Waman Dattatreya Patwardhan

Waman Dattatreya Patwardhan (30 January 1917 – 27 July 2007) was an <a href="/facts/IOFS/wXqDBdhs">IOFS</a> officer, <a href="/facts/Nuclear_chemist/aJulAlTD">nuclear chemist</a>, <a href="/facts/Military_science/up3hKbIj">defence scientist</a> and an expert in the science of <a href="/facts/Explosives_engineering/rmqkC6HF">Explosives engineering</a>. He was the founder director of the <a href="/facts/High_Energy_Materials_Research_Laboratory/L1dUHqqm">Explosives Research and Development Laboratory</a> (now known as the <a href="/facts/High_Energy_Materials_Research_Laboratory/L1dUHqqm">High Energy Materials Research Laboratory</a> (HEMRL)) of India. He is considered one of the distinguished scientists in India due to his contributions to Indian space program, Indian nuclear program and missile program in their early stages. He developed the <a href="/facts/Solid_propellant/K88ymXRy">solid propellant</a> for India's first space rocket launched at <a href="/facts/Thumba/CMCLw3Lq">Thumba</a>. He was responsible for developing the detonation system of India's first nuclear device which was successfully tested in 1974, an operation codenamed <a href="/facts/Smiling_Buddha/vhxqMQR1">Smiling Buddha</a>.
Other areas of work: Wrote a book on <a href="/facts/Hydroponics/g96g3ypl">Hydroponics</a> and developed a cost-effective method for producing parabolic mirrors for astronomical telescopes.
He was awarded <a href="/facts/Padma_Shri/f3GLTzob">Padma Shri</a> in 1974 by the <a href="/facts/Government_of_India/BIpETqjv">Government of India</a> for his contributions.

Waman Dattatreya Patwardhan open-in-new

Waman Dattatreya Patwardhan