As often happens in science, the earliest practical work on rocket engines designed for spaceflight occurred simultaneously during the early 20th century in three countries by three key scientists: in Russia, by Konstantin Tsiolkovski; in the United States, by Robert Goddard; and in Germany, by Hermann Oberth. Man on MoonIn the 1930s and 1940s Nazi Germany saw the possibilities of using long-distance rockets as weapons. Late in World War II, London was attacked by 200-mile-range V-2 missiles, which arched 60 miles high over the English Channel at more than 3,500 miles per hour. After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union created their own missile programs. On October 4, 1957, the Soviets launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. Four years later on April 12, 1961, Russian Lt. Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit Earth in Vostok 1. His flight lasted 108 minutes, and Gagarin reached an altitude of 327 kilometers (about 202 miles). The first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, went into orbit on January 31, 1958. In 1961 Alan Shepard became the first American to fly into space. On February 20, 1962, John Glenn’s historic flight made him the first American to orbit Earth. “Landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth within a decade” was a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. On July 20, 1969, Astronaut Neil Armstrong took “a giant step for mankind” as he stepped onto the moon. Six Apollo missions were made to explore the moon between 1969 and 1972. During the 1960s unmanned spacecraft photographed and probed the moon before astronauts ever landed. By the early 1970s orbiting communications and navigation satellites were in everyday use, and the Mariner spacecraft was orbiting and mapping the surface of Mars. By the end of the decade, the Voyager spacecraft had sent back detailed images of Jupiter and Saturn, their rings, and their moons. Skylab, America’s first space station, was a human-spaceflight highlight of the 1970s, as was the Apollo Soyuz Test Project, the world’s first internationally crewed (American and Russian) space mission. In the 1980s satellite communications expanded to carry television programs, and people were able to pick up the satellite signals on their home dish antennas. Satellites discovered an ozone hole over Antarctica, pinpointed forest fires, and gave us photographs of the nuclear power-plant disaster at Chernobyl in 1986. Astronomical satellites found new stars and gave us a new view of the center of our galaxy. Space Shuttle Space Shuttle In April 1981 the launch of the space shuttle Columbia ushered in a period of reliance on the reusable shuttle for most civilian and military space missions. Twenty-four successful shuttle launches fulfilled many scientific and military requirements until January 1986, when the shuttle Challenger exploded after launch, killing its crew of seven. The Challenger tragedy led to a reevaluation of America’s space program. The new goal was to make certain a suitable launch system was available when satellites were scheduled to fly. Today this is accomplished by having more than one launch method and launch facility available and by designing satellite systems to be compatible with more than one launch system. The Gulf War proved the value of satellites in modern conflicts. During this war allied forces were able to use their control of the “high ground” of space to achieve a decisive advantage. Satellites were used to provide information on enemy troop formations and movements, early warning of enemy missile attacks, and precise navigation in the featureless desert terrain. The advantages of satellites allowed the coalition forces to quickly bring the war to a conclusion, saving many lives. Space systems will continue to become more and more integral to homeland defense, weather surveillance, communication, navigation, imaging, and remote sensing for chemicals, fires and other disasters. International Space Station International Space Station The International Space Station is a research laboratory in low Earth orbit. With many different partners contributing to its design and construction, this high-flying laboratory has become a symbol of cooperation in space exploration, with former competitors now working together. And while the space shuttle will likely continue to carry out important space missions, particularly supporting the International Space Station, the Columbia disaster in 2003 signaled the need to step up the development of its replacement. Future space launch systems will be designed to reduce costs and improve dependability, safety, and reliability. In the meantime most U.S. military and scientific satellites will be launched into orbit by a family of expendable launch vehicles designed for a variety of missions. Other nations have their own launch systems, and there is strong competition in the commercial launch market to develop the next generation of launch systems

"NASA Astrobiology". Astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 24 May 2012.

http://www.isro.gov.in/

"Upper Air Rocket Summary V-2 NO. 3".

https://www.youtube.com/

*http://dos.gov.in/rep2014/Highlights.html

*http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report-space-exploration-in-2014-a-year-of-achievements-and-discoveries-2043370

*http://wlym.com/archive/fusion/fusionasia/19850101-fusionasia.pdf

Here's a video that discusses the various plans proposed to travel and communicate across space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsf4NXcE4Qg

Every success of India's space programme is often followed by subtle criticism from the West.

