APJ Abdul Kalam: Remembering 'Missile Man' on his 7th death anniversary, here are his five scientific contributions

Serving as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam played an instrumental role in heading the Pokhran-II nuclear testing.

 

The nuclear testing, under the supervision of Kalam between July 1992 and December 1999, made India a nuclear-armed state.

In the 1980s, when India had hardly dreamt of having its indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV), Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's over 10-year-long hard work as the project director for the development of the indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle at ISRO led to the ground-breaking scientific development.

 

It was in July 1980, that India's SLV-III successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in the near-Earth orbit leading to the country becoming a member of the exclusive Space Club.

 

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam headed the projects Devil and Valiant, which had the aim of developing ballistic missiles using the technology behind the successful SLV program.

 

Under Kalam's guidance, various missiles were developed including AGNI, an intermediate-range ballistic missile, and PRITHVI, which is a surface-to-surface missile.

 

 

Working jointly with cardiologist Soma Raju, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam developed a cost-effective coronary stent 'Kalam-Raju Stent' which helped in making healthcare accessible to all. 

In 2012, the duo of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Soma Raju designed a rugged tablet computer for better health care administration in the rural pockets of the country. They termed it the 'Kalam-Raju tablet.' 

 

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's work in the development and operationalisation of Indigenous guided missiles - AGNI and PRITHVI - earned him the title of the "Missile Man of India". 

For his work in the stream of science and politics, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India, was also awarded India's highest civilian honour - the Bharat Ratna.