Travel to Mars on Rs 7/km - cheaper than Autorickshaw

[bennedose]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/ ... 67726.aspx

India created history on Wednesday, becoming the first country to succeed on its first Mars mission when Isro's Mangalyaan slipped into Martian orbit after a few nail-biting moments.

"History has been created by our scientists", said PM Narendra Modi in his speech immediately after the scientists declared the mission a success. "We have dared to reach out to the unknown."

"When our cricketers win a tournament, we celebrate in a big way. What these scientists have achieved is thousand times bigger," he added.

Earlier, there were some tense moments at the Indian Space and Research Organisation (Isro), which commanded a series of tricky manoeuvres to position the spacecraft in its designated orbit around Mars.

The insertion started at 4.17am when the spacecrfat switched over to the medium gain antenna for providing the communication link during the insertion. At 6.56am, the spacecraft initiated the process of forward rotation, reducing its speed.

At 7.17am, the scientists had to grapple with the most critical moment — when the liquid apogee motor had to be fired. The motor was woken up for four seconds on Monday during a test-fire after 300 days of long sleep.

The motor was fired for 24 minutes, reducing the velocity of the spacecraft by 4.2km per second in relation to Mars. This was soon followed by moments of tension and anxiety when the communication broke as the spacecraft slipped behind Mars as the scientists waited for the good news.

At 7.45am, the occult ended and after two minutes, communication with the spacecraft resumed and data was flashed about the performance of the liquid apogee motor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Isro scientists after the mission met with success.

[Dabuji]

Very proud to be an INDIAN

[bennedose]

I was thinking - this is like hitting a Rupee coin size target from 10,000 km. Brilliant work.

[timmy]

True enough -- but with the added challenge of it taking minutes before the vehicle reacts to turning the steering wheel or stepping on the accelerator or brake, and then even more minutes passing before you know whether the vehicle reacted properly or needs even more correction.

A magnificent achievement, indeed! From my understanding, the scientific community was amazed at how cheaply and cleverly the space mission was carried out.

[xl_target]

India created history on Wednesday, becoming the first country to succeed on its first Mars mission when Isro's Mangalyaan slipped into Martian orbit after a few nail-biting moments.

Not to take anything away from an achievement like this but you do realize that the way this article is written is misleading. It is the truth but the impression it gives is misleading. The only history created here is that India is the sixth entity to try this and the fourth to succeed. It is always easier to go where others have gone before, especially 50 years later. NASA's Mariner 4 flew by Mars in 1965, Mariner 8 launched in 1971 and was the first man made object to orbit Mars (for nearly a year). The USSR placed a successful satellite in Martian Orbit in 1971, The ESA placed an orbiter in Mars orbit in 2003.

Still, it is definitely an achievement to be proud of. I do agree with Mr Modi about a cricket match paling in comparison to this achievement.
I have had family members who worked for ISRO since its inception and I know some of the hurdles that they have had to overcome.
It is due to the dedication and sacrifice of these scientists that this has been possible.
To achieve this, while being a part of the worlds largest bureaucracy, is truly a testament to the intelligence, drive, selflessness, integrity and perseverance of ISRO's professionals.
Thank You to the Ladies and Gentlemen of ISRO; you are a credit to your country.