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The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) was a programme that aimed at the research and development of a comprehensive range of missiles. In 1982-83, Dr. Kalam took up responsibility as the head of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) with the aim of developing indigenous Guided Missiles. During his tenure, he developed five different missiles namely, Trishul, Akash, Nag, Prithvi, and Agni. Of these, Dr. Kalam was responsible for the development and operationalisation of the missiles Agni and Prithvi.

By early 1980s, relying on Soviet rocketry technologies, the DRDL, a missile development laboratory of DRDO, had developed competence and expertise in the fields of propulsion navigation and manufacture of aerospace materials. India’s political leadership which included Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Defence Minister R.Venkataraman, and V.S. Arunachalam (Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister) decided to consolidate all of these technologies. This led to the development of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.

The scientists proposed the missiles to be developed consecutively but the then-Defence minister, R. Venkataraman, intervened to develop them simultaneously.

To make the programme successful, three new laboratories were established. The interim Test Range at Balasore in Odisha was also developed as part of this program. The leadership of this project earned Dr. Kalam the title, “India’s missile-man.”

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Dr. Kalam was appointed as the DRDOD rocket specialist on January 1, 1975. During his tenure, he directed two projects. They were Project Devil and Project Valiant, which were aimed at developing ballistic missiles using technology from the SLV programmes.

Aerodynamic, structural and environmental test facilities; liquid and solid propulsion facilities; fabrication and engineering facilities; control, guidance, and rubber component facilities, computer centres, ground and flight instrumentation, and onboard power supplies development facilities were all established along with Project Devil. The development of these components and systems for Project Devil laid the technology base for future IGMDP programmes.

Project Devil’s mission was to produce a short range surface-to-surface missile. Though the project was discontinued in 1980 without achieving its full success, it led to the development of the Prithvi missile in the 1980s.

On the other hand, the goal of Project Valiant was to produce an intercontinental ballistic missile, which also got discontinued in 1974 without achieving success. Project Valiant was considered a “failure” while its sister project, Project Devil, was a partial success.

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One of the most important projects by Dr. Kalam was SLV-3, a satellite launch vehicle. As the project director for the development of the indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle at ISRO, Dr. Kalam had put in over 10 years of hard work. His efforts ultimately resulted in the SLV-3 being one of the greatest scientific developments in kilometers and carry a 40 kg payload.

In August 1979, the first experimental flight of SLV-3 failed. Its first successful launch took place on 18 July, 1980. At 8.03 A. Mon 18 July 1980, the rocket SLV-3 blasted off from Sriharikota in Orissa with a 35 kg satellite, Rohini RS-1, launching India into the club of nations that could indigenously develop satellite launch technologies.

The SLV-3 was a 22-metre-long vehicle weighing 17 tonnes. It launched three Rohini satellites into orbit in 1980, 1981 and 1983. Since then India has marched forward in launch vehicle technology with advanced launch vehicles such as Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

Chandrayaan, India’s first unmanned lunar probe, was also launched by a modified version of the PSLV.

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Dr. Vikram Sarabhai wanted to develop a Rocket Assisted Take Off System (RATO) for military aircraft, to make take-off and landing easy in the Himalayan region. Approved by the then-prime minister and headed by Dr. Kalam, this project was completed within 18 months.

Along with fiberglass motor casing, Dr. Kalam incorporated safety measures into a diaphragm that expanded when the temperature was raised twice the normal rate. The construction of a missile panel in the Ministry of Defence was the second step during the RATO project. Dr. Kalam was one of the panelists. Since much of the equipment had to be imported and was costly, Dr. Kalam instructed his assistants to create their own parts!

On October 8, 1972, the RATO system was successfully launched at the Bareilly Air Force Station. Dr. Kalam, by using local parts, saved approximately 40 million rupees in foreign exchange. The Indian RATO was much cheaper than its counterpart in other countries.

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Dr. Sarabhai and his fellow scientists including Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam visited Thumba to talk with the then-Bishop of Trivandrum, who lived next to the church. They requested permission to use the church and the nearby land for scientific purposes.

With the support of the parishioners to provide the land for scientific use, the bishop agreed to their proposal. His home was quickly converted into an office; the church into a workshop and the cattle sheds into storage houses and laboratories. Even with little funding and few facilities, the enthusiastic scientists were all set to build their first rocket.

In the early stages, Thumba had no proper facilities such as canteen or vehicular transport. Jeeps were reserved for technical assistance and so moving around was either by foot or cycle.

