SPACE X AND THE INSIGHT MISSION

As the year is drawing to a close, two contrasting events took place last week almost on the same day---a super success and a setback. To the best of my knowledge this is the first time such a thing has happened.

First the super success. On December 21 US's Space X, after a failure in June, attained a breakthrough by successfully launching a upgraded two-stage Falcon 9 rocket with 11 Orbocomm satellites which were successfully deployed..

What is the breakthrough? The first stage reentered vertically minutes after the launch. The significance of the success is that it endorsed Elon Musk's ---the founder of Space X--plan to lower considerably low costs. According to reports, the mission used thrusters and navigation equipment to bring back the first stage to landing zone 1 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Musk believes that a resusable rocket could help to bring down the launch costs substantially. The first stage of the rocket which re entered had small folded heat-resistant wings called grid fins for controlling it as it zoomed backed at four times the speed of sound.

But to be fair it is not a first.

Though undoubtedly a milestone feat, Jeff Bezon's Blue Origin New Shepard mission in November also tried out a reusable rocket system successfully. But, remember there were differences between Space X and New Shepard.And Space X.

And what are they?

Falcon 9 is bigger and more powerful than New Shepard. While New Shepard is meant for space tourists to experience microgravity, Falcon 9 will go deeper into space and execute complex missions. More significantly, with regards to their trajectories. New Shepard flew straight up and returned vertically with two burns --one during launch and the other while landing, Falcon 9 had four burns launch, boostback, reentry and landing. This is why the Falcon 9 mission can be described as a breakthrough.

I watched the deferred Space X webcast and sure it was thrilling and exciting. What is more important is that it proved to be an attraction to the younger generation as most of the mission commentators were young, full of excitement, energy and enthusiasm. Isro must emulate this example in its future missions if it has to attract the super brats from IITs and other engineering and scientific institutions.

As the flight progressed I could see a lot of excitement in the mission operations control room at the Space X Hq in Hawthorne California. The huge crowds, clapped, cheered, shouted and exchanged congratulatory hand shakes as the mission moved stage by stage.

Keep it up Space X and may you fulfill your dream of reaching Mars someday.

Now the setback. As Space X was celebrating, came the news from Nasa----its InSight mission to Mars will not lift off on March 14 following a serious problem with a French-made instrument which developed a leak. It was a landing mission and was intended to study the below the Martian surface----the first of its kind.

As Mars mission can be launched only when Mars and earth come close to each other which happens only once in 26 months, indications are that if all is a `go' InSight will launch only after two years. A story in The Australian is sceptical whether this much-publicised mission will ever lift off because of possible funding issues. Wonder what happens to the PI and the other team members. Sure a big disappoint to them as the year is coming to an end.

Though quite a set back for Nasa, but let us remember that behind every failure a big success will follow.

And Nasa can look forward to this.

(Yes, this blog is behind sked coz had problems in accessing the page! )