Pakistani Space Program news & updates

aditya10r

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HariPrasad-1

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Dr Abdus Salam and all the wrong choices Pakistan made


Today is the 90th birthday of Dr Abdus Salam. The best way to wish him is to let freedom of religion and intellectual thought prevail in the country. PHOTO: YOUTUBE SCREENSHOT
29 Jan 2016
What does it take to be a genius?

The other day this thought struck me. Is it the environment that nurtures the genius or does nature simply endow certain individuals with a special gene? Maybe both propositions have merits of their own, but for the time being, let’s drop the latter. Let’s suppose there are no chosen ones, there are no saviours.

The idea of saviours arises when we start to believe in pseudo-science and seek miracles to solve our problems. But mind it, Aladdin’s lamp or magic wands don’t exist in the practical world. The only magic that works is the labour of hands at the end of one’s own arms and the thinking brain in one’s own head.

The third-world countries need the same magic for their socio-economic development; self-reliance, hard work and stimulating intellectual environment. Mix these ingredients and a successful society will develop. Pakistan, I regret, still misses these elements, and hence, is still far from being developed.

Today, at the 90th birthday of the first noble laureate of Pakistan, Dr Abdus Salam, it would be wise to take a look at his life and to introspect what wrong choices we made.

Salam was a genius for the world, nonetheless a discarded one in his own country. Born in a village near Jhang on January 29, 1926, he studied in an ordinary Urdu medium school that lacked furniture. He belonged to a lower-middle class family. His house had no electricity, or any other basic facilities. His circumstances were challenging, yet they never served as an excuse.

The fact that he scored the highest marks ever recorded for the matriculation examination at the age of 14 and published his first research paper at the age of 17 indicated his gifted potential. But who, at that time, could have imagined that this young prodigy would have received the most prestigious Nobel Prize in Physics for his contribution to the unification theory.

Dr Abdus Salam recieves the Nobel Prize for Physics from King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden on December 10, 1979. Photo: ahmadiyyapost.blogspot.com
The list of awards and honours which he received and his contribution to Pakistan need a separate volume. Some of his services, for instance, include working as the science advisor for President Ayub Khan to lay the infrastructure of science in Pakistan. He persuaded him to acquire Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) – the first commercial nuclear reactor of Pakistan. He served as a founding director of Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), worked for the establishment of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and The Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH). Not to mention that he mentored the scientist who designed the atomic bomb for Pakistan.

Not only was his unification theory a touchstone of modern physics, he also laid the pioneering work for the discovery of Higgs boson (referred to as the God-particle) in 2012 which happens to be the most important discovery in Physics in the last four decades. This discovery took place at the Large Hadron Collider established at CERN, a European organisation for nuclear research.

Last year on July 31st, Pakistan became the first non-European country to become an associate member of CERN. In his recent visit to CERN, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif hailed the contribution of Pakistani scientists, and also paid tribute to Salam calling him the pride of the country.

This statement, however, couldn’t wash out the stain of guilt that the subsequent governments of Pakistan and the entire nation still carry. While the entire world applauded him, Salam was never regarded as a hero in his own country. He’s considered the opposite – a traitor.

What we did to Salam is shameful to say the least. When he returned to Pakistan after receiving the Nobel Prize, no one received him at the airport. Right wing propaganda concocted conspiracy theories to accuse him of nuclear espionage. When he was invited to Quaid-e-Azam University for his lecture, he was threatened by the fundamentalist students. Ziaul Haq refused to endorse the candidature of Salam as a Director General of UNESCO even though Salam visited nearly 30 countries in 1987 and gained their support. In 1988, the then Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, refused to meet him after making him wait for two days in a hotel. Similarly, Nawaz Sharif, in his first term of premiership, conveniently ignored Salam while mentioning the distinguished alumni of Government College, Lahore while addressing its convocation. Had Salam given up his Pakistani nationality, he would have easily avoided such humiliations, but he remained a Pakistani national until his last breath.

Salam’s biggest failure was not some personal tragedy – a person of his stature with generosity of spirit could forgive personal sufferings. His agony was due to a far bigger tragedy. Salam dreamt of establishing an international research centre in Pakistan for third-world physicists. He wanted to stop the brain-drain, but no government showed interest. He ended up setting up the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy that was later renamed the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics.