The story of how India staged its first launch of a Nike-apache rocket supplied by NASA, is forever etched in the mind of Indians with the image of Vikram Sarabhai, APJ Kalam and fellow scientists passionately carrying the payload and rocket parts in carts and bicycles to the launch pad.

At the end of six months of hard work, on 21 November 1963, India was ready for its very first rocket launch. Along with the governor of Kerala, the district collector and the bishop, many other eminent figures in science and technology had gathered for the occasion, including Dr Homi Bhabha (the father of Indian nuclear programme) and Dr P R Pisharoty the founder-director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

When everything was set to go, the air was thick with tension and excitement for the launch. Just as the rocket was rolled on to the launch pad, things started going south. The hydraulic crane developed a leak and it was tackled by manually shifting it into position. The remote system of the launcher also malfunctioned. All of these were fixed and things finally seemed in order. As the alarm sounded to clear the area around the launch pad, the scientists held their breath to witness the moment they had been waiting for.

At 6.25 pm, India made history as the rocket streaked away into the dimming sky. High up in the sky, a sodium vapour cloud emerged, which looked orange in the setting Sun.

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Dr. Kalam was part of India’s first rocket launch, which happened in 1963, soon after his return from the U.S. It was a great learning experience for Dr. Kalam to work with Dr. Sarabhai, the father of the Indian Space Programme. His vision helped India achieve the milestone of successfully launching its first rocket.

Until 1963, the village of Thumba would not have attracted a second look. It was a typical Kerala fishing hamlet and was quite an unlikely setting for a rocket launch. In the village, a small church dedicated to St Mary Magdalene caught the attention of Dr. Sarabhai, because it was located on Earth’s magnetic equator.

The magnetic equator is an imaginary line around the planet that connects all the points where a magnetic needle, when freely suspended, is horizontal. The magnetic equator is scientifically a very important location, where the Equatorial Electrojet exists, which is a stream of electrons moving across the sky at about 110-120 km above the Earth’s Surface.

The sounding rockets sent out by any space programme, test and study these electrons for research in the field of physics. These rockets are the first steps to establish a full fledged space programme. The low-altitude of Thumba’s location was ideal for upper atmosphere and ionosphere studies.

Thus, Thumba became an ideal site for a rocket launching centre.

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On 23 February 1962, the Indian National Committee for Space Research or INCOSPAR was established by the Government of India. Post independence, the country’s politicians and scientists began to understand the importance of space and rocket technology for India. Our first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru saw a lot of potential in rocket science and he was keen on developing proper policy on space exploration activities. Nehru recognized the importance of science and technology for the development of the nation.

The U.S.S.R launched the first artificial satellite called the Sputnik, and this made people realize the potential of satellites. This also propelled Nehru to put space research under the governance of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in 1961. The DAE was founded and then headed by Homi J Bhabha, a veteran nuclear scientist. Bhabha created the Indian National Committee for Space Research or INCOSPAR in February 1962 along with Vikram Sarabhai as its Chairman.

Under the brilliant guidance of Sarabhai, INCOSPAR organised space research activities and formulated India’s space programme. The committee also took up the responsibilities of DAE related to space research.

During its inception, INCOSPAR was part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) led by Prof. MGK Menon. As we mentioned earlier, Dr. Kalam was a Rocket Engineer there and when the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was formed out of INCOSPAR in 1969, he became of part of the ISRO. In 1972, ISRO came under the newly-created Department of Space.

Although we are familiar with Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s various accomplishments, there are some that are less talked about. One among them is a hovercraft called Nandi. Nandi was developed in India and is the first of its kind. It was named after Lord Shiva’s bull Nandi. This project was almost completely led by Dr. Kalam at the Aeronautical Development Establishment in Bangalore, a laboratory of DRDO.

When this project was assigned to him, Dr. Kalam had little knowledge of how to design such a craft. He wasn’t sure of the kind of propeller that would be necessary for the aircraft. In order to study that, Kalam spent the next 10 Sundays visiting a professor in IISC, Bangalore learning to perfect the design. By the end of his learning, Project Nandi was not only successful but was also ahead of schedule with a working prototype.

But by this time, VK Krishna Menon was no longer the Minister of Defence and this project was put on hold by the government. But it was not a waste of effort as the hovercraft program captured the interest of Prof. MGK Menon, the Director of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, who called Dr. Kalam for an interview. Prof. Menon was very impressed with the work of Dr. Kalam and in a week’s time, Kalam was offered the post of rocket engineer at the Indian Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR).

