Indias low-cost Mars mission enters orbit on first attempt, PM Modi says history has been created Updated 24 Sep 2014, 4:46pmWed 24 Sep 2014, 4:46pm Mars Orbiter celebrations PHOTO: India hailed its low-cost mission to Mars with celebrations at the command centre near Bangalore. (AFP: Manjunath Kiran) RELATED STORY: India satellite rocket launch cheaper than GravityRELATED STORY: Indias mission to Mars blasts off MAP: India Indias low-cost mission to Mars has successfully entered the red planets orbit, crowning India as the first country to complete the trip at its maiden attempt. The success of the Mars Orbiter Mission, informally named Mangalayaan and lauded for its low price tag of $US74 million ($84 million), will boost Indias five-decade-old space PROGRAMthat newly-elected prime minister Narendra Modi aims to expand with better infrastructure and technology. With a spacecraft around Mars, India joins an elite club - the United States, Russia and Europe - that have successfully sent probes to orbit or land on Mars. Others, however, failed several times initially. The mission plans to study the planets surface and scan its atmosphere for methane, which could provide evidence of some sort of life form. The probe is expected to circle Mars for six months, about 500 kilometres from its surface. Its scientific instruments will collect data and send it back to Earth. Celebrations began at the command centre at the southern city of Bangalore after delayed communication signals confirmed the spacecraft had entered Martian orbit. Mr Modi, who sat behind scientists, looked tensed during the final moments. He congratulated scientists after the feat was achieved. India has successfully reached Mars. Congratulations to all, Mr Modi said in an address to scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisations (ISRO) mission control in south India. History has been created today. We have dared to reach out into the unknown and have achieved the near impossible. India has successfully reached Mars. Congratulations to all, to the entire country... history has been created today, The success of the mission after its 10-month journey was touted by Mr Modi as a showcase for the countrys home-grown and low-cost space technology. I have said it in the past too, the amount our scientists have spent on this mission is even less than what they spend in making Hollywood movies, he said in his televised addressed to the mission scientists. Mars mission cheaper than Hollywood blockbuster Gravity At just $US74 million ($84 million), the mission cost less than the estimated $US100 million budget of the sci-fi blockbuster Gravity. Things you could buy for $84 million The 870-metre BRISBANE Riverwalk which opened at the weekend after being rebuilt following the 2011 flood 84,084 new iPhone 6 Plus handsets A new public hospital for Byron Bay with an emergency department, maternity services and a 20-bed MENTAL HEALTH facility NBAs highest paid player LeBron James, who is tipped to earn $81 million this year Almost one F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter which will cost $101 million each The state-run 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 insertion under Mars shadow. Experts say the missions main aim is to showcase Indias budget space technology and hopefully snatch a bigger share of the $300-billion global space market. The mission cost just a fraction of NASAs MAVEN spacecraft which successfully began orbiting the fourth planet from the sun on Sunday. India has so far launched 40 satellites for foreign nations, since kick-starting its space PROGRAM. But China launches bigger satellites. Critics of the PROGRAM say a country that struggles to feed its people adequately and where roughly half have no toilets should not be splurging on space travel. Reuters/AFP
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 07:37:24 +0000
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