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Why spend so much money and effort to reach the moon when there is still so much poverty in India? This and similar questions often come up when India's space ambitions are talked about.
At a press conference soon after the Mars orbiter launch in 2013, a foreign journalist asked the same question: why should India send a mission to Mars when millions are in poverty? Then Isro Chairman K Radhakrishnan told him about the benefits of the space programme, but the journalist persisted with his argument. Many might raise the same question about Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar spacecraft, which is scheduled to land on the Moon today.
Though space research has some very obvious benefits such as telecommunication, weather forecasting, GPS, and detecting water bodies and minerals, going to Mars or landing on the Moon is seen by many as a vanity project. Few people know that even the most obscure research by ISRO can finally land in your home, workplace or a factory in the shape of an immensely useful product or process. For example, a robotic technology developed by ISRO to operate equipment in a spacecraft might ultimately be used to make smart artificial limbs. ISRO's project for sustained human presence in space will yield a large number of spinoff technologies which will improve our everyday life.
Advancements in space technology, it said, has created a positive impact in society, especially in sectors like health care, education, communication, broadcasting, disaster management, safety & security and land and water resource management.
Technology spin-offs from the Indian space programme have benefited mankind by way of cost-effective developments in health care like artificial limb, artificial jaw bones, left ventricular assist device and ventilators.
In the area of safety, spinoffs include flame-proof coatings (fire safety), Aerogel - Thermal wear for soldiers (for protection from extreme cold weather). distress alert systems and search & rescue beacons have come in handy in the area of disaster management, ISRO said.
ISRO's tech transfer
Space PSU New Space India Limited (NSIL), set up in 2019, has been mandated to transfer technologies developed by ISRO to the Indian industry for commercial use, It has transferred 78 technologies for commercialisation till last year. ISRO technology transfer enables the industry to absorb high-end technologies developed by ISRO over a period of time and leverages the industry to scale them up for much advanced applications.
Majority of the technology transferred by Isro — around 45% — is in the field of electronics & computer-based technology and telecom broadcasting together. Technologies relating to chemicals and special materials form the single-largest cluster.
Even before the formation of NSIL in 2019, the Department of Space had been transferring technologies to the industry. nearly 400 technologies have been transferred to more than 300 industries spread across the country by DoS and Isro.
Major ISRO spinoffs
Low-cost artificial heart pump: In a major spin-off from space technology in 2016, ISRO has developed a low-cost Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD), an artificial heart pump. The device was a mechanical pump that can be implanted in a person's chest to assist a weak heart to pump blood through the body. The LVAD doesn't replace the heart but helps it do its job. It enables the heart to perform its duty in case the organ needs rest, for instance after an open-heart surgery. It's also useful for patients waiting for a transplant. The device was made with a special titanium alloy used in rockets and also a technology used during launches. The titanium used is biocompatible and weighs only 100 gm...
Artificial foot: ISRO transferred its technology free of cost in 2002 to a Jaipur-based organisation to use material used in making rocket motors to mass-manufacture artificial feet. ISRO signed the agreement with Bhagavan Mahavir Vikalanga Sahayatha Samithi, a social organisation, for poly-urethane artificial foot technology developed by ISRO. The new foot has a number of advantages over the traditional Jaipur Foot, the main advantage being that it is very light and more durable. Poly-Urethane is one of the several composite materials developed by ISRO and it is used as an ingredient to make rocket motors.
Microprocessor-controlled smart knees: Last year in September ISRO said it had developed an intelligent artificial limb. It is likely to be commercialised soon and expected to be cheaper by up to 10 times, benefitting above-knee amputees to walk with a comfortable gait. . These microprocessor-controlled knees (MPKs) offer extended capabilities for the amputee than those offered by the passive limbs that do not use the microprocessors. "Thus far, a 1.6 kg MPK has enabled an amputee to walk about 100 metres in the corridor with minimum support. Efforts to improvise the performance are underway," it said. An MPK consists of a microprocessor, hydraulic damper, load & knee angle sensors, composite knee-case, Li-ion battery, electrical harness, and interface elements. The microprocessor detects the state of gait based on the sensor data. The control software estimates the real-time damping needed to attain the desired gait by changing the stiffness of the system that is achieved by a hydraulic damper operated by a DC motor.
Non-invasive ventilator SVASTA: ISRO has developed a gas-powered ventilator – 'Space Ventilator Aided System for Trauma Assistance (SVASTA)' - for basic mode for non-invasive ventilation. This ventilator is well suited for emergency use for first line treatment and as transit ventilators inside vehicles. The basic design is simple, and the components can be easily mass produced for emergency use in pandemic-like situations.
Artificial denture material: ACRAMID, a polyamide reinforced plastic, is a popular composite used for various launch vehicle applications. ACRAMID is yet another space spinoff from ISRO developed from composites technology. ACRAMID is a denture material developed based on composite technology. This can be used as a cheaper denture implant for fixed orthodontic restoration.
Fire-extinguishing powder: One of the widely used ISRO products is the fire extinguishing powder OLFEX for flammable, liquid and gas fires and Ternary Eutectic Chloride (TEC) powder for metal fires. The powder exhibits excellent fire knock-down efficiency in addition to superior water-repellency, flow characteristics and shelf life.
Endoscopic catheter-mounted impedance probe: The mucosal impedance is an early marker of mucosal disease. The probe is used for identification and detection of inflammation/malignancy in gut mucosa. It is a cost-effective and faster way for diagnosis compared to traditional biopsies.
Flame-retardant coating: This chemical has flame-retardant, waterproofing and thermal-control properties for masonry surfaces, textiles, paper, thatched leaves, wood, etc. to advanced materials like polyurethane and phenolic based thermal insulation foam pads.
Hydrophobic silica aerogel: Silica aerogels are exotic materials with a unique combination of properties. Composite sheets can be made from Silica aerogel. Besides cryogenic thermal insulation in rockets, they are used in concrete, cement, paints, adhesives, foams, ablatives, rubber, coatings etc; foot insoles, boot/jacket insulation or as winter/Arctic apparel at areas having extremely cold climate; in window glazing as insulator; carrier for drug delivery; and vibration/acoustic damping materials.
Adhesives: ISRO has developed a number of adhesives for its own applications. They include both structural and non-structural adhesives. Non-structural adhesives developed include silicon based, polyurethane elastomers and acrylic based adhesives. Structural adhesives developed include epoxy resins, phenol based and rubber based adhesives using chloroprene and neoprene. These adhesives can find varied applications in automobile and other engineering industries.
Not just space: How ISRO is touching many facets of our everyday life
India's space program, including missions to the moon and Mars, is often questioned in light of the country's poverty. However, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) argues that space research has numerous benefits, such as telecommunications, weather forecasting, GPS, and detecting...
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