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Author: Dr. Siddhivinayak Barve

  • Vikram-1 Reaches Orbit

    Vikram-1 Reaches Orbit

    India’s First Privately Developed Orbital Launch Vehicle Makes History

    Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 successfully completed its maiden orbital mission under ‘Mission Aagaman’, marking a historic milestone for India’s growing private space industry and demonstrating the nation’s expanding commercial launch capabilities.

    India’s commercial programme entered a new era with the successful orbital launch of Vikram-1, the country’s first privately developed orbital launch vehicle. Built by Skyroot Aerospace, the rocket lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, under Mission Aagaman and successfully deployed multiple technology demonstration payloads into a 450 km Low Earth Orbit.

    The mission is a landmark achievement for India’s private space sector, showcasing the growing capabilities of homegrown companies in launch vehicle development, advanced materials, precision manufacturing and mission operations.

    Mission Highlights

    · India’s first privately developed orbital launch vehicle.

    · Successfully deployed multiple technology demonstration payloads into a 450 km Low Earth Orbit.

    · Developed by Skyroot Aerospace under Mission Aagaman.

    · Features an all-carbon-composite structure and a 3D-printed liquid engine.

    · Designed to launch payloads up to 350 kg into Low Earth Orbit.

    Designed for small satellite missions, Vikram-1 uses modern engineering to deliver reliable performance at an affordable cost. The rocket features three solid-propellant stages along with a liquid-fuel orbital adjustment module powered by a 3D-printed engine, enabling precise orbital insertion and payload delivery of up to 350 kg. Vikram-1 represents a new chapter in India’s commercial space journey.

    The successful launch of Vikram-1 demonstrates the increasing technological capabilities of India’s private space industry and contributes to strengthening the country’s commercial launch ecosystem. It also reflects the growing collaboration between government institutions and private enterprises in advancing indigenous space technologies.

  • Do you know

    Do you know

    These are some interesting facts.. Try it…

    Why is DIAMOND the hardest substance on Earth

    Diamonds are incredibly hard because they have crystallized in a particular atomic shape after being subject to the effect of heat and pressure on Earth at a depth of 140 to 150 kilometres. This makes diamond the hardest mineral on earth and cannot be broken or cut easily. It is only possible by using another diamond.

    Why do we get HEATSTROKE

    Heatstroke is a condition caused by your body overheating, usually as a result of prolonged exposure to or physical exertion in high temperatures. This most serious form of heat injury – heatstroke, can occur if your body temperature rises to 104 F (40 C) or higher.

    Why do FORMULA 1 driver lose weight

    The F1 drivers can lose up to three kgs weight after a race due to extreme heat in the cockpit of the vehicle. Hence, the drivers take in large amounts of water before the race, even if they do not feel thirsty, to avoid dehydration through sweating.

    Why is Sun Harsh in Summer

    In the early morning and late evening, UV (ultraviolet) radiation is less strong because the rays have farther to travel to get to the Earth. But throughout the year, the sun’s angle varies with the seasons, so the strength of UV rays change, too. UV rays are strongest in the summer months.

    Why do NEWSPAPERS turn yellow over time

    Paper is made from wood, which is made up mainly of white cellulose. Wood also has a lot of a dark substance in it called lignin, which ends up in the paper, too, along with the cellulose. The exposure of lignin to air and sunlight is what turns paper yellow.

  • Science Calendar

    Science Calendar

    OCTOBER 2026

    Calander of Important Days Celebrated in the Month of October

    1st October- International Day of Older Persons

    Highlights healthy ageing, longevity, gerontology and the science of improving quality of life in later years.

    2nd October- International Day of Non-Violence

    Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

    An opportunity to explore the relationship between science, peace, technology and responsible innovation.

    4th October-World Space Week Begins

    The annual UN observance runs from 4–10 October and celebrates space science, exploration and technology.

    5th October- World Teachers’ Day

    Celebrates teachers and the crucial role of science education and scientific literacy.

