LESS THAN two weeks are left for the country’s first unmanned lunar mission ‘Chandrayaan’. Preparations are going on at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), about 100 km from Chennai. If weather conditions remains favourable, India’s first spacecraft mission beyond earth’s orbit will be launched through indigenous workhorse rocket PSLV-C11.
Indian space scientists are impatiently counting days for the launch of the mission on October 22, slated at 6.20 am. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists are expecting that the lunar mission will bring forth many secrets of the moon. At the same time, people across the country are keenly waiting for the nation’s first major lunar mission.
Meanwhile, the Indian space authorities are planning a step ahead for the country’s maiden human space flight around 2015. The space scientists are eagerly awaiting a green signal from the government for their human space flight proposal.
According to top officials of ISRO, country’s human space flight is expected in 2015. SHAR director MP Dathan informed that a project report on the human space flight is ready and is awaiting final approval from the government. For the proposed human space flight (manned mission) programme, Dathan said a new launch pad will be developed at Sriharikota. He also mentioned that the indigenously built geosynchronous launch vehicle will be upgraded to undertake the manned mission.
Since the announcement of country’s first moon mission, Indian space scientists are facing criticism.
People are questioning the requirement for a lunar mission by India after a number of countries across the world have already undertaken similar missions in the past. But ISRO officials replies that the Chandrayaan mission will reveal many secrets, which the world is yet to know.
From the moon mission, the Indian scientists will try to find out several secrets; like the origin and evolution of the moon, detailed understanding of the mineralogy of the moon and abundance of Helium-3, which is said to be a relatively clean fuel for the future nuclear fusion reactor.
If Indian scientists succeed in getting the vital information from this lunar mission, it will certainly be a big achievement for the country. And it will also bring India on par with other developed countries. The lunar mission will also pave the way for the proposed human space flight and other space related projects. Let us keep our fingers crossed and wait to witness the proud moment in the country’s space history.
No comments:
Post a Comment