Tribute to an unsung hero, nonagenarian, Wing Commander, K R Rao, who passed away in the US on 17 March.
Dr. YS Rajan, one of those early birds who worked with Dr Sarabhai in the founding of ISRO, posted a tribute to Wing Commander, K R Rao, on his passing away, and highlighted his contributions to the Indian space program. His post - reproduced below from his Facebook - has motivated me to offer my tribute to Wg. Cdr Rao.
Posted below is Dr Y S Rajan's Tribute to Wg Cdr K R Rao from on his Facebook post
"I am posting this to pay my respects to one of the great son of India and a pioneer in Satellite Communication and Remote Sensing in India. But a forgotten hero!!! That person is Wg Cdr (retd.) K R Rao. He breathed his last in USA on 16th March 2024 at 7:30 pm Eastern Time USA as informed by his daughter Usha Rao. He was the first to build Experimental Satellite Communication Earth Station (ESCES) which has trained not only Indians but hundreds of persons from many developing countries. Based on that Dr Vikram Sarabhai "fought" with P N Haksar to allow his INCOSPAR to quote for the global tender of GOI to build a overseas communication terminal. Tender did not allow those without prior delivery experience to quote. VS did not want any other concession. He had the confidence that KRR will win and deliver. It was for Arvi station 96 ft. antenna and related equipment. Indeed KRR not only won the global tender but and also delivered it ahead of schedule and well within quoted cost. I have seen KRR from those days as I was in PRL Ahmedabad since 1964, with PERT charts to talk to VS. Based on that VS created the Satellite Communication Systems Division (SCSD) with a mandate to make earth stations and sell to the world as Satcom has started to spread. KRR geared up. It would have been the first Space Company of India!!! But alas Destiny had its way and snatched VS away at a young age. In the ISRO's internal politics during the transitional period the upright KRR was a victim and was "dumped" into ISRO HQ at Bangalore. Was given odd jobs.( VS's vision of India being a major player in satcom ground station market died of with him as KRR was moved out.) But Destiny had another major space application to be taken care of, for India. Another great science and technology pioneer Dr Arcot Ramachandran who was then Secretary DST GOI, foresaw the great role of remote sensing applications and wanted to use the US offer of giving free access to their Earth Resources satellite LANDSAT data to those who can set up necessary ground station and data processing equipment. Tight schedules. AR got the then PM Indira Gandhi's approval and National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) was formed in Hyderabad. Naturally KRR was picked up as its first Founder Director. Remarkable speed and excellent execution. Landsat data over India was available to India and world. In addition NRSA gave various other operational services to users in various departments and agencies on a commercial basis. There was an aircraft division too. So an operational service agency was established in India (outside ISRO) to receive data from remote sensing satellites and provide user services. But for this ISRO's plans to launch indigenous remote sensing satellites would have had a set back: satellite up but no matching ground infrastructure! ( Recall what is happening to ISRO's navigation satellites now!!!). Prof Dhawan realised this unique role of NRSA for ISRO's vision of reaching RS applications to all walks of life. In fact it so happened that for several years in the 2000's India was the WORLD leader in supplying RS data and in India's own applications. It was possible because NRSA was established in time by KRR and given its work culture to meet user demands. Prof SD had discussed with me about NRSA to be brought under Dept of Space. KRR did a good job even after transfer. But the dominating ISRO forces inside made him to decide to quit NRSA which was then a well functioning organisation. I had worked closely with KRR. He was naturally picked up by many international agencies. Loss to India!!! He spent his later years with his daughters settled in USA. I salute the great man and a great space pioneer."
Dr YS Rajan - A co-Author of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's "India 2020 :A Vision for the New Million" Book
Way back in 1975, when Indian space was in its infancy - lost its founder Dr Vikram Sarabhai - and was beginning to establish itself with the three visionary projects of its founder – the launch of SLV, satellite (Aryabhata), and the SITE program - there was this legendary Indian Airforce officer Wing Commodore Keshava Murthy Ramachandra Rao, who made profound contributions to Indian space program. He was instrumental in establishing the National Remote Sensing Agency, with support from Prof Satish Dhawan. His prophetic vision for harvesting the applications of space science for India – aligned with the vision of ISRO founder Dr Sarabhai - can be seen from one of his interviews which he gave to India Today in 1980: When asked, “What special advantages does it hold for the country? Wing Commodore Rao who had established the NRSA in 1975 said “The country is large and the conventional methods and processes of estimating resources take a long time. For example, to update maps it will take about 20 years. When there are dynamic themes like water, agriculture, and forestry, the conventional methods cannot be monitored correctly. The whole agricultural season is over in a few months. Therefore, we have to think of new methods of mapping and surveying. Here, remote sensing is the answer.” His prophetic vision evidenced in this statement, now finds utterance when we witness the success of the Indian Remote Sensing Satellites.
Wing Commander Keshavamurthy Ramachandra Rao, was commissioned in the Technical Signals Branch of the Indian Air Force on 4 July 1950 and became a Flight lieutenant in 1954 and Squadron Leader in 1961 and later promoted as a Wing Commodore in 1967. He retired from service in 1971. He attended several specialist and staff courses in India and abroad, in which his performance was of the highest order. He was awarded the Woods of Colchester Prize in 1962 for standing first in his course at the College of Aeronautics, Cranfield (UK) thus bringing credit to the Air Force and the nation. Wing Commander Rao was sent on deputation to INCOSPR (later, Indian Space Research Organisation) in May 1965. It was here that Rao worked closely with Dr Sarabhai and achieved all those remarkable achievements which have been so heartfully penned down by Dr. Y S Rajan in his tribute post, which I am so honoured to share.
Wing Commander, Rao specialized in tackling projects involving new technology and challenging tasks as evidenced in the post of Dr Rajan. He spearheaded the establishment of the Arvi Station. AVRI project marked the beginning of antenna control servo systems in India. The 97 ft diameter antenna with Cassegrain geometry, weighing around 300 tonnes was steered in azimuth and elevation axes to track geosynchronous satellites within 0.03°, a very high accuracy. This was one of the most important achievements for ISRO, made for the first time in India, which put India on the world’s space communication map.
Wg Cdr Rao faced problems after the demise of Dr Sarabhai. However, his unwavering dedication and expertise in the field of space applications found a new avenue to flourish under the stewardship of Professor Satish Dhawan. It was during this transformative era that Rao's seminal proposal to establish the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) received the green light, with the founding of NRSA in 1975, heralding a new era in India's remote sensing capabilities.
Under Rao's stewardship, NRSA emerged as a beacon of excellence, harnessing the power of remote sensing satellites - launched by ISRO - to harvest and mine invaluable data. His visionary leadership and unwavering commitment propelled India to the forefront of the global stage in remote sensing, earning accolades and admiration from across the world.
As news of Wing Commander, KR Rao's passing reached our shores, a profound sense of loss enveloped the scientific community, which is seen in the tribute of Dr YS Rajan. Yet, amidst the sorrow, let us not forget to celebrate the legacy of this remarkable individual—a pioneer whose contributions have shaped the destiny of our nation and inspired countless generations to reach for the stars.
As we bid farewell to a titan of the Indian space program, whose works have been sadly unheralded, I am sure in honor of his memory ISRO will continue to push the boundaries of knowledge and innovation, just as Rao himself dared to dream. Though he may have departed from this earthly realm, his spirit shall forever soar among the stars, a testament to the enduring power of human ingenuity and perseverance.
Rest in peace, Wing Commodore KR Rao. Your legacy shall forever illuminate the heavens, guiding us toward a brighter future filled with endless possibilities.
No comments:
Post a Comment