    6th October- World Habitat Day

    Focuses attention on sustainable cities, housing, urbanisation, environment and related technologies.

    9th October – World Post Day

    Provides an opportunity to trace the development of communication technology from traditional postal systems to modern digital networks.

    10th October- World Mental Health Day

    Highlights neuroscience, psychology, brain research and public-health approaches to mental wellbeing.

    22nd October-Chandrayaan-1 Anniversary

    India’s first lunar mission was launched on 22 October 2008, marking a major milestone in Indian planetary exploration.

  • The Science Behind Making Movies

    The Science Behind Making Movies

    Friends, today we are going to learn about a fascinating process—the science behind making movies. Although filmmaking is a complex process, one of the basic ideas behind it is called persistence of vision.

    When we watch a movie, we are actually seeing a series of still photographs displayed one after another on a long strip of film (or, today, as digital frames). These images are shown so quickly that, instead of seeing separate pictures, our eyes and brain combine them into one smooth, continuous motion.

    How does this happen?

    We can understand this by performing a very simple experiment. It is fun to do and clearly demonstrates the principle of persistence of vision, which is the foundation of motion pictures.

  • Riddles

    Riddles

    Q I can rush, I can be still, I can be hot, I can be cold, I can be hard, I can slip through almost anything. What am I?

    A Water

    Q Which four periodic elements, when combined, make up something that terrifies criminals?

    A Carbon, Oxygen, Phosphorous and Sulphur (C+O+P+S)

    Q What is neither water nor land, and is always soaking wet?

    A Wetlands

    Q Which two periodic elements, when combined, heal?

    A Helium and Aluminium (HE + AL)

    Q It is impossible for me to be created, and I can never be destroyed, I can only change form. What am I?

    A Energy

  • How to Make A Citrus Battery

    How to Make A Citrus Battery

    Yes, you can light the Lams with Lemon fruits….

    WHAT DO WE NEED ?

    Citrus fruits such as lemons, limes or oranges

    Copper nails (2 inches in length) Zinc nail (2 inches in length)

    Small coloured light bulb / LED light

    Electrical tape / alligator clips

    Micro ammeter (to measure the electric current in a circuit)

    LET’S GET STARTED !

    Soften the fruit by squeezing it on all sides with your hands carefully without breaking its skin so that the juice inside is flowing.

    Insert the nails into the fruit in a way that the sharp tips of the nails should be in the center of the fruit and not touching one another.

    Do not pierce the nail through the opposite end of fruit.

    Peel off the insulation around the bulb wires to expose the wire beneath and wrap the exposed wire around the nails.

    Wrap the exposed wire around the zinc nail. Use some electrical tape or clips to keep it attached.

    And now as you wrap the other end of the wire around the copper nail, you will see the bulb light up!

    WHAT DO WE SEE ?

    The zinc nail being an active metal, reacts with the acid in the citrus fruit. The positively charged ions are the active ingredient in the fruit. The electrons transfer between the zinc nail and the acid from the fruit. The nails act as poles of the battery where one is positive while the other is negative. Electrons travel from the positive pole to the negative pole through the light bulb, which acts as a conductor. This generates enough electricity to complete the circuit and light the bulb

  • It Happened Tomorrow…

    It Happened Tomorrow…

    The date would forever be remembered simply as Tomorrow.

    In the morning.. precisely at 10:10 hrs IST, every observatory on Earth detected an object entering our Solar System—not at unimaginable speed, nor leaving behind a trail of fire, but appearing as though space itself had gently unfolded. Within minutes, satellites, radio telescopes and deep-space observatories confirmed the impossible. A colossal, perfectly symmetrical craft had taken up a silent orbit around the Earth.

    It neither threatened nor communicated. It simply waited.

    Back on earth immediately an emergency International Response Centre was established. The world’s finest astronomers, physicists, biologists, linguists, engineers, psychologists and AI experts gathered under one roof. Among them was Dr Siddiqui, an Indian astrobiologist known for his work on life in extreme environments. Colleagues often smiled when he often quoted an ancient Indian philosophy during the scientific discussions. He would say, ‘The ancient Rishis looked inward, modern Scientists look outward. Both seek the same truth.’

