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Articles

Articles

An Article on Prof. Sathish Dhawan by Y.S.Rajan

PROF. SATISH DHAWAN

Prof Satish Dhawan is one the master architect of the Indian Space Programme, taking the mantle of ISRO after Dr
Vikram Sarabhai's early demise. He oriented ISRO towards targeted projects with clear operational direction. Very

little is written about him, in the annals of Indian Science & Technology even while his contributions are
monumental. An article written about him by Y S Rajan which has appeared in the Journal of Indian National
Science Academy (INSA) is placed here for wider audience.

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SATISH DHAWAN

1920 - 2002

Satish Dhawan passed away on the night of 3rd January 2002. He was one of the greatest leaders of the scientific
and academic community in modern India. His lifelong passion for aeronautics manifested itself early in his career
through his pioneering work on experimental fluid dynamics carried out at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) at

Bangalore making him in some sense "the father" of experimental fluid dynamics in the country. Prof. Dhawan
combined engineering skills and knowledge with a scientist's view of the world and its workings being the first
example of an Indian "engineering scientist" (Reference 1). During his long tenure at the Indian Institute of Science
he transformed it's working and moved it into new areas. During his term as the Chairman of the Indian Space
Programme in its initial crucial period after the death of Dr.Vikram Sarabhai, he transformed ISRO into a dynamic

and powerful organization that could compete with other space organizations at the global level. A thinker, a doer
and a builder - that was Satish Dhawan.

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