Originally from New Delhi, Kakar is a veteran of 24 years at NASA.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Dr. Ramesh Kakar, a native of New Delhi, is one of the key people on a team at NASA responsible for the forthcoming Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, which is scheduled for launch next month.
Kakar is the manager of the Atmospheric Dynamics and Precipitation Programs, and was also one of the key men behind the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, another NASA mission conducted jointly with Japan that was launched in late 1997. Additionally, he is the current Weather Focus Area Leader at NASA.
The GPM mission is aimed at collecting information on climate and weather patterns around the world using state-of-the-art technology. The spacecraft is gearing up to launch from Japan next month; on January 27, Kakar and five other participants of the team will fly to Japanese observatory, where the launch will take place.
GPM is an international satellite mission led by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) that will provide next-generation observations of rain and snow worldwide,” said NASA in the press release. “GPM data also will contribute to climate research and the forecasting of extreme weather events such as floods and hurricanes.”
The GPM Core Observatory is scheduled to lift off between 1:07 and 3:07 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center on February 27.
Kakar earned his B.S. degree from the University of Delhi in 1962, and his Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming in Physics in 1970. He completed his post-doctoral fellowship in 1973 at Texas Tech University, and began his professional career in 1975, as an associate at the National Academy of Social Research at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
He has been employed directly by NASA since 1990, working in their national headquarters in Washington, DC.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com