Should a poor country that has the world's largest malnourished population waste money on space? If one analyses the per STATOISTICS capita expenditure on space programme it works out that, compared to its achievements in outer space, India's per capita expenditure is far lower than that of the West.

In 2013,the government's per capita expenditure on space was $3.3 at purchasing power parity-PPP rateabout 3 per cent of the per capita spent by the US per capita expenditure on space budget in million $-PPP.

2. Is life on mars a better option ?

3. Do you think lack of fund is a barrier for ISRO to work on their projects ?

4. Does the polictical issues affect space organisations working?

5. Do you think aeronautical engineering has a great potential ahead ?

Reprimand : that means an act or expression of criticism

Suburb : A suburb is a residential area or a mixed use area, either existing as part of a city or urban area or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city.

Enthrall : capture the fascinated attention of

Lull : calm or send to sleep, typically with soothing sounds or movements

Hiatus : a pause or break in continuity in a sequence or activity.

Pioneer : develop or be the first to use or apply (a new method, area of knowledge, or activity)

Gaze : look steadily and intently, especially in admiration, surprise, or thought

cryogenics is the study of the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures. It is not well-defined at what point on the temperature scale refrigeration ends and cryogenics begins, but scientists assume it starts at or below −150 °C (123 K; −238 °F).

2.geosynchronous satellite:-

 A geosynchronous satellite is a satellite in geosynchronousorbit, with an orbital period the same as the Earth's rotation period.

3.payload:

the part of a vehicle's load, especially an aircraft's, from which revenue is derived; passengers and cargo.

4. transponders: a device for receiving a radio signal and automatically transmitting a different signal

5.launch vehicle: In spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket used to carry a payload from Earth's surface into outer space.

QUESTIONAIRE:

1. Is space exploration necessary at all for the humanity?

a) no,its unnecessary

b) yes,very important for development and opens future possibilities

c) not sure

2.Is it reasonable for a country like India to spend huge amount on space exploration?

a) yes,space programme leads to development and its worth investing

b) no,its a waste of money

c) not sure

3. Is India's "Mangalyan" (Mars Orbiter Mission) better than NASA's MAVEN?

a) yes, much cheaper and fairly efficient

b) no,cheaper but not that efficient

c) cannot be compared

4.Should space technology be utilised for military purpose as well?

a) yes,that is highly recommended

b) no, both fields of research have different dimensions

c) not sure

5.Do you think the sole aim of the Indian space programme is to compete with the developed countries and establish itselves?

a) yes, its meant for establishing India among the giants in spce exploration

b) no, its meant for development and upliftment of the country

c) not sure

LINK OF THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE

http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Downloads/article_id_093_12_1812_1822_0.pdf

2>Specialised 3D printers- printers that can create specialized, one-off tools that can be made off planet surface material and can be ground back out of existence

3> Inflatable habitat connected to the ISS- This habitat will have the technology to shield astronauts inside from external harmful radiation

4>Distant Retrograde Orbit- Lunar DRO is a highly stable orbit where objects can remain steady for about a hundred years

5>Asteroid Redirect Mission- A project to develop technology that entails the spacecraft either snagging an entire 10-meter asteroid, or plucking a boulder off a larger asteroid

6> Exploration of Phobos- Phobos is Mars' potato shaped moon. The plan is to use it as an intermediate site for future Mars missions.

7>Space Launch System- An advanced space craft system that can carry about 130 tonnes of cargo to build permanent infrastructure on MARS and the ISS and so on.

8> Durable Terra forming Bacteria- Bacteria that can work on the planets surface and atmosphere to make it life sustainable, and also carries the human genome for replication.

9>100 Year Starship Program- The plan is to send astronauts to explore, not only Mars or the solar system, but also other planetary systems.

2. http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/2014/20141119-how-nasa-plans-mars.html?referrer=https://www.google.co.in/

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsf4NXcE4Qg

4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gV7LX0tLDw

5. http://www.space.com/14291-photos-future-interstellar-starship-visions-spaceflight.html

6. Book- Spacecraft Design