Posted on 11/18/2008 6:07:10 PM PST by SunkenCiv
A lunar probe from India's first unmanned moon mission Chandrayaan-1 has landed on the moon and started sending back its first images.
The Moon Impactor Probe (MIP), painted on both sides with the Indian flag, detached itself from the spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 about 100km from the moon's surface and successfully crash-landed on the south pole of the moon at 3.01pm GMT, officials at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.
India's space programme began in 1962 and the MIP is the first Indian built object to reach the surface of the moon.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Bunch of nice pics, too.
India's maiden lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 is seen successfully taking off at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
The first lunar probe from India landed successfully on the moon as part of a two-year mission aimed at laying the groundwork for further Indian space expeditions
The surface of the moon taken by Moon Impact Probe (MIP) shortly before landing after separation from India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k6KUDv1wzraWhwlBt1
Joe Biden said they’re going to plant a 7-11 Flag when they get there.
Let’s hope this endeavor is better than their tech (not) support.
Break out the Basmati rice...
Nobody would mistake India for a leader in outer space. Many Indians are hopeful that the launch this week of the Chandrayaan I spacecraft, which will orbit the moon in search of water, will mark a turning point for the nation's space program. The Indian mission will carry instruments for the U.S. and European space agencies in addition to its own Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Judging from local media coverage, Indians are following the mission almost as closely as the gyrations of the stock markets.
The Indian space program is already far ahead in one respect: its use of space technologies to solve the everyday problems of ordinary people on the ground. For more than 20 years, India has been quietly investing hundreds of millions of dollars in its earth-sciences program with an eye toward helping farmers with their crops, fishermen with their catches and rescue workers with management of floods and other disasters. "India is leading the way in the approach towards the rationale for earth observation," says Stephen Briggs, the head of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Earth Observation Science and Applications Department.
Measured by the number and sophistication of their satellites, America and Europe may be ahead of India. But with an annual budget of about $1 billion—less than a tenth of NASA's—ISRO covers a lot of ground. It has built and launched 46 satellites, which provide data for at least nine Indian government ministries. Its 11 national communications satellites are the largest network in Asia, and its seven remote sensing satellites map objects on Earth at a resolution of less than a meter. These form the backbone of a series of practical initiatives that, according to a Madras School of Economics study, have generated a $2 return for every $1 spent. "We have clearly shown that we can give back to the country much more than is invested in the space program," says ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair.
.........SNIP............
India's investment in Earth observation satellites over the years comes to only about $500 million per satellite, about a tenth of the cost of its Western counterparts. After introducing a satellite service to locate potential fish zones and broadcasting the sites over All India Radio, ISRO helped coastal fishermen double the size of their catch. For the government's Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, begun in 1986, satellites have improved the success rate of government well-drilling projects by 50 to 80 percent, saving $100 million to $175 million. Meteorological satellites have improved the government's ability to predict the all-important Indian monsoon, which can influence India's gross domestic product by 2 to 5 percent.
.........SNIP............
Next, ISRO plans to roll out satellite-enabled services to hundreds of millions of farmers in India's remote villages. In partnership with NGOs and government bodies, it has helped to set up about 400 Village Resource Centers so far. Each provides connections to dozens of villages for Internet-based services such as access to commodities pricing information, agricultural advice from crop experts and land records. ISRO's remote-sensing data will also help village councils develop watersheds and irrigation projects, establish accurate land records and plan new roads connecting their villages with civilization as cheaply and efficiently as possible. One ISRO partner—the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation—has used satellites to conduct 78,000 training programs for more than 300,000 farmers in 550 villages, teaching them about farming practices like drip-and-sprinkle irrigation, health-care awareness programs for diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, and information about how to access government services. Using satellites to guide reclamation of 2 million hectares of saline and alkaline wastelands is expected to generate income of more than $500 million a year.
The United States and Europe may have beaten ISRO to the moon, but India's vision might just show the way for mankind's next giant leap.
.........SNIP............
EXCERPTED.
Read more at http://www.newsweek.com/id/164599
Oh great! Now who knows where the damn call center is!
Hello?.... is this customer support?
Can I talk with someone who speaks english?
|
|
Copyright © 2008 Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. |
LOL!!!
Another descendant of the British Empire does well.
They should have asked Japan for cameras.
Good work India
Why didn’t they land in the sunny tropics where it’s warmer, and not on the South Pole?
Actually, the whole Indian moon landing was faked in a warehouse in Bollywood.
Congratulations to India!!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.