Lalit Khambhayata
A rocket (or spacecraft) is mounted next to a tall, sturdy platform. As the remote scientists give the command, one by one the ropes attached to the rocket platform are released. As the bottom of the rocket ignites and becomes progressively more powerful, the rocket lifts off the ground and then continues to move in a straight line. Stops appearing after a few minutes. A similar process takes place when a rocket is launched anywhere in the world. There is no significant change in it. The change, however, was seen in America last Sunday. The SpaceX rocket took off from the coast of Texas at 7.25 am. Minutes later, the part of the rocket known as the booster was seen returning to the launch pad. Soon after the rocket launch, Space-X became visible in the sky instead of ceasing to appear in the sky. Not only that, the car was reversing like it was going in reverse in the parking lot. Not only that, the fire below was also getting slower. At the seventh minute, the rocket arrived and settled at the place from which it was launched. A seemingly ordinary seven-minute event is written in gold in the history of space science. Why? Because after launching the rocket, its booster part (which boosts the rocket means it pushes) does not return. It is non-returnable so it cannot be used again. Cannot be reused so a new rocket booster has to be made. If a new one is made, both time and huge expenses have to be spent. That's why rocket launching is slow all over the world. The rocket of American rocketsingh Elon Musk's company Space-X has made a great achievement in the direction of a rocket that can be reused in the future by returning for the first time. * * * Elon Musk has many companies, one of them is Space-X. As the name suggests, the $180 billion company's sphere of activity is sky, not earth. The company works to provide Internet to the whole world through Starlink satellites, and also sends NASA to the International Space Station through its rockets. All of those things are fine, but Musk's main goal is to do parallel space missions and then Mars. At present, the same space travel is not impossible, because it has already started in 1969. As soon as the space travel began, so did the problems. The problem is that most of the rocket's parts (especially the booster) have to be rebuilt every time. We don't buy a new car for every trip. We use the same vehicle over and over again, for years. Unfortunately this is not the case in space rockets. A rocket is launched, its booster falls off and becomes useless. Musk's desire for years has been to develop a rocket that is reusable. A big and important achievement in that direction was achieved on 13th October. A super heavy rocket named Starship was launched, the booster shot from the starship after going 65 kilometers. After that the starship went up to 90 km. From there it returned to the earth at a speed of 27 thousand kilometers per hour and fell in the Indian Ocean near Australia. On the other hand, the 233 feet high and 3,000 thousand ton booster that was launched returned to the place of launch instead of bouncing around. On the launching pad were two large arm-like stands, between which the rocket was placed. The stand was given the name Chopsticks because it looked like the food was arranged on a rocket chopstick in the middle of it. Musk then said that this is a great success and within hours we will be able to launch the rocket again. Musk has already done an experiment last June where the booster returned safely after launch, but that time the booster landed back in the ocean or somewhere else. While on the occasion of 13th October, the stand from where it was launched was arranged. It became the first event in the history of rocket launching. Otherwise, the rocket is launched, the cargo is lifted up and the part, including the booster, falls into the sea. With that, millions of dollars literally go down the drain. Re-landing is a big challenge from the point of view of technology and achieving it is also a great achievement. Just as many fine calculations have to be done at the time of launching a rocket, seventeen things have to be taken care of while returning. Its science is really rocket science. Elon Musk, an earthbound sky fan, is more interested in space than he is in Earth, and more interested in the future than the present. So all future projects are in its priority, be it the same Mars mission or the Hyperloop transportation system. He wants to develop a rocket and reach Mars, but that is a long way off. Meanwhile, by developing rockets, they want to take astronauts to outer space around the earth. Currently that journey is very expensive, want to make it a little cheaper. That's why after the success of this booster re-landing, Indian businessman Anand Mahindra asked Musk that 'where should I get this ticket?' The purpose of asking was that I am ready to come now if it takes me to space. Like Mahindra, many billionaires are waiting for Musk to open a ticket window. After the reusable rocket starts working, not only billionaires but also millionaires can make that journey. Space Science: Over which the sky is vast Space science is developing faster than we can imagine. At one time, where there was a monopoly of countries like America and Russia, today private companies of entrepreneurs including Elon Musk are running rampant. Building a laboratory in space, building stations, landing on the moon, setting up a data center in space. All this becomes possible when rockets can lift off the ground and become cheaper when a single rocket can go up again and again. Musk has done a great job of bringing the Starship's boosters back to Earth. Musk plans to have Earth orbit in 2025. Wants to make a private landing on the moon in 2026. Further, he dreams of going to Mars. The starship alone is big enough to carry 100 passengers at a time. Its statement is very clear: Even though I was born on Earth, I want to die on Mars! }
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).