Eknath Vasant Chitnis is an Indian space scientist and a former member secretary at the

Indian National Committee for Space Research The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was set up by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai in 1962 to formulate the Indian Space Programme. At the time, the committee was part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The committee too ...

(INCOSPAR), which evolved into the present-day Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He is also a former director of Space Applications Centre of ISRO and a former colleague of

APJ Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied ...

, the erstwhile president of India. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

awarded him the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

, the third highest civilian award, in 1985. It was EV Chitnis who helped

Vikram Sarabhai Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (12 August 1919 – 30 December 1971) was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped develop nuclear power in India. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan ...

choose location of

Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) is an Indian spaceport established on 21 November 1963. Operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), it is located in Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, which is near the souther ...

, which was result of a location hunt done by Chitnis from 1961. It was Chitnis who recommended induction of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam into Indian space program after getting impressed by his resume and recommendation from H.G.S. Murthy (after interview by Murthy) by selecting him for the training under

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

. In 2008, EV Chitnis was unanimously selected as the Chairman of

Press Trust of India The Press Trust of India Ltd., commonly known as PTI, is the largest news agency in India. It is headquartered in New Delhi and is a nonprofit cooperative among more than 500 Indian newspapers. It has over 500 full-time employees , including abo ...

References

Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering Year of birth missing Indian space scientists Indian Space Research Organisation people {{India-scientist-stub

See also

References