All of this took a toll on him, and in last years of his life, he became the victim of a neurological disorder and was confined to a wheelchair. He died in Oxford, England on November 21, 1996. He was buried in Pakistan on his request. No government official attended his funeral. His misery didn’t end with his death. The epitaph of his tombstone was defaced as a final disgrace to remove the word ‘Muslim’from it.

Defaced tombstone on Dr Abdus Salam’s grave. Photo: Aziz Bilal

If we look back in history, the Mongols invaded Baghdad and demolished Baitul Hikmah, a centre of excellence during the Islamic Golden Age. Ibn-e-Rushd was exiled and his books were burnt. When Europe found the light to get out of the Dark Ages, the Muslim world lost its way. And now the country where Salam was banned from delivering his lectures in universities is witnessing terrorism in those very educational institutes.

I again seek your attention towards the dilemma that I mentioned in the start: What does it take to be a genius in any society?

There are no chosen ones, there are no saviours.

For socio-economic development, self-reliance, hard work and a stimulating intellectual environment is required. Where there is no such environment, there are no scholars, there are no intellectuals and there are no heroes. Even if someone, like Salam, somehow manages to prove his talent, he would not be treated as a hero. He would be shunned.

Today is the 90th birthday of Dr Abdus Salam. The best way to wish him is to let freedom of religion and intellectual thought prevail in the country.
Pakistan is a Mix of hollow superiority, religious extremism, garbage military taking over the country. Nobody can expect truth and right choice from Pakistan.
 

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"As if to compensate the loss of appetite for science, buildings for half-a-dozen science institutions were erected along Islamabad's Constitution Avenue. They could be closed down today and no one would notice. Today's situation for science - "every kind except agriculture and biotechnology" - is dire."

On Pakistan's national space agency - Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) - he says it is "silent on space exploration plans" though it was born a year before its Indian counterpart ISRO.

"Suparco lists its earliest achievement the periodic launches of US-supplied weather monitoring Rehbar rockets between 1962 and 1972. The most recent activity listed is of July 9, 2018, when China launched two remote sensing satellites for Pakistan to monitor progress on CPEC. One of the two "was indigenously designed and solely developed by Suparco, and is primarily aimed at remote sensing".

Terming it as a "pathetic website", the writer says as a space filler Suparco "speaks in hushed terms about the Hatf and Shaheen-III missile programmes but falls short of saying what Suparco's role was, if any".

He lists the last four chairmen of Suparco and their educational qualifications - all four were army generals with three, including the present one Maj Gen Amer Nadeem, being science graduates, while one had done a masters in science.

He was unsparing in his criticism of Pakistan's "three most celebrated scientists", who he said "have precious little to offer". Though he did not name them, his hints are enough to identify two as A.Q. Khan, known as the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, and Samar Mubarakmand.

Of Khan, who he identifies as 'X', Hoodbhoy says, the nuclear physicist "appears to have lost his earlier passion for bombs and missiles and these days is mostly concerned with finding religious cure to cancer as well as advising women on how to deal with menopause problems".

Of Mubarakmand, he writes that the scientist is under probe "because he spent Rs 4.69 billion gasifying Thar coal but failed to produce a single watt of electricity".

On scientist 'Z', the writer says he "has clawed his way back to power but cannot explain why billions spent upon his institute have not produced a single useful pharmaceutical product". The reference could likely be to Atta-ur-Rahman, who is serving as Chairman of the Prime Minister's Task Force on Science and Technology.

"Pakistan's chance of a moon shot "unless on the back of a Chinese rocket" will stay zero for a long time. There is no reason to cry about this. Much more important problems need to be addressed. Solving them needs a strong scientific base at every step.

"Creating this base calls for developing scientific attitudes and dumping non-scientific ones. Symbolically this amounts to putting Sir Syed ahead of Allama Iqbal as a national icon. Impossible? Maybe. But, as they say, you can't make an omelette without breaking an egg," says Hoodbhoy, who is also an activist concerned with promotion of freedom of speech, secularism and education in Pakistan.

http://www.smetimes.in/smetimes/news/global-business/2019/Jul/27/pak-moon47780.html
 

Indx TechStyle

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China to help launch Pakistani to space: Fawad

