The city residents, especially the youth, woke up a little earlier on Wednesday. By 7 a.m., everyone was glued to the television. A few of them walked to the gates of the Priyadarshini Planetarium at PMG, expecting to watch Mangalyaan entering the Mars orbit on big screen. Disappointed, they rushed back home to catch the action.
At the Observatory Hill, the lone caretaker paced inside his room, all the while glancing at the overhead television, as the moment neared. Mission over, happy faces were seen on the road, heading to schools and workplaces.
At IISTAt the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) in Valiamala, the students have been closely following the mission’s progress for the past few days. On Wednesday, the mood turned celebratory on the campus. For Mahima Singh, whose PhD word is related to Mars, the celebrations were personal too.
“After the successful launch, we will hopefully get a lot of insight into the red planet, which will be useful for my research,” says Ms. Singh. P.V. Manoranjan Rao, who retired as group director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre here, said that the achievement was a tribute to the skilled manpower in India’s space sector.
“We have always had a skilled and dedicated set of scientists. Even with the primitive infrastructure in the olden days, we have been able to make commendable progress in this field. It is a sign that our space organisation has become more mature and professional. The confidence from this achievement will help them to strive and explore more,” says Mr. Rao.
Shyla Joseph, Head of the Department of Physics at the Mar Ivanios College, said that the excitement that the Mangalyaan mission has created among her students was unprecedented.
“Many students have gone to voluntarily attend a seminar on Mangalyaan and are later planning to take part in a related quiz. There has been a revival of the science club activities. We are planning to bring the scientists connected to the mission to our campus to interact with the students,” says Ms. Joseph.