    Soon, the first transmission from the alien craft arrived. Not Words.. Not Pictures… But Mathematics…. Prime numbers.. Fibonacci sequence.. the value of π and the Hydrogen spectral signature… The message was clear… They knew science beyond perfection…

    It was the first Contact.. Across billions of kilometres, another civilization had chosen science as its first language.

    The governments across the world reached an unprecedented decision… it was decided not to attack… Just Observe.. Listen and Learn…

    Hours later, a shimmering figure appeared inside the communication chamber. It was unlike anything humans had ever imagined. Its body seemed woven from light, changing subtly as if responding to invisible currents of energy.

    Dr. Siddiqui stepped forward, his voice calm and reassuring despite the excitement.

    ‘Welcome to Earth.’

    The alien being inclined its head.

    ‘Thank you. We have waited a very long time for your species to become curious enough to notice us.’

    The extraterrestrials sought neither conquest nor resources. They had long mastered the stellar energy and interstellar travel. What interested them was something far rarer. Conscious civilizations. Every intelligent species, they explained, viewed the universe differently. Every civilization asked unique questions, developed distinct philosophies, and interpreted nature through its own experiences.

    As discussions continued, the visitors revealed that throughout the galaxy every intelligent species eventually faced the same question: ‘Who are we?’ Some searched through Telescopes. Some through Mathematics. Some through Meditation.

    Dr. Siddiqui smiled.. ‘In India,’ he said, ‘our ancient sages asked a similar question thousands of years ago.’

    The alien turned towards him. ‘What answer did they discover?’

    Dr. Siddhi paused. ‘They said that truth is not possessed. It is experienced.’

    The alien’s luminous eyes brightened. ‘So your ancestors also understood. We have arrived at it after travelling through few million light years’

    The visitors demonstrated their technologies that appeared almost magical. Medical nanostructures repaired damaged organs within minutes. Gravity itself could be manipulated, allowing spacecraft to accelerate without rockets. Quantum communication made conversations across light-years instantaneous. Yet despite possessing astonishing knowledge, the visitors never offered ready-made solutions. When scientists asked for limitless energy systems, they received only hints. When requested for cures for every disease, they were given principles rather than formulas.

    One evening, during a discussion inside the Research Station, Dr. Siddiqui finally asked the question everyone had been waiting.

    ‘If you already know the answers, why don’t you simply tell us?’

    The lean alien figure replied

    ‘Because borrowed wisdom never transforms a civilization.

    Only discovered wisdom does.’

    The visitors words reminded Dr. Siddiqui of a verse from the Scriptures,

    ‘Knowledge cannot simply be transferred. It must be realised through effort.’

    The visitors had arrived at the same truth by an entirely different path.

    The alien visitors sent a message that now we need to leave..

    Before departing, the visitors left humanity with neither miraculous machines nor advanced weapons, they presented a simple Crystal no larger than a human hand. Inside it was recorded the scientific history of hundreds of civilizations—their discoveries, their failures and their lessons. The final page contained only one sentence.

    ‘Every civilization that survives learns that the universe is too vast to explore alone.’

    As months passed, something remarkable happened. The world’s scientific communities, once divided by funding, politics, and national rivalries, began working as one. Space agencies merged exploration programmes. Medical researchers openly shared discoveries. Artificial intelligence accelerated experiments that previously required decades. Competition gradually gave way to collaboration.

    Years later, Humanity changed.. Not because of alien technology.. But because of a new philosophy… ‘The whole world as one family’.. The first alien contact has imbibed that Let the noble thoughts come to us from every direction… Earth now looked very different. Fusion reactors powered continents. Cities produced more energy than they consumed. Diseases once thought incurable had disappeared. The poverty, discrimination and pollution vanished and the climate improved.. the rivers became cleaner.. the skies became clearer..

