Will life be possible on Mars? Is there water on Mars? What have the Mars missions discovered?
To know the answers to these questions, head to the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium to watch the 40-minute programme on ‘Mars – The Red Planet’.
The indigenously produced, fully digital show presented in a full-dome format for an “immersive feel” was launched on Wednesday by U.R. Rao, former chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and chairman of Bangalore Association for Science Education.
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Prof. Rao pointed out that the amount of information on Mars is “still very scanty”.
“We still have a lot of learn. We don’t know how much water is there. We are yet to explore if plants that require little oxygen can be grown there, which will improve oxygen levels on the planet,” he said.
Noting that there was criticism on the cost of the Mars mission, he said that no one speaks about the crores spent bursting crackers during Diwali.
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He stressed on the need to educate people about science.
“We are still toddlers. We have not explored much. Once we step out of our ‘cot’ (Earth), we will develop as adults,” he added.
B.S. Shylaja, Director of the planetarium, said that the digital show traces key discoveries made about Mars and how the study of the planet has contributed to the development of astronomy and astrophysics .
She said that the production was interspersed with anecdotes and mythological stories illustrated through cartoons, colourful pictures, graphics and animation .
Poster exhibitionA poster exhibition on Mars, along with a few participatory exhibits, are also on display .
For details, call 22203234, 22379725 or visit www.taralaya.org