Astronaut training centre in Bangalore by 2012

BANGALORE: Bangaloreans are set to be over the moon as the city will play the training ground for two Indians who will be making a lunar trip in 2015.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will set up an astronaut training centre in Bangalore by 2012, to prepare personnel for the manned moon mission which will land two cosmonauts on the earth's natural satellite.

A site of 40 acres beyond the greenfield Bengaluru International
Airport has been identified.

Disclosing this to mediapersons, ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said: "We zeroed in on Bangalore after identifying several favourable aspects. We have an aviation medicine institute in the city which will significantly contribute for the astronaut training."

The Rs 1,000-crore centre will train the selected astronauts in rescue and recovery operations, surviving in a zero gravity situation, study of radiation environment and for the long journey in the space through water simulation.

The centre needs 100 acres more land to accommodate all the facilities planned.

ISRO will build centrifugals to train the astronauts on the acceleration aspects when the vehicle zooms into the space and familiarize them with zero gravity conditions.

"It will be like a swimming pool where people can go underneath and learn how to live in zero gravity situations to be created by water simulation. Then there will be various types of thermal cycling and radiation regulating chambers," Nair explained.