Satish Dhawan was born on 25 September 1920 in Srinagar, in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. His father, Devi Dayal Dhawan, had migrated to Srinagar from Dera Ismail Khan. Satish Dhawan grew up in both Srinagar and Lahore.
His father was a distinguished civil servant and judge. Dhawan pursued an extensive and diverse education, graduating from Punjab University in Lahore with dual bachelor's degrees in physics & mathematics and mechanical engineering, as well as a Master of Arts in English literature.
He furthered his studies in the United States, earning a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1947, followed by an aeronautical engineering degree and a double PhD in mathematics and aerospace engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1951, under the supervision of his advisor Hans W. Liepmann.
| Full Name | Satish Dhawan |
| Date of Birth | 25-September-1920 (81 years) |
| Birth Location | Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, British India (Present-day Jammu and Kashmir, India) |
| Gender | Male |
| Death Time | 03-January-2002 |
| Death Location | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
After completing his education, he returned to India and joined the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore as a senior scientific officer. He quickly rose to become the head of the aeronautical engineering department and transformed it into the center of experimental fluid dynamics research in India.
He was a highly regarded researcher in turbulence and boundary layers, pioneering work in the field that earned him the title of the father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India. He established India’s first supersonic wind tunnel and contributed significantly to boundary layer theory and research.
In 1962, he became the youngest director of IISc and served as its longest-serving director, expanding the institute's departments significantly.
In 1972, he was called back from a sabbatical at Caltech to take charge of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), where he succeeded Vikram Sarabhai as chairman. Under his leadership from 1972 to 1984, ISRO experienced unprecedented growth and achieved several milestones, including the launch of Aryabhata, India’s first satellite, and the development of the Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3).
He also served as the Chairman of the Space Commission and Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Space. Satish Dhawan passed away on 3 January 2002 in Bangalore. In recognition of his contributions, ISRO named its second launch pad as the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
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Satish Dhawan was 81 years old
Satish Dhawan was born on 25-September-1920
Satish Dhawan was born in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, British India (Present-day Jammu and Kashmir, India)
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satish_Dhawan
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