Indian Mars Probe Successfully Enters Sun-Centric Orbit

New submitter palemantle writes with this excerpt from The Hindu, updating our earlier mention of the successful launch of India's Mars-bound probe: "In a remarkably successful execution of a complex manoeuvre, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) fired the propulsion system on board the spacecraft for a prolonged duration of 23 minutes from 0049 hours on Sunday. In space parlance, the manoeuvre is called Trans-Mars Injection (TMI). ISRO called it 'the mother of all slingshots.' Celebrations broke out at the control centre of the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore from where the spacecraft specialists gave commands for the orbiter's 440 Newton engine to begin firing. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as Mangalyaan, is designed to demonstrate the technological capability to reach Mars orbit. But the $72m (£45m) probe will also carry out experiments, including a search for methane gas in the planet's atmosphere."

Comments

Indians, in spaaaaace

[BringsApples]

India is like another planet. I had the opportunity to live in India in 1996-1997 and work heavily with Indians. They are such a pleasure to work with (I was working in agriculture) and things go by so softly over there (in Chennai - Manapakkam - at least). I remember thinking that, it felt how I assume it felt in America back in the 40's. I hope that India is able to weave itself into a respectable position with other first-world countries, even if only for the first-world country's sake - for the sake of remembering how to work together as a team for a noble cause.