Google Doodle celebrates life of late Indian Space Scientist!
Google Doodle celebrates the life of Udupi Ramachandra Rao.
The Indian space scientist, who passed away in 2017, would have celebrated his 89th birthday today.
Who is Udupi Ramachandra Rao?
The legendary scientist is known by many as India’s Satellite Man’.
He is renowned for playing a key role in the development of space technology in India.
He was born in the small village of Karnataka on March 10, 1932.
Rao, who started his career as a cosmic-ray physicist, moved to the US after he completed his doctorate.
While working as a professor, he led experiments on NASA’s Pioneer and Explorer space probes.
He returned to India in 1966 before he took charge of the country’s satellite program.
And he went on to supervise the 1975 launch of India’s first satellite.
Rao developed over 20 satellites that transformed life in India.
He was the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad and the Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space science and Technology at Thiruvananthapuram. After working as a Faculty Member at MIT and Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas where he carried out investigations as a prime experimenter on a number of Pioneer and Explorer spacecraft, Prof. Rao returned to India in 1966 as Professor at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad.
Convinced of the imperative need to use space technology for rapid development, Prof. Rao undertook the responsibility for the establishment of satellite technology in India in 1972. Under his guidance, beginning with the first Indian satellite ‘Aryabhata’ in 1975, over 18 satellites were designed and launched for providing communication, remote sensing, and meteorological services.
After taking charge as Chairman, Space Commission and Secretary, Department of Space in 1984, Prof. Rao accelerated the development of rocket technology, resulting in the successful launch of the ASLV rocket and the operational PSLV launch vehicle, which can launch 2.0 ton class of satellites into polar orbit. Prof. Rao initiated the development of the geostationary launch vehicle GSLV and the development of cryogenic technology in 1991.
Prof Rao had published over 350 scientific and technical papers covering cosmic rays, interplanetary physics, high energy astronomy, space applications, and satellite and rocket technology and authored many books. He was also the recipient of D.Sc. (Hon. Causa) Degree from over 25 Universities including the University of Bologna, the oldest University in Europe.
Prof Rao was awarded ‘Padma Bhushan’ by the Government of India in 1976, which is the third-highest Civilian Award, and ‘Padma Vibhushan’ in 2017 which is the second-highest Civilian Award. Prof. U.R. Rao became the first Indian Space Scientist to be inducted into the highly Prestigious “Satellite Hall of Fame” at Washington DC, USA on March 19, 2013. Prof. U.R. Rao became the first Indian Space Scientist to be inducted into the highly Prestigious “IAF Hall of Fame” at Guadalajara, Mexico.