Minister says potential astronauts will be selected by PAF from its pool of fighter pilots.
ISLAMABAD: Last week, Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry generated quite some buzz and a whole lot of questions when he announced plans to launch Pakistan’s first manned space mission in 2022.
“Proud to announce that selection process for the first Pakistani to be sent to Space shall begin from Feb 2020, fifty people will be shortlisted — list will then come down to 25 and in 2022 we will send our first person to space, this will be the biggest space event of our history,” he tweeted.
Naturally, many across the country were curious as to how serious the minister was, whether he was outlining more than a vague vision to generate interest in his ministry and if he was, just how would the country go about executing such a complex and costly endeavour.
In an exclusive interview with The Express Tribune, Fawad provided much-needed clarity on the surprise announcement of the 2022 manned space mission and the revamp of Pakistan’s space programme.
To begin with, the minister downplayed potential hurdles and challenges that the country might face as it sets out to launch a person into outer space.
“Yes, launching even a satellite is costly,” he admitted. “But there is no difficulty now as the mission that we are planning is a collaborative one with China.”
“Although several factors, such as procurement and development of necessary infrastructure and technology will determine the final cost of the programme, with Beijing’s help and a few million dollars, we should be able to achieve our objective,” he said with confidence.
Fawad pointed out that the planned 2022 mission would be the culmination of the space policy Pakistan’s national space agency, Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) outlined in 2002. According to him, an agreement with China in line with the policy was reached in 2015.
“Our government, upon coming to power, decided to take this policy to fruition. We will complete the vision Suparco outlined 17 years ago and send the first Pakistani to space,” he said.
Suparco and the Pakistan Air Force would carry out the mission jointly, Fawad elaborated. “In accordance with international practice when it comes to space programmes, the individuals shortlisted for the mission will be selected by PAF from its pool of fighter pilots,” he said.
“Astronauts all over the world generally have an air force background. Air force pilots are understood to have the necessary fitness, training and experience for such missions and as such, are considered optimal candidates,” the minister explained. He added that once PAF has selected the potential astronauts, Suparco would complete work on other projects associated with the 2022 mission.
Fawad lamented the lack of attention successive governments in Pakistan paid towards space research.
“We were the second Asian country after the then Soviet Union to launch a space programme. We launched ours in 1962 under Dr Abdus Salam’s guidance,” he pointed out. “Sadly our governments did not take much interest in it. There are countries that have reached Mars since, but we have lagged behind.”
Fawad expressed hope to turn this situation around. “Since 2002, fast-paced development has been taking place in Pakistan’s space programme. It should reach an advanced stage by 2030.”
Talking about the utility of a space programme, especially at a time when the country is experiencing a financial crunch, the minister stressed that developing it would directly benefit other sectors. “A space programme is absolutely vital if we are to progress, particularly in various technological fields like defence, energy and even agriculture,” he said.
Cautiously noting that anything could happen at the eleventh hour – “Even India’s space programme got delayed,” he pointed out – Fawad said that everyone involved in the programme was prepared and hoped that the 2022 mission would launch as scheduled.
Although Suparco has released no details about the space mission, sources in the science and technology ministry told The Express Tribune that the plan was discussed prior to Fawad’s tweet in a meeting held at an undisclosed location that the minister participated in.
According to sources, while Suparco has the capacity to build satellites, it is dependant on launch facilities in China. The Express Tribune attempted to reach out to Suparco for further details on the 2022 mission but received no response till the filing of this report.
According to the 2015 Pakistan-China space agreement, both countries will jointly conduct scientific research and experimental development and will cooperate on astronaut training and sending space missions. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) and Suparco will establish a Pakistan-China space committee, presided over by the heads of both space agencies, which will design collaborative space ventures.
Under the agreement, Pakistan will be able to carry out land surveys and monitor agricultural productivity, natural catastrophes and waste disposal using space-based technologies. Pakistan also launched two satellites into orbit last year with China’s help.
 

Indx TechStyle

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Cautiously noting that anything could happen at the eleventh hour – “Even India’s space programme got delayed,” he pointed out – Fawad said that everyone involved in the programme was prepared and hoped that the 2022 mission would launch as scheduled.
So, now we can expect what kind of idiotic musings we gonna listen to soon.:biggrin2:

In response to Indian human mission to orbit, there will be a Pakistani on Chinese spacecraft on Chinese rocket launched from a Chinese spaceport. Not sure if he's talking about Chandrayaan-2 scrub by "delayed mission".
 

