Bhubaneswar, May 13: Padma Bhushan Dr K Radhakrishnan, former
Chairman, Space Commission and Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman on
Saturday said that India, after becoming the first Asian country to orbit a
spacecraft around Mars and the first in the world to succeed in the very first
attempt, is now on the threshold of climbing the next level of technology
ladder.
“India’s ‘Mangalyaan’ mission was executed with commendable
precision and the spacecraft is still healthy exploring planet Mars and sending
data regularly to the Indian Deep Space Earth Station near Bengaluru,” Dr. Radhakrishnan, who is also former Secretary
in the Department of Space, said while delivering the address at the 4th
Convocation of the SOA University here.
precision and the spacecraft is still healthy exploring planet Mars and sending
data regularly to the Indian Deep Space Earth Station near Bengaluru,” Dr. Radhakrishnan, who is also former Secretary
in the Department of Space, said while delivering the address at the 4th
Convocation of the SOA University here.
‘Mangalyaan’, as India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) is
popularly known, was essentially a mission to demonstrate the country’s
technological capability to orbit a spacecraft around Mars, he said adding
“India is now on the threshold of climbing the next level of technology ladder,
embracing international alliances for newer capabilities and fostering national
space industry to meet national and global needs.”
popularly known, was essentially a mission to demonstrate the country’s
technological capability to orbit a spacecraft around Mars, he said adding
“India is now on the threshold of climbing the next level of technology ladder,
embracing international alliances for newer capabilities and fostering national
space industry to meet national and global needs.”
Stating that the ‘world watched with awe’ as India became the
first country to fly a spacecraft around Mars in its very first attempt on
September 24, 2014, Dr. Radhakrishnan said any deep space mission like
‘Mangalyaan’ was complex, risky and challenging as compared to placing a
spacecraft around the earth or moon.
first country to fly a spacecraft around Mars in its very first attempt on
September 24, 2014, Dr. Radhakrishnan said any deep space mission like
‘Mangalyaan’ was complex, risky and challenging as compared to placing a
spacecraft around the earth or moon.
“A mission to Mars is feasible in a specific Earth-Mars-Sun
geometry that occurs only once in 26 months. In the case of Mangalyaan, the
spacecraft was to traverse close to 660 million km in about 300 days undergoing
pressures exerted by the radiation and gravitational forces of the sun and
other planets,” he said adding it was a
huge computational challenge to predict the magnitude and impact of these forces
and their impact as the spacecraft approached Mars.
geometry that occurs only once in 26 months. In the case of Mangalyaan, the
spacecraft was to traverse close to 660 million km in about 300 days undergoing
pressures exerted by the radiation and gravitational forces of the sun and
other planets,” he said adding it was a
huge computational challenge to predict the magnitude and impact of these forces
and their impact as the spacecraft approached Mars.
Technological excellence apart, the Mangalyaan mission was
lauded for clever use of a relatively low-capacity launcher PSLV to get off the
gravity of earth and meticulous operations all through these years for this
path-breaking mission which was possible due to the efforts of a brilliant and
motivated team of scientists and engineers, he said.
lauded for clever use of a relatively low-capacity launcher PSLV to get off the
gravity of earth and meticulous operations all through these years for this
path-breaking mission which was possible due to the efforts of a brilliant and
motivated team of scientists and engineers, he said.