One of the things that’s interesting about writing and maintaining a blog like Tek22 is that you get to see where else in the world people find your content interesting. Periodically I will highlight one of the countries from where I’m seeing the most visitors (outside the U.S.) and talk about science and technology related to that nation.
This week that country is India – last month I had 933 visits from it. My family lived in New Delhi when I was very young, so I have a special place in my heart for the country. It is an advanced nation technologically, boasting its own space program, military equipment design and manufacturing, and a burgeoning technology sector, among many other things.
Space Program
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is India’s equivalent of NASA. Its first satellite was launched on board a Soviet Kosmos-3M launch vehicle in 1975, and it first all-Indian orbital launch was Rohini in 1980. It has sent a mission to orbit the moon, and two to Mars.
Future plans include another mission to the moon (including a lander and rover), a mission to study Venus’ atmosphere, and a Space Shuttle-like unmanned reusable launch vehicle. The scale test vehicle is due to launch sometime in 2016. India also has designs on a manned space program. It plans to first launch an unmanned mission using its manned vehicle in the 2020s, with a manned mission to follow. Of a more terrestrial nature, India plans to build the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) high atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
Map credit: Freeworldmaps.net
Tek22 
[…] via Tek22 International Spotlight: India — Tek22 […]