, 2014
Doing three studies:
1. Surface/geology: using camera
and spectrometer.

NASAs Maven
Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission
(MAVEN)
Atlas V rockets. (more powerful than PSLV)
18th Nov 2013
from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US.
$671 million
??
will enter Mars Orbit ~Sept. 22, 2014

Only study Martian (upper) atmosphere.

based on that data: Itll give clues about

martian climate, geologic, and geochemical
conditions over time

Will find the answer: Did Mars ever had

suitable environment to support life?

has eight instrument- spectrograph,

magnetometer, ion analyzer etc.

The spacecraft may also provide

communications relay support for future Mars
landers and rovers.

2. (Particle) Environment: using

MENCA
3. Atmosphere: using Photometer
and Methane sensor

has five instruments/payloads

INSAT 3D

Weather satellite (meteorology), search and rescue operations.

At present Indias meteorological observation is done by two satellites Kalpana-1 and

INSAT 3A. This INSAT 3D is more powerful and advanced.

it can detect signals from distressed fishing boats, aeroplanes etc. and help in search and
rescue missions, with help of coast guard, navy etc.

Launched in late August 2013.

expiry date= after seven years in 2020

RH 200 &
Thumba

GSAT-7

GSAT-14

Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), Kerala,

under ISRO

1963: Vikarm Sarabhai and team had launched an American rocket

Nike-Apachefrom here.

2013: completed 50 years. RH 200 rocket was launched.

RH 200 is a Rohini series advanced sounding rocket. can carry 10

kg payload.

to study the upper atmosphere.

Indias first full-fledged military communications satellite

Navy will use it for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore

communications.

Launched from French Guiana in late August 2013.

this communication satellite was to be launched ~mid-August

2013, from Sriharikota, Andhra

but #EPICFAIL because launch vehicle GSLV-D5 developed a

leak= ISRO had to cancel.

NASAs Mars Rover Curiosity- gave two new findings

Curiosity

1. Martian meteoritesreally are from the Mars Planet.

2. Found two isotops of argon gas : Argon-36 and Argon-38by the
Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on Curiosity.

Chandra X-ray Observatory

belongs to NASA

allows scientists from around the world to obtain X-ray images- to understand universes
structure and evolution

It recently found a black hole @the center of milky way a producing high energy
particles.

High energy particles = produced by young stars and blackholes.

They play important role regulating the rate of formation of new stars.

Olympic torch in Space

2014s winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia during February.

From Kazakhstan, rocket was launched to carry Olympic torch to the international space
station. (ISS)

Astronauts will carry out a spacewalk with this Olympic torch. That way we can brag
Olympic torch has even been to space.

This torch has also been through:

1. Worlds deepest lake: Baikal

2. Highest mountain in Russia and Europe: Mt.Elbrus
Ashish Yadav from Haryana.Selected in NASAs three year astronaut training program.

Defense related
#1: INS Vikramaditya
1987
1994
2004
2013,

INS Virat- Aircraft carrier inducted.

India starts negotiating with Russia to get their aircraft carrier called Admiral Gorshkov
(to be added as INS Vikramaditya)
formal deal signed
INS Vikrant: Indias first ever indigenously built aircraft carrier launched @Kochi.

2013,
Nov

Finally Russia handed over the ship to Indian Navy, after almost 9 years wait. Total
cost: >12000 cr. rupees.

Ok but why is it so special?

INS Virat is soon to retire. Vikrants testing is still ongoing. So, We needed a new aircraft
carrier.

vikramaditya will makes us only the third country in the world after the US and Italy to
own more than air craft one carrier. (Vikrama+Vikrant)

Even China has only one aircraft carrier: Liaoning

INS Vikramaditya can carry

o 30 aircraft including MiG 29K, Sea Harrier; Dhruv, Chetak helicopters.
o 1600 personnel
o Its radar has a range of 500kms.

2013 has been a special year for Indian Navy for following reasons:
1. got Boeing P8 I long range maritime reconnaissance planes
2. got Hawk jets to train navy pilots.
3. got full fledged communication satellite GSAT-7
4. first MiG-29K squadron was commissioned
5. INS Vikrant: first indigenous aircraft carrier, was launched at Kochi.
6. INS Arihant- Indias first home grown nuclear submarine: Its nuke reactor went critical
in August month.
7. and finally got this INS Vikramaditya

#2: Napalm

incendiary weapon, designed by American chemists during WW2

Principle: fuel + thickening agent= fuel burns longer, gives higher temperature= more
damage if poured on an enemy bunker/vehicle/soldier.

Thickening agent used was: Naphthenate + aluminium palmitate. (hence called Napalm)

was widely used during Korean and Vietnam War.

UN convention prohibits the use of Napalm against civilians.

Why in News? Syrian Air force dropped Napalm bombs over schoolchildren. (BBC report.)

#3: EMP Bomb

EMP=electromagnetic pulse

Nuclear bomb blast => gamma radiation.

Atom is made up of: proton + neutron + electron.

but this gamma radiation throws electrons out of the atom.

all those free electrons are then deflected by earths magnetic field. And thus an EMP
blast is created.

An EMP blast can disable all type of electronic equipment. But it wont damage physical
structures- like bridges/buildings, It cant kill people directly.

Solar flares also create EMP- damage satellites and communication network.

ok but why in news? Because North Korea has (allegedly) bought EMP bombs from
Russia = South Korea is worried.

Physics/Chemistry
#1: Tree Leaves to detect gold

Gold mining companies spend billions of dollars to search new deposits of gold.

But Australian researcher came with a cheaper method= just study the tree leaves.

Acacias and eucalypts treet roots go very deep in the earth and while they suck water and
minerals- they also suck gold particles.

But these trees treat the gold as toxic, and store it away in their leaves for shedding later.=
by studying the chemical contents of the tree leaves, we can make a preliminary
assessment about gold deposits in the area.

Synchrotron =particle accelerator machine in Australia. it was use for testing this treeleaves-gold theory.

#2: Candle flame vs Gravity

When we light a candle, why does the flame go against the gravity (up)?

Burning candle= nearby air gets hot=moves upwards.

And the cold air from above comes downward.

Soon, this cold air also gets hot and moves upward.

This continuous cycle of air movement pushes the flame upwards and gives the teardrop /
elongated shape.

If there is no gravity, then candle flame will be in spherical shape. (Because there is no
up direction for the warm air to rise.)