The year 2020 marks the 101st birth anniversary of one of the greatest scientists of India, Vikram Sarabhai. Regarded as the father of the  Indian Space Program, Vikram Sarabhai was the person who initiated space research and helped develop nuclear power in India. He was born to  Ambalal Sarabhai on August 12, 1919, He attended Gujarat College, Ahmedabad, but later shifted to the University of Cambridge, England. It was here he took his tripos in natural sciences in 1940. Marking 99th Birth Anniversary of India's Space Pioneer Vikram Sarabhai, ISRO Unveiled His Bust at its Bengaluru Headquarters.

Vikram Sarabhai returned to Cambridge to pursue a doctorate and wrote a thesis, "Cosmic Ray Investigations in Tropical Latitudes," in 1947. The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) was founded in 1947 by Sarabhai. The PRL is also known as the cradle of space sciences in India. The initial focus was research on cosmic rays and the properties of the upper atmosphere. Remembering APJ Abdul Kalam on His 5th Death Anniversary, Twitterati Share Inspirational Messages and Quotes to Honour the ‘Missile Man of India’.

Here Are Facts About Vikram Sarabhai:

  • Vikram Sarabhai led the Sarabhai family-owned business conglomerate.

  • Sarabhai's interests varied from science to sports to statistics.

  • He set up the Operations Research Group (ORG), the first market research organisation in the country.

  • Nehru Foundation for Development in Ahmedabad, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), the Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association (ATIRA) and the (CEPT) are the most notable institutes set up by him.

  • Other projects and institutions initiated or established by him include the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) in Kalpakkam.

  • Sarabhai started a project for the fabrication and launch of an Indian satellite.

  • Due to his efforts the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, was put in orbit in 1975 from a Russian cosmodrome.

  • He was the founder of the Indian Space Research Organisation.

  • Vikram Sarabhai held many distinguished positions, including President of the Physics section of Indian Science Congress in 1962 and President of General Conference of the IAEA, Vienna in 1970.

  • He served as the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India from 1966 to 1971.

  • He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan (posthumously) in 1972 for his contributions in the field of science.

The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, (VSSC), is named in his memory. The VSSC is the Indian Space Research Organisation's lead facility for launch vehicle development located in Thiruvananthapuram. Sarabhai was also a role model and mentor of late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. In 1973, the International Astronomical Union decided that a lunar crater, Bessel A, in the Sea of Serenity will be known as the Sarabhai crater. The lander on India's moon mission Chandrayaan-2 which was to land near the South Pole of the moon on September 20, 2019, was named Vikram in his honour.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 12, 2020 08:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).