Page 19 - MECHNOVIT-XX-Edition

TECH CHAT- INDUSTRY EXPERT

Mr. T.K. Sundaramurthy, Mission Director (Retired),

ISRO, Bangalore

The easiest thing in the world is to advise because it’s for others.
Facing the situation:
You are in a competitive environment with supply being more than the demand so apart from academic
excellence one should have extracurricular activities and some widening of domain knowledge to take
challenges head on.
Upon completion of Aeronautical engineering (study about aircraft related) got a job in ISRO which
required domain knowledge of Space Technology in spacecraft & Launch Vehicle. The situation was
similar to searching for an object in black colour in the darkness. As the day passed started getting into
the nitty-gritty of technology spending a lot of time reading and discussing seniors & colleagues. Most
important things required dedication, hard work and brainstorming sessions with others.
Very first challenge faced and how it was handled.
The spacecraft was launched successfully into orbit and the required operations were carried out to
position for its use. Solar panels were (folded during launch to be unfolded) used to generate power for
operating the subsystems. The Spacecraft was commanded to deploy the solar panels resulting in a
situation where only one side of the solar panel deployed with the other got stuck and could not generate
power resulting in a loss of 50%. This posed a challenge to maintaining the Spacecraft’s heath and users
should not suffer. The innovative way of operating the Spacecraft was devised after a detailed discussion
with designers and the procedure evolved to operate the Spacecraft efficiently utilizing the generated
power. With this management, the Spacecraft was used until its lifetime completion. Like this so many
different problems and extremely difficult occasions were taken care.
Learning from experience
One can learn many lessons from experience in life. It gives immense knowledge to handle any situation
efficiently and reach the goal.
Power of observation
Based on observation it is easy to know the behaviour of how to handle smartly the customers with a smile
in the face of a waiter serving in a Hotel. All situations seen can be converted as an opportunity to know
how to go about and solve the issues amicably.
Self-confidence
One should have the conviction and confidence that anything can be done & reach the endpoint. Firmly
believe no one can do the work or job more efficiently and better than self. Don’t change yourself for the
sake of others because no one can replace YOU. Believe YOU ARE the BEST.
Success
This can be defined in so many ways but in this context it’s simply completing the assignment in FULL.
Success is not straight way to achieve but it has too many surprises before accomplishing the job.
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH HARD WORK & NOTHING IS POSSIBLE WITHOUT HARD WORK
In conclusion the four decades of service in ISRO the most important lesson learnt can be summarized in
simple terms “KEEP LEARNING” nothing more required to have successful carrier & LIFE.

I wish you the best of luck in your academic pursuits and in the years ahead.

MECHNOVIT NEWSLETTER 19
19
19