Famous Institutions & Pioneers of Indian Science Flashcards

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering famous institutions, defense infrastructure, agriculture, fundamental research, and scientific pioneers of India.

When was the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) established and what did it later evolve into?

It was established in 1962 under the Department of Atomic Energy and evolved into ISRO in 1969.

How were rocket parts and the Nike-Apache satellite transported during India's first rocket launch from Thumba in 1963?

Rocket parts were transported on bicycles, and the Nike-Apache satellite was carried on a bullock cart.

What was India's first indigenous satellite, and how was it launched in 1975?

Aryabhata, which was launched using a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket from the Volgograd Launch Station.

Which project managed by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam deployed the Rohini satellite in 1980?

The Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 (SLV-3), making India the 6th spacefaring nation.

What is the origin of the name for ISRO's Vikas Engine?

It was named as an acronym tracking the name of Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai.

What is the name of India's first indigenously developed cryogenic rocket engine used in the GSLV, and what fuels does it use?

The CE-7.5, which operates on liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

What instrument carried on Chandrayaan-1 confirmed the presence of water molecules on the Moon?

NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper ($M^3$).

What are the names of the impact/landing sites for Chandrayaan-1, Chandrayaan-2, and Chandrayaan-3?

Chandrayaan-1: Jawahar Point; Chandrayaan-2: Tiranga Point; Chandrayaan-3: Shiv Shakti Point.

Where is India's dedicated solar observatory, Aditya-L1, positioned in space?

In orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrangian Point 1 ($L_1$), roughly $1.5 \text{ million}\text{ km}$ away.

Where is India's second spaceport layout situated?

At Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu.

How was DRDO formed in 1958?

By merging the Technical Development Establishment of the Indian Army with the Directorate of Technical Development and Production.

What were the five core missiles developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) launched in 1983?

Prithvi (SRBM), Agni (IRBM), Trishul (SAM), Akash (SAM), and Nag (Anti-tank).

How did the BrahMos missile receive its name?

By blending the names of the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.

What significance does INS Arihant hold for India's nuclear submarine capabilities?

It made India the first nation outside the 5 permanent UN Security Council members to build a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.

What type of armour is used in DRDO's Arjun Main Battle Tank?

Indigenous Kanchan composite armour.

Who was HAL founded by in 1940, and what was its original name?

It was founded as Hindustan Aircraft by industrialist Walchand Hirachand in Bangalore.

What was India's first indigenously designed and manufactured powered aircraft?

The HAL HT-2, designed under Dr. VM Ghatage.

Who led the design team for Asia's first indigenous supersonic fighter-bomber aircraft, the HF-24 Marut?

German aerospace engineer Kurt Tank.

What altitude record is held by HAL's Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand?

It is the world's only attack helicopter capable of landing and taking off at altitudes exceeding $5000\text{ m}$ in the Siachen Glacier.

What 1893 event conceptualized the foundation of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc)?

A historic shipboard conversation between Jamsetji Tata and Swami Vivekananda regarding India's scientific self-reliance.

What was India's first indigenously designed and built digital electronic computer commissioned at TIFR?

The TIFR Automatic Computer (TIFRAC), commissioned in the early 1960s.

Who developed the silver-nitrate-based indelible election ink in India, and who manufactures it exclusively?

Developed by CSIR's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and manufactured exclusively by Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited.

Which CSIR institute developed the technology to convert buffalo milk into infant food powder?

CSIR's Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI).

When and where was the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) originally founded, and who funded it?

It was founded in 1905 at Pusa (Bihar) with a financial donation from American philanthropist Henry Phipps Jr.

When and by whom was the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) formally established?

In December 1931 by Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis inside the Statistical Laboratory at Presidency College, Kolkata.

What computer system installed at ISI in 1956 became India's very first operational electronic digital computer?

The Hollerith Electronic Computer (HEC-2M).

Who served as the first Director of IISc from 1906 to 1914, and who became its first Indian director in 1933?

English chemist Morris Travers served from 1906 to 1914, and Sir CV Raman became the first Indian director in 1933.

What physical phenomenon was mathematically explained by the Bhabha-Heitler theory?

Electron-positron shower production in cosmic rays.

Who was the first Indian elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1841?

Ardaseer Cursetjee, a Parsi shipwright and engineer.

Why was the subatomic particle 'Boson' named as such?

It was named explicitly by physicist Paul Dirac to honor the structural work of Satyendra Nath Bose.

What instrument did Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose invent to demonstrate plant life responses?

The Crescograph, an apparatus capable of magnifying plant tissue movements up to $10000\text{ times}$.

What are the eligibility criteria and establishment year for CSIR's Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize?

Established in 1958, it is awarded to scientific researchers under the age of $45$.

Why is National Engineers' Day celebrated on September 15 in India?

To mark the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya.

Why is 1729 known as the Hardy-Ramanujan number?

It is the smallest integer expressible as the sum of two cubes in two distinctly different ways: $1^3 + 12^3$ and $9^3 + 10^3$.

What key structural discoveries in biology were made by G.N. Ramachandran?

He formulated the Ramachandran Plot for peptide bond dihedral angles and proposed the triple-helical model of collagen.

What mathematical distance formula was introduced by PC Mahalanobis in 1936?

The Mahalanobis Distance ($D^2$), used to calculate structural distances between multivariate datasets.

Who directed the team responsible for India's first peaceful nuclear explosion (Smiling Buddha) in 1974?

Dr. Raja Ramanna.