When news of the successful insertion of the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft into Mars’ orbit flashed on LCD screens installed at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Shimoga, the students burst into loud cheers.
The school had arranged for screenings of the live telecast of the operation on Doordarshan. E. Jayachandran, principal of the school, said that since the successful launch of the MOM by PSLV-C25 rocket on November 5, 2013, the students had followed developments related to Mangalyaan with enthusiasm. A total number of 410 students watched the live telecast, he said.
The students clapped during announcements on successful completion of each operation, such as the commencement of forward rotation of the engine and the commencement of the process of liquid engine burn.
During the operation, when the spacecraft briefly went in Mars’ shadow (a process known as occultation), it could not transmit signals.
During this phase, the students waited for the signals anxiously, like the ISRO scientists who were part of the project.
Akshay, a class 9 student told The Hindu that every Indian should feel proud of this achievement. The success of Mangalyaaan will stimulate interest in students towards science and technology, he added.
Aditi, another class 9 student said that with the success of Mangalyaan, ISRO had become an elite member of the “Mars club”, after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States of America, the Russian Federal Space Agency and the European Space Agency. Mangalyaan has uplifted the mood of the entire nation, she said.
Rachana who is studying in class 8 said, “I keenly watched how scientists belonging to various wings of ISRO worked together. The importance of team work can be learnt through Mangalyaan.”
The activists of the Minority wing of Shimoga District Congress Committee also celebrated the success of Mangalyaan by bursting crackers and distributing sweets at Gopi Circle in the city.