    Children of this age now no longer looked at the stars wondering whether someone was out there. They looked upward knowing that somewhere among those distant suns were friends waiting to exchange ideas, not weapons; questions, not ultimatums. For the first time in history, humanity did not look at the stars with fear. It looked with friendship.

    Humanity had finally realized that first Contact was never about meeting extraterrestrials.

    It was about discovering the best version of ourselves.

    ‘Tomorrow had finally happened.

  • Carl Sagan Science Personified

    Carl Sagan Science Personified

    An ode to Carl Sagan, the man who reached the stars and unfolded the COSMOS bringing in Scientific Culture…

    ‘We live in a time dominated by science and technology and yet it sometimes seems that almost no one understands very much about science and technology….’ These are the words of Carl Sagan – the most charismatic apostle of popular science who brought the marvels of the universe and the mysteries of creation to a worldwide audience of hundreds of millions in his famous Television Series ‘Cosmos’. The Thirteen-Part Cosmos serial was first telecast on the television on September 28, 1980. The man who literally reached to the stars and unfolded COSMOS, inflicting Scientific Culture…In recognition, September 28 is celebrated world over as ‘Scientific Culture Day’

    Carl Sagan, born in Brooklyn, New York, USA on November 9, 1934 to an American mother and a Russian immigrant father was quite destined to be an astronomer… When Carl was just 12 years old, his grandfather asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. “An astronomer,” replied the boy without hesitating. A science fiction addict from his childhood, Sagan was fascinated by astronomy and he translated the dream to the reality…

    Science Communicator

    He was a multifaceted persona…an astronomer, astrophysicist and the director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. Sagan was more popularly known as a gifted and enthusiastic storyteller and showman who described cosmic phenomena with the sense of awe and wonderment. He was science personified…

    Science Communicator

    Carl Sagan is regarded as the best public figure in science communication. For Carl Sagan, interest in science communication came early. He was frequently interviewed by the press and became a public spokesperson for astronomy on a number of Television programs. His science was publicly minded and engaged. Alongside his work as a researcher, he was engaged as an educator, public communicator and activist. The television series Cosmos is the epitome of his legacy… He strongly believed that it is important for scientists to be involved in communicating science to the public.

    The 13-part television series Cosmos was viewed by over 500 million viewers all over the world. “Cosmos,” covered the 15billion year history of the universe, from the creation to the present.

    Writer

    Carl Sagan was a prolific writer he wrote a series of essays in magazines. His essays like ‘The Gift of the Apollo’ passionately made the case to the American public for the value of space exploration. He has authored a number of books, the prominent amongst them are like ‘Pale Blue Dot’: A Vision of the Human Future in Space and ‘Demon Haunted World’: Science as a Candle in the Dark and his novel ‘Contact’ he worked to communicate the importance and values of science to the world at large. He also wrote ‘The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence, which won a Pulitzer Prize for literature and “Broca’s Brain,” a popular book in which he traced the evolution of the human brain. His book, “Demon Haunted World,” a critique against pseudoscience is also amongst most read books.

    Researcher

    Throughout his career, Carl Sagan was engaged in basic scientific research of Solar System. He was very active in the search for extra-terrestrial life and extra-terrestrial Intelligence and worked extensively in the science of exobiology, the study of extra-terrestrial life. He was interested and was an ardent believer in the existence of intelligent civilizations in the COSMOS and in the possibility of Life beyond Earth. He estimated that there may be as many as 1 million advanced civilizations in our galaxy alone.

    Sagan was adviser on the Mariner, Voyager and Viking unmanned space missions for NASA. He has worked out the Scientific Objectives of the Voyager Mission. He designed the famous plaque on the Pioneer 10 spacecraft depicting the man and women raising their palm as a message of peace

    for the far-off intelligent civilization in the sky in case the spacecraft comes in contact with extra-terrestrial life. Pioneer-10 was the fi rst man-made object to travel beyond our Solar System.

    The Activist

    Carl Sagan was a noted Professor who taught a range of courses at Stanford, Harvard and Cornell Universities. Besides instruction for students and scientists, Sagan was also passionate about teaching non-science majors about the importance of scepticism and scientific habits of mind on critical thinking in science and non-science contexts at Cornell University.

