Wings of Fire Unit 3-4

Shaheen Taj

Wings Of Fire Unit – 3&4

What according to Kalam does one need to be a successful team leader?

APJ Abdul Kalam was born in 1931 to little educated family of boat owners in Rameswaram. He specialized in A.E. Dr. Kalam made significant contribution in developing India’s first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV). As the scientific adviser, to Defense Secretary he was responsible for evolving policies, strategies and missions for many development applications. With the success of Pokhran-II he became a heroic figure for many Indians.

According to Abdul Kalam, a good leader commands commitment and participation from his/her team. He/she has to get the team together to share whatever little development has been achieved. This slight loss of time was the very small prize to pay for that commitment and sense of team work. Abdul Kalam could spot out good leadership qualities in his small group of workers. They existed at all levels.

Abdul Kalam used to observe his colleagues carefully if they had the interest and willingness to experiment. He also started to listen and observe anyone who showed the slightest promise. Abdul Kalam adopted two ways to strengthen his personal freedom while leading a team. The first method was to strengthen education and skills. Knowledge is a tangible asset quite often the most important tool while working. To lead in a way, is to continue our education. Many professionals often go to night classes to keep themselves abreast of latest technological developments. To be a successful leader, one has to stay back after the din and clutter of a working day to review the work done and Kalam did just that.

These are the leadership qualities which one needs to be a successful team leader according to Kalam.


Write about SLV 3’s history, its failure and its ultimate success.

Prof.Sarabhai the Mahatma of Indian Science wanted to start an Indian SLV. For this purpose he hand-picked a team known as SLV-3. Kalam was chosen as the project leader, and he had also the additional responsibility of designing the fourth stage of SLV-3.

Sarabhai wanted to develop ISLV, after the successful launch of Nike Apache, which was the sounding rocket. This brought great changes in the space research programmes. Many new committies and teams were formed. Kalam and his team worked continuously. The SLV-3 required enormous effort in the areas of rocket propulsion and pushing the pay load into orbit. Slowly, the SLV-3 project started taking shape. Thumba became capable of handling all major systems of a launch vehicle. Prof. Sarabhai visited Thumba frequently to supervise the progress of the team until his untimely death. The TERLS at Thumba became Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). The team worked in full swing as if in memory of the great man who planned it. Kalam was appointed the project manager for SLV-3. SLV-3’s primary objective was to launch a 40kg satellite into a 400km circular orbit around the earth.
Kalam selected the team carefully. Dr.Brahma Prakash formed Project Advisory Committees. A target of All Line Flight Test within 64 months was set in March 1973. The team members were specialists in their own area. This raised them to the heights in their careers later.

About 250 sub assemblies and 44 major sub-systems were conceived during the design of SLV-3, the components required for, were made in India itself. First experimental flight trial of SLV-3 was scheduled for 10 August 1979. The 23mt long, forestage rocket, weighing 17 tons, finally took off elegantly. Stage 1 performance was perfect. But because of some malfunctioning stage-2 went out of control and it crashed into the sea, 560km off Sriharikota. Later the team held meeting, discussed about the fault and after great efforts and collections lifted off SLV-3 off from SHAR. This vehicle which took off on 18 July 1980 set the blue print for India’s satellite programmes and later to missile development. It was an inspiration of success to the whole country.


What does Kalam say about Sarabhai’s contribution to India’s Science programme?

Prof. Vikram Sarabhai was a visionary who pioneered Space Research in India. He had invited Kalam to take up RATO project. During this project Prof. Sarabhai has realized his vision for ten year Space Research. The confidence and courage of Prof. Sarabhai made the Indian Scientific Community competent and ready to take on new challenges. It was Sarabhai who had located Shriharikota to rocket launching station.

Kalam has deep respect and utmost veneration to Prof. Sarabhai. He considers him as the ‘Mahatma of Indian Science’. Prof. Sarabhai was an innovator who was highly optimistic and tolerant. He identified the capabilities of his sub-ordinates. He was the only schentist who single handedly planned and got executed the vast network of Space Research Organizations throughout India. He wanted to develop indigenous rockets and satellites.

Prof. Sarabhai had formed a team named SLV-3 to develop SLV and Kalam was chosen to lead the project. Prof. Sarabhai used to say that mistakes were inevitable but generally manageable. He had the wisdom to understand any kind of situation. He had set up the Rocket Engineering Section at Thumba.

For five years, about 22 scientists and engineers had worked with Prof. Sarabhai who later took charge of important scientific projects. Prof. Sarabhai personally supervised the progress of each and every stage of SLV-3 until his untimely death. The TERLS at Thumba became the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, and the work on SLV -3 went on in full swing in Prof. Sarabhai’s memory.

Within a year of Sarabhai’s death India’s first SLV lifted off from SHAR. This credit goes to the pillars of Indian Space Programme, Prof. Sarabhai in particular. Thus Sarabhai’s visions define the counoutry’s Space Progamme.


Write briefly about Wernher Von Braun’s achievements.

Wernher Von Braun was a German Scientist. He was a great schentist in the fieldof rocketry and missiles. He was a scientist, designer, production engineer, administrator and technology manager, all rolled into one. He worked as technical director of the German Missile Laboratory. He made the lethal V-2 missiles that devasted London in World War II. Later Lethal V-2 missiles were the first missiles to exceed the speed of the sound. At the end of the war Von Braun was captured by the allied forces headed by the USA. He was not ill-treated but in honour of his genius he was given a top position in the rocketry programme at NASA. He worked for the American army and produced the first IRBM, Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile, ‘Jupiter’missile with a 3000km range.

Abdul Kalam was awed to meet such a great man as Von Braun. He received Von Braun at the Madras airport and was happy to travel with him in the Avro aircraft from Madras to Trivandrum. During the 90min flight Von Braun asked Kalam about the progress of Indian Space research and listened like a student. Kalam found the father of modern rocketry to be a very humble, receptive and encouraging person.

Von Braun advised Abdul Kalam to do anything in rocketry on his own if he wanted to do it. He cited the example of the Americans who looked at every alien product with great mistrust. He also advised to take successes and failures equally as even failures can teach more. Mere hard work would not bring honour. One must have vision and conception of the whole and then work hard to make it a success. Finally he advised Kalam not to make rocketry his profession or livelihood but make it his religion or mission of life.

Abdul Kalam saw Prof. Sarabhai in Von Braun. This speaks about Kalam’s admiration for Von Braun, who had enhanced his wisdom and expanded his vision.