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TSG Sastry Papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MS-006

Content Description

This collection consists of the papers of T.S.G. Sastry, a scientist who made significant contributions to the field of space research in India. Sastry was also one of the earliest PhD students at the Physics Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, working under Vikram Sarabhai.

Dates

  • Creation: 1937-2006

Creator

Language of Materials

English, Japanese, Kannada, Tamil, French, Sinhalese.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for public access unless mentioned otherwise. People interested in accessing the collections are requested to refer to the researcher guide for requesting material: https://archives.ncbs.res.in/access

Conditions Governing Use

The Archives at NCBS makes no representation that it is the copyright owner in all of its collections. The user must obtain all necessary rights and clearances before use of the material. People interested in using the collections are requested to refer to the researcher guide for publication of material: https://archives.ncbs.res.in/access

Biographical / Historical

Thyamagondlu Shankarasastry Gopalakrishna Sastry was born on 8th July, 1923. He completed his BSc in 1945 from the then University of Mysore in Bangalore, after which he obtained a diploma in Radio Technology in 1947. His first stint at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) was as a Technical Assistant in 1948, servicing and constructing radio equipment used in cosmic ray research. Following this, he completed his MSc in Electronics in 1953 from Gujarat University and continued working at the Physical Research Laboratory as a Junior Research Assistant from 1954-1958. While in charge of the Kodaikanal outstation of the PRL, he worked to set up a cosmic ray laboratory with meson telescopes. The analysis of cosmic ray data during this time contributed to Sastry's PhD thesis at the Physical Research Laboratory, on cosmic ray investigations at low latitudes, under the supervision of Vikram Sarabhai. Sastry then spent two years at the University of California, Berkeley, working with K.A. Anderson and his group, on instrumentation for the Solar Cosmic Ray Experimental package for EGO Satellite.

As a Research Associate in Physics at the University of New Hampshire, he worked in collaboration with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center on a project involving the construction, testing, and launching of proton-precession magnetometer payloads, used to study the equatorial electrojet.

Upon returning to India in 1964, he became a faculty member at the Physical Research Laboratory, and worked as a Project Scientist at the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR). He worked on the design, construction and launch of magnetometer payloads, carried on sounding rockets, with the aim of analysing data from the equatorial electrojet at Thumba, Trivandrum. During his time at INCOSPAR, he also worked on the programme to launch Langmuir probes in collaboration with NASA.

Sastry represented PRL and INCOSPAR at many international meetings and symposia, including the COSPAR symposia in London in 1967, and in Prague in 1969. He was a member of the delegation to the Commonwealth Consultative Space Research Committee meeting, held at Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), in 1968. In addition to his work in the United States, he also initiated experiments in collaboration with scientists in France and the United Kingdom. His first academic paper was published in 1955, and his last in 1980, with a total of 27 papers to his credit. T.S.G. Sastry died on October 29, 2017 of natural causes. He was married to Lalitha Sastry and had five children.

This collection is valuable for understanding some of the early histories of space research in India, and organisations that would eventually serve as the foundation for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

Extent

9 Linear Feet (16 Hollinger-style archive-boxes, 1 oversized cabinet)

Arrangement

The arrangement strives to preserve the original order of the papers. Where an original order could not be found, the Archives chose an order. Folders within sub-series are usually arranged in chronological or alphabetical order. See the Scope and Content section for further details regarding series and sub-series. Upon request of the donors, some material initially appraised was removed and returned to the family. While these were numbered during the initial processing, these items were not accessioned for processing the final collection. The unique identifiers of these objects have been left unused. As a result, some series reflect gaps in the standard numbering procedure followed by the Archives at NCBS.

Physical Location

Archives at NCBS, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore - 560065

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was given to Venkat Srinivasan at the Archives by the family of T.S.G. Sastry on November 8, 2019. It was received from Balaji Parthasarathy, Sastry's son-in-law. The material was reorganised by Sastry's family at Sastry's residence before handing over to archives. Processing of the material began in early 2020, but was halted due to the pandemic and logistical issues. The first phase of processing was complete by July 2, 2021. In January 2022, the Archives received a request to remove material from the Sastry family. Following the removal of 46 items, final processing was complete by January 2023. The Deed of Gift was signed on February 27, 2023.

Title
TSG Sastry Papers MS-006
Author
Sanjna Girish Yechareddy
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the Archives at NCBS Repository

Contact:
National Centre for Biological Sciences - Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Bangalore Karnataka 560065 India
+9180 6717 6010
+9180 6717 6011