India’s Mars mission set for attempt to enter orbit.

[dipsydoodle]

If mission succeeds, India will be first nation to get a rocket to Mars on first try, and first in Asia to reach red planet.

It is leading TV bulletins, on the front pages, in the prayers of temple priests and even on special emails sent out to parents of exclusive nursery schools in Delhi. But the one place the satellite has yet to reach is the orbit of Mars, its final destination.

Those running India’s first Mars mission hope this will happen at 7.30am local time on Wednesday. Failure is almost inconceivable. The prime minister, Narendra Modi, will be in the control room of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in the southern city of Bangalore as the rocket bearing the satellite attempts to enter the orbit of the red planet. Tens of millions of people across the country are expected to follow the progress of the craft live.

The mission’s climax comes days before Modi heads to the US to deliver his maiden address to the UN general assembly and to meet Barack Obama. If the mission succeeds, India will be the first nation to get a rocket to Mars on its first attempt, and the first in Asia to reach Mars at all.

“Just getting there is a big, bold statement. Succeeding would be a giant one about India’s place in the region and in the world,” said Pallava Bagla, a high-profile science commentator.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/23/india-mars-mission-orbit-mangalyaan

[DavidDvorkin]

1. Good luck to them

My withered old aerospace engineer's heart pumps more strongly every time another country does something in space.

[leftstreet]

2. DURec

Nice!

[Baclava]

3. they made it - "India triumphs in maiden Mars mission"

(Reuters) - India's low-cost mission to Mars successfully entered the red planet's orbit on Wednesday, crowning what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said was a "near impossible" push to become the only country to complete the trip on its maiden attempt.

The Mars Orbiter Mission was achieved on a budget of $74 million, nearly a tenth of the amount the U.S. space agency NASA spent on sending the Maven spacecraft to Mars.

ISRO successfully ignited the main 440 Newton liquid engine and eight small thrusters that fired for 24-minutes and trimmed the speed of the craft to allow smooth orbit. A confirmation of orbit entry was received at around 8 a.m. India time (0230 GMT).

After completing the 666 million km (414 million miles) journey in more than 10 months, the spacecraft called Mangalyaan - meaning Mars craft in Hindi - will now study the red planet's surface and scan its atmosphere for chemical methane. It will not land on Mars. ISRO scientists will operate five scientific instruments on the spacecraft to gather data, the space agency's scientific secretary V. Koteswara Rao told Reuters.

The expected life of the craft is six months, after which it will run out of fuel and the agency will not be able to maintain its orbit.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/09/24/india-mars-successful-mangalyaan-idINKCN0HJ05720140924

[greytdemocrat]

4. Well Done!! nt

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. Afghanistan $2 Billion Per Week For A War No One Wants

Cost for the Indian Mars Mission?

$74 million ...Priceless


http://www.afghanistanstudygroup.org/2012/04/06/afghanistan-weekly-reader-2-billion-per-week-for-a-war-no-one-wants/

Congratulations India!!!!!

[Ichingcarpenter]

6. India's Newly inaugurated Control Center at Satish Dhawan space center.

[Baclava]

7. So that's where Penny ended up?