GSLV launch-is it complete success?

GSLV-FV04 was launched successfully from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota at 1820 hrs IST. It had injected the INSAT-4CR, which is replaced version of INSAT-4C, into the geostationary orbit.

Well, when can one say a launch is completely successful? As soon as the rocket lifts off from launch pad? Or as soon as it puts the satellite in space? One can say a launch is complete success only when the vehicle injects the satellite in its intended orbit, no matter whether it lifts off without any hiccups.

About the September 2, 2007 launch of GSLV, Wikipedia (without proper citations though) says,

The launch was determined to be a complete success despite the apogee mark being 786 miles lower than pre-launch estimates. The inclination was also off by one degree from the target of 21.7 degrees. Despite these inconsistencies the payload is reported be working properly and placed in a geo-stationary orbit. No explanation was given about the discrepancies and the launch was declared as success. (Bold emphasis added).

Is the September 2, 2007 launch of GSLV a complete success?

Air Conditioner problem

I am planning to start question corner in my blog, in which question related to thermodynamics and heat transfer will be posed. These questions are original (that arises through discussions with my guide and friends) and will not be taken from any standard print or online media. Readers of my blog are welcome to reply with their answers in comments section of the respective questions. Various incentives to first correct entry are in the think list. Here we go to the first question…

What will be the steady state temperature of a room 15′x12′x10′, if two air conditioners of 1 Tonne of refrigeration capacity each is installed in that room, with one of them set at 25 deg C and the other at 15 deg C? The initial room temperature is assumed as 30 deg C?

Nokia BL-5C battery - free replacement.

Check if you own a nokia mobile with one of the following as model number:

Nokia 1100, Nokia 1100c, Nokia 1101, Nokia 1108, Nokia 1110, Nokia 1112, Nokia 1255, Nokia 1315, Nokia 1600, Nokia 2112, Nokia 2118, Nokia 2255, Nokia 2272, Nokia 2275, Nokia 2300, Nokia 2300c, Nokia 2310, Nokia 2355, Nokia 2600, Nokia 2610, Nokia 2610b, Nokia 2626, Nokia 3100, Nokia 3105, Nokia 3120, Nokia 3125, Nokia 6030, Nokia 6085, Nokia 6086, Nokia 6108, Nokia 6175i, Nokia 6178i, Nokia 6230, Nokia 6230i, Nokia 6270, Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6631, Nokia 6670, Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681, Nokia 6682, Nokia 6820, Nokia 6822, Nokia 7610, Nokia N70, Nokia N71, Nokia N72, Nokia N91, Nokia E50, Nokia E60

If your mobile model is one of the above, then turn off your mobile, open the case and see if your battery is BL-5C.

Perhaps it is! Check out this product advisory, from Nokia. IF you have enough time, read the article, or else scroll down to the bottom of the product advisory page where you will be asked to enter the 26 digit Unique Serial Number (USN) of your BL-5C battery. Flip the battery to find the USN, enter it in the box provided and click ‘Submit’.

After few minutes, the Nokia website will tell you if your battery needs free replacement as per the terms and conditions mentioned in the product advisory website. If it needs to be replaced, the website will open a form wherein it will ask you to provide your name, address and contact number details. Fill up the correct information, submit it and wait for the postman to deliver your new battery.

I own a Nokia 3120 model, which is in one among the above listed models. After typing out the 26 digit USN, the Nokia website told me that my battery needs to be replaced, subjected to the condition that I have to re-send the old battery in an envelope  provided along with the replacement battery. I had agreed to it (who will not?) and now am waiting for the replacement!

Thanks to Dr. Katte.

Update I: Comments to this post is currently closed opened closed again.

Update II: I recieved my free replacement. How about you?

