THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Mr P. Radhakrishnan, 71, retired deputy director (Systems Reliability and Quality Assurance) from Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Valiyamala, says, “Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam’s passing has left a vacuum. He was nonpareil.”
“I felt the same emotions when Vikram Sarabhai, father of India’s space programme and Homi J. Bhabha, father of India’s nuclear programme, passed away,” said Mr Radhakrishnan.
“When loss sets in, it creates a vacuum. I have only profound memories about Kalam. He was 12 years my senior. I first met him when I stepped in as a trainee at Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in 1966. Indian Space Research Organisation was formed in 1969 and the first launch from TERLS took place in 1963.
“Dr Kalam should not be seen as a former President or as a space scientist, because he has always been an all-rounder. We used to talk to each other whenever he came down to Thiruvananthapuram.
“The last time I met him was when he came down for the third batch’s convocation of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology at VSSC during February this year,” recalled
Mr Radhakrishnan, who was selected and trained as an astronaut in 1985 to fly the US Space Shuttle the following year. But the programme was called off following the tragic Challenger disaster in January 1986.
