The sky is not the limit: probing the minds of scientists associated with ISRO

India erupted in joy when the Chandrayaan-3 lander with a rover inside touched down on the moon last week, marking a moment in history. Between 1947 and 1971, Sarabhai conducted research into cosmic rays, headed the Atomic Energy Commission; envisioned agricultural complexes serviced by atomic power; desalinated sea water; set up India’s first textile research cooperative, the first market research organisation, and the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. Another popular literature is Vikram Sarabhai: India’s Space Pioneer by Padmanabh Joshi and Divya Arora that offers an endearing account of the man who put India on the world map with his unbounded interest in space, nuclear energy, architecture, industry, business, institution building, management development, art, music and theatre. All the ISRO’s men, and women ISRO: A Personal History by another ISRO pioneer and award-winning scientist, R. Aravamudan, is a gripping story of the people who built India’s space research programme and how. A witness to the evolution of India’s space programme since the era of Sarabhai, Radhakrishnan, an ISRO veteran, worked on the SLV-3 project, the country’s first satellite launch vehicle; created efficient centres to use satellite data for the benefit of people and established a tsunami warning system.