    Sagan made direct appeals to the public on the importance of understanding and supporting science and the threats of nuclear proliferation. Those pronouncements made Sagan a champion of organizations advocating a ban on nuclear testing and a halt to development of nuclear weapons.

    ‘The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be’ tells Sagan in the opening narration of Cosmos and in the final episode covers the 15 billion years from the big bang of creation to the present, using a calendar year as a point of reference. In this scenario Sagan tells if January 1 is the Big Bang Day and the Universe is created; on this scale Dinosaurs would appear on this earth only by Christmas eve and the written record of human civilizations occupies only the final 10 Seconds of the last day of the year which is to the present….

    This is Carl Sagan, Science Personified, who inflicted the Science Culture and brought COSMOS to the people.

  • Pride of India – Bhabha Atomic Research Centre

    Pride of India – Bhabha Atomic Research Centre

    Located in the hustling-bustling city of Mumbai, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is the country’s leading nuclear research facility initiated by Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha. The centre’s huge infrastructure is a perfect platform for R&D (research and development) offering an entire gamut of nuclear science, engineering and related areas. BARC’s ideology is to use nuclear energy, basically for generation of power.

    The Centre accomplishes all facts of nuclear power generation, from theoretical design of reactors to computerised modelling and simulation, risk analysis, development and testing of new reactor fuel materials to name a few. BARC also does research in spent fuel processing, and safe disposal of nuclear waste. Other research areas for BARC are applications for isotopes in industries, medicine, agriculture, etc. The centre also operates a number of reactors across India.

    Creation of BARC

    It was on 3 January1954 that the Government of India created the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET). The idea behind creating AEET was to unite all the R&D activity for nuclear reactors and technology under the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). After Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha’s death in 1966, the centre was renamed as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre on 22 January 1967.

    Mega Research Hub

    On 4 June 2005, the centre started the Homi Bhabha National Institute with the goal of encouraging research in basic sciences. Research institutions affiliated to BARC include IGCAR

    (Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research), RRCAT (Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology), and VECC (Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre).

    In addition to its nuclear research ideology BARC also conducts research in other state-of-the-art technology areas like accelerators, micro electron beams, materials design, supercomputers, and computer vision etc. BARC has designed and developed for its own use a series of supercomputers – ‘Anupam’ using latest technology.

  • Smiling Buddha – India’s First Nuclear Test

    Smiling Buddha – India’s First Nuclear Test

    After the war against Pakistan in 1971, the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi who was touring the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in September of 1972 approved of a nuclear test. Without any hesitation, Physicist Raja Ramanna and chief of BARC at that time, took a team of around 75 scientists to design and build the plutonium implosion device.

    The test was kept as secretive as possible and all the work on the project was carried under great secrecy. Successful test The Indian Army was given the work to dig a test shaft of about 330 feet underground at the Pokhran test site, Rajasthan. On May 18, 1974, the 1360 kilograms device exploded with a force equivalent to 8 kilotons of TNT.

    Immediately after the test was conducted, Ramanna reportedly informed Indira Gandhi of the successful test through a coded message: “The Buddha is smiling.” Although officially known as Pokhran I, the 1974 test was informally named ‘Smiling Buddha.’

    A number of countries condemned India’s nuclear test. While Canada pulled its support for the Indian nuclear program shortly afterwards; United States considered the test a violation of the Atoms for Peace program and responded with sanctions against India.

    Superpower

    After its successful nuclear test of 1974, India took more than 20 years to build a nuclear arsenal and delivery system capable of military deployment. Despite many challenges, the BARC leadership managed to construct their biggest nuclear plant till date—the Dhruva reactor at

    Trombay in 1977, which would produce most of the plutonium for India’s nuclear weapons program.

    The Indian government also approved a ballistic missile program in 1983. Over the next decade, the Defense Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) built the short-range Prithvi missile and the long-range Agni missile.