Gaganyaan mission:Commander Abhilash Tomy, a former Naval officer and solo circumnavigator from Kerala who finished second in the prestigious Golden Globe Race 2022, will be helping the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in connection with India's first manned space mission- Gaganyaan.
Tomy announced this development on the social media platform X where he said that he would be consulting with ISRO on space circumnavigation in connection with Gaganyaan. Besides that, he said, he will also be working with the Indian Navy on their next circumnavigation attempt.
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"I will be working with the Navy for their next circumnavigation attempt. In addition, I am also helping @isro with India’s first manned space mission.
"Thrilled to be consulting for a sea and space circumnavigation simultaneously. Both have been very close to my heart. Truly, adventure has an unknown outcome. #gaganyaan," he tweeted.
Know more about Gaganyaan mission of ISRO:
Gaganyaan, the flagship project of ISRO, envisages the demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 kms for three days and bringing them back safely to earth, by landing in sea waters.
The Gaganyaan mission entails the safe transportation of astronauts to space and back. A crucial component of this mission is the deployment of drogue parachutes, which play a pivotal role in stabilizing the crew module and reducing its velocity to a safe level during re-entry.
Drogue parachutes, packed within pyro-based devices known as mortars, are ingeniously designed to eject the parachutes into the air upon command. These conical ribbon-type parachutes, boasting a diameter of 5.8 meters, employ a single-stage reefing mechanism, ingeniously minimizing canopy area and mitigating opening shock, ensuring a smooth and controlled descent, the statement added.
During the three comprehensive tests conducted at the RTRS facility, a range of real-world scenarios were simulated to rigorously evaluate the performance and reliability of the drogue parachutes.
The first test simulated the maximum reefed load, marking a groundbreaking introduction of reefing in a mortar-deployed parachute within India. The second test emulated the maximum disreefed load, while the third test showcased the deployment of the drogue parachute under conditions mirroring the maximum angle of attack experienced by the Crew Module during its mission
Abhilash Tomy's connection with Golden Globe Race:
The retired Indian Naval Officer, Tomy, in April this year (2023), scripted history by becoming the first Indian to complete the prestigious Golden Globe Race (GGR) 2022. The retired Indian Navy officer finished second in the race, a solo around-the-world sailing competition that started on September 4, 2022, from Les Sables-d'Olonne in France.
Abhilash completed the GGR, which kicked off on September 4, 2022, in 236 days, 14 hours, 46 minutes, 34 seconds on April 29, making him the first Indian sailor to do so.
Prior to that, he had participated in the 50th anniversary edition of the Golden Globe in 2018 but had met with an accident when he was in third position in that year's race. His boat was damaged in a storm, and he suffered a severe injury to his spine in the unfortunate incident after successfully spending 82 days on the high seas.
Tomy was rescued following complex international efforts.
(With agencies inputs)
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