Gaze at night sky

To gaze at night sky is always my passion. During my childhood days my dad used to take me and my brothers to the “mottai madi” (the top most open terrace of a building) during late evenings and make us observe the night sky. He first taught me how to differentiate between a star, a planet and an aeroplane by observing the twinkling of lights coming from them. Later on he explained to us how to form a constellation by joining the stars using bizarre lines and curves that gives the perception of a living creature or resembles a character as told in  scriptures (but then he never made an attempt to tell mythological stories behind them!).  Little did we know during those days that the moving star we used to spot on occasionally during early evenings is the Mir space station that orbits our earth from space (it was much later explained to me by Dr.Katte, with whom I had the chance to observe several man-made objects passing through the evening sky) .

I still will never miss an opportunity on a moonless and clear night sky to run through the stair case, which leads me to the top of the building, from where I can stare into starry sky without the influence of street lights. I had learnt and can easily recognise several constellations, of which the great hunter “Orion“, and the question mark constellation “Ursa major” aka the great bear, are the easiest find. I am lucky enough to spot on the constellations ”Scorpius” and the “Triangulum” on several occasions, but mostly they play hide and seek with me. I can also identify the planets Venus and Jupiter.

Identifying the constellation and the planets, and trying to discover new constellations with the humble geometry I know gives me immense pleasure which no words can explain. For novice sky gazers I strongly recommend to visit quitebay from where you can learn how to locate the constellations Orion, The big dipper and Cassiopeia, the pole star Polaris,  the Betelgeuse (a star which is located at the arm pit of Orion), and the planet Jupiter.

How to Read a Scientific Research Paper?

Reading articles that are published in a spectrum of magazines is not a difficult task for many of us. However, the same is not true if you are reading a scientific article. That too if the article is stuffed with full of technical details, as is the case of a scientific research paper, the situation is entirely different that it requires an expert guidance to unfold the mystery. Ann McNeal has written a wonderful article on how to read a scientific research paper, which may be helpful for a novice researcher.

Voice of an alien

A scene from the movie “Contact”.

Six year old boy knocks High Court door for his promotion

Kendriya Vidhyalaya, one of the best school in India has hits the spotlight for refusing promotion to Debansh Priya, a six-year old boy who was adviced by Doctor to take complete bed rest for several months after reporting some problems in his spinal cord.

Interestingly, the boy has sent a writ petition challenging the school principal’s decision on the ground that he has scored A-grade in his annual examinations, and that he should be permitted to sit in his next class. From the news article, it appears that the KV admin is stubborn in its decision to detain the boy due to lack of attendance, but in that case, I wonder, why they have permitted him to appear in his final exams! I think the boy’s argument is stronger, but let us wait and see what the Patna High Court is going to rule in this case.

ISRO to taste success commercially

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is geared up to taste yet another success, this time rather commercially by launching the 352 kg Italian Astronomical Satellite (AGILE) in Polar orbit using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The launch vehicle has been successfully deployed several Indian satellites, mostly Remote Sensing, and six small satellites of other countries in the Polar orbit, and this will be the first fully commercial launch.

What I don’t understand, however, is according to wikipedia polar orbit should have almost 90 deg inclination with equator but according to ISRO news release the PSLV will launch AGILE in a circular orbit which makes an inclination of about 2.5 deg to equator.

Can anyone please explain me about this?

 

Update: AGILE satellite was launched successfully.

200 rupees ticket

This is how State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) conductor gave 200 rupees ticket to me.

Determinants and Scalar Triple Product

One of the main property of a determinant is that if any two rows (or columns) are equal, its value becomes zero. To visualise this concept, let us use vector algebra, in particular we will be dealing with scalar triple product.

Consider a parallelepiped constructed by completing three vectors a,b and c from the origin as shown in the following figure.

Now, b x c is nothing but area of parallelogram formed by the vectors b and c, whose normal points towards the direction n. If the vector a makes an angle q with the normal to b x c, then volume of parallelepiped is given by;

 [a cos(q)] n = a.n = a.(b x c).

If a can be written as a1 i + a2 j + a3 k and so on for b and c then the above can be written in matrix form as

 

If any two vectors are equal, then height or width of parallelepiped would vanish (in other words, the three vectors are coplanar) and hence volume becomes zero. Since value of determinant denotes volume of parallelepiped, it will also becomes zero.

Note: a, b and c are vector quantities.