Indx TechStyle

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Ind vs Pak = USA = USSR
This is level nxt of mental masturbation.
:pound::pound::pound::pound:
https://scientiamag.org/the-space-race-or-war-of-words/

The Space Race or War of Words
By Saadeqa Khan 5 days ago
The current situation between India & Pakistan is quite identical to that of a cold space war between USA and USSR.

Yesterday, Pakistan’s federal minister of Science and Tech, Mr. Fawad Chaudhry claimed on twitter that Pakistan will send its first manned mission into space by 2022 and the recruitment will be open up by Feb 2022. Initially, fifty people will be selected which will later drop down to 25 only. Later talking to media over his tweet, he explained that the procedure and the selection of Pilots will be made under Pakistan Air Force and SUPARCO. However, neither Pakistan Air force nor SUPARCO supported Mr. Minister’s claim so far.


The news got viral through social media within an hour and a couple of confusion aroused in science communities regarding his Claim. Initially, in October 2018, Fawad Chaudhry the [Then] Information minister announced “Pakistan first manned mission to space by 2022” with the technical coordination of China, however, after a successful official visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China in the same month, no further details of this mission were disclosed. Now, after a wide gap of more than nine months, Fawad made another announcement about Pakistan’s manned mission to space and the timing is enough to tell the “truth behind the curtains”.

Mr. Chaudhry made this announcement just three days after when India successfully launched its second mission to the moon, Chndrayaan-2, which was locally made by Indian scientists and engineers. It is oblivious that Pakistan is far behind in technical and financial basis to India, and to individually support such a huge mission is nearly impossible for Pakistan. It will have to depend on China for technical and strategic assistance to send his first man into space.


India’s launched its second mission to the moon, Chdrayaa-2
A couple of confusions have already been there due to multiple untangled, more often than not lame statements made by our federal minister of Science & Tech regarding Pakistan’s space mission. Like, what will be missions’ objectives and why it is necessary to travel to space when our countryman are confronting with widespread drought, climate changes, and global warming? These questions need to address fairly and with clarity, for our general public, it will take a little too long time to fully believe that space exploration is a much inspiring effort. Though it is not such an easy task as our Minister of Science and technology claimed.


Spending space frontier is the need of the hour. We are having enjoyed its suspected profits in our daily lives. We have a communication satellite that is fairly maintaining Television, cell phones, and internet signals and connected us with global communities. Consequently, future space missions by different nations would result out in more discoveries those lead to the development of more sophisticated infrastructure beyond space frontiers.

India and Pakistan have fought two wars in the 1965 and 1971, historically they were never friendly. The current situation between the two countries is quite identical to that of a cold space war between USA and USSR. The Space Race started as a war of words when the US announced it intends to launch the first artificial satellite into outer space. In response, the USSR claimed that it is going to launch a satellite “shortly”. The two country’s political enmity started to play out in a battle for spaceflight supremacy, watched by the global audiences.

Later on, when the Soviet economy was no longer be able to deal with it abandoned the useless space effort since the Soviet Government’s priority had to feed and clothe its people.

One cannot deny the importance of space technology in the modern era we are living in but space missions, specifically of a growing state like Pakistan should be dealt & planned wisely and the government officials should be of careful about their statements. A space war of the words will result in nothing other than tension and humiliation, keeping the fact in mind that Pakistan is far behind to India in technical and financial aspects, at least for now.
 

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Pakistan calls for steps to prevent outer space from emerging arms race

FILE PHOTO
At the United Nations, Pakistan has expressed concern over the threats posed by anti-satellite missile tests to regional and global stability and called for steps to prevent outer space from emerging as a new realm of conflict and arms race.
The concern was shown by Pakistan’s delegate Husham Ahmed while speaking in a debate on Outer Space matters at the General Assembly’s Disarmament and International Security Committee.
He drew attention to a demonstration of anti-satellite capabilities in South Asia earlier this year, obviously referring to India’s testing of an anti-satellite weapon in an operation code named ‘Mission Shakti’.
Husham Ahmed said in absence of strong legal instruments regulating the testing, development and deployment of anti-satellite weapons, other states could also follow the suit by demonstrating such capabilities.
He said the potential integration of Anti-Ballistic Missile systems and their components into space assets adds another worrying dimension to this matter.
He said outer space is our common heritage and Pakistan is firmly opposed to its weaponization.
The Pakistani delegate urged the Conference on Disarmament to immediately commence negotiations on Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space to comprehensively address the gaps in international legal regime governing the exploration and use of outer space.
NNR/Khokhar
 

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