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If any of your WhatsApp contacts ask unnecessary questions, pass comments or misuse your profile photo, you can now hide it from them. First, make sure WhatsApp is updated on your phone (check the App Store or Google Play Store) or you won't see the new privacy settings. Go to Settings> Account > Privacy>Profile Photo. Choose 'My contacts except... Select the contacts from whom you want to hide your profile photo and tap on done/check mark. This takes you to the previous menu, where you can see how many contacts you've excluded. These contacts won't be able to see your current or upcoming profile photos either. (You can also hide Last Seen, Status and About info from specific contacts the same way.)

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Lumosity Mobile is a fun, interactive way to train your brain and learn how your mind works. The app's 50+ games and daily workouts test your cognitive skills and adapt as you improve. Categories for the games include: memory, attention, problem-solving, logic, math, words, flexibility and speed. Begin with a Fit Test to obtain your baseline, complete daily workouts and track your performance. The app gives you an analysis about your game strengths and weaknesses to see where you need improvement and monitor your progress. The app has been created by a team of scientists and university researchers on a mission to advance the understanding of human learning and understanding. Free for iOS and Android.

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GPods claims to be the world's first earbuds with light control. The Truly Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds offer users a personalized light-up experience unique to their mood, music preferences and style. Its six built-in LED lights change colour to match the beat of the music. From 72 basic colours, its Al can create around 300,000 colour combinations, ensuring that no two GPods owners are alike. Users can even take a photo and brings its colours onto their ears. Its software allows full control over dimness, brightness, rhythm response, shades and colours. Switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode to eliminate external sounds or allow outside sound in so you can focus on what you're listening to or your surroundings. Music play, answering calls, light effects and noise blocking are controlled via touch. It has 20 hours of battery life and fast charging ensures it is ready anytime. The earbuds come with Bluetooth 5.2 and have IPx4 water resistance.

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Looking for a fun way to send messages to your friend and make their day? Notelt makes notes show up right on your friend's home screen. your live Two friends download the app and each creates an account. Each will be have to share their 'link code' with their friend who's also a Notelt user. Once both have entered the other's code and tapped the 'Link' button, their apps will update and they can start using it. Create a drawing or scribbled note; tools available include a marker, highlighter, pencil, eraser, ruler and lasso. Tap 'Save' when done, and just like that, the note is sent to your friend. Notes are viewable in the Notelt app and on the home screen (via the Notelt widget). Notelt is available for iOS and Android.

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My parents quarrel often and it bothers me immensely. When I try to intervene, it only gets worse. Neither of them is ready to understand.

Since you mentioned it gets worse, I suggest you do not intervene during the argument. When things have calmed down, speak to both of them and tell them how you are getting affected and disturbed by their quarrels. In the right space, I am sure they will be able to understand you and your situation better.

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Self-love is more than just changing the colour of your hair, getting a new wardrobe or attempting to redefine yourself. Self-love is gaining an appreciation of yourself through physical, emotional and spiritual support that you provide yourself with. It is important to be mindful, act on what you need, set boundaries and deadlines for yourself. It is also important to protect yourself and live life to the fullest. In this race of life, do not forget to practise self-care and pamper yourself whenever you need to. Always remember that you are unique and worthy, and never compare yourself with anyone else. We are all blessed differently and that is what makes us special.

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In 1958, when Dr. Kalam came out of HAL as a graduate of aeronautical engineering, he had two options for employment in flying. One was the job at the Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTD&P) (Air) of the Ministry of Defence and another was a career in the Indian Air Force. He had applied to both the places and received interview calls simultaneously.

He went to Delhi for an interview with DTD&P, in which he performed well because of his knowledge in the subject. Then he went to Dehradun for the interview with the Air Force Selection Board. But here, the interview was more on personality rather than testing his knowledge. He came ninth in the batch of 25, and the first eight officers were selected to be commissioned in the Air Force.

After returning to Delhi, Kalam received his appointment letter from DTD&P and he joined as Senior Scientific Assistant the very next day with a basic salary of Rs. 250 per month. At DTD&P, he was posted at the Technical Centre (Civil Aviation). During his initial years in the Directorate, he worked on supersonic target aircraft with the help of his officer-in-charge, R. Varadharajan, which got him the appreciation of the Director, Dr. Neelakantan. Then he was sent to the Aircraft and Armament Testing Unit (AP&ATU) at Kanpur to get shop-floor exposure to aircraft maintenance.

In 1968, the groups of officers under the Chief Resident Engineer of DTD&P were brought under the control of DRDO. Thus, Dr. Kalam became a part